Out-Racing the Competition
(By: Jim Duffy, Shore Publishing, Madison, CT) :: Cyclo-cross can be a dirty sport. While it can be a lot like road racing—it uses a similar type of bicycle with some modifications—the races take place on the road, on grass, through mud, and have obstacles where the rider must dismount, pick up the bike, and carry it. Guilford's Brian Hayes recently placed 11th at the Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships U23 race that was held Dec. 10 at Roger Williams Park in Rhode Island.
“It's a sport within the sport of bicycle racing,” says Brian. “It's similar to road racing, except there's just some road with a lot of grassy sections, mud, and barriers. It can be cold with the rain and the mud. Racing in New England can get interesting.”
Cyclo-cross riders race over smaller courses than what is typical for road races and the season for cyclo-cross takes place in the fall before ending in mid-December. In high school, Brian began to take up biking—first as a mountain biker and then he got into road races. By the time he graduated from high school in 2003, Brian was racing regularly. Brian first got involved in cyclo-cross specifically because it had a season that fit into the road racing off-season.
“I got into it through Richard Sachs, who is also my coach,” says Brian. “We were looking for something for me to do in the off-season. Cyclo-cross is definitely a change of pace. All the races are shorter, so they're more intense. Competition takes up less time compared to road racing. It's fun.”
Besides racing with team run by Richard Sachs, Brian recently became a member of the developmental team run by International Bike/Nerac.com, which if all goes well should give Brian a chance to ride for a professional team in the coming years.
“I'd definitely like to give racing professional a shot,” says Brian. “By the summer of 2007, I'd like to be able to ride on a pro team. If not a paid spot, at least ride for the team.”
Road racers divide riders into six categories with pro racers being the top and category V racers being the bottom. Brian is currently ranked as a category III.
“I think I can work my way up to category II,” says Brian. “Then I'd be able to race with the pro team.”
To prepare for that, Brian spends between 15 and 30 hours a week training in the winter, but that tapers off a little in the summer as he spends more time racing.
“With racing, it becomes more intense,” says Brian, “and you have to do a recovery in between races.”
While Brian spends a great deal of time racing and becoming a better biker, he is also a finance major at UConn. Although even being at school doesn't give Brian a break from the world of biking, since he's the manager of UConn's collegiate road racing club team.
“We have a pretty strong team here,” says Brian. “As manager, I have to make sure that we get money from school and get everyone out and to the races. Then I'll submit paperwork for reimbursement from the school.”
Preparing for the cyclo-cross season corresponds with the fall semester of school, so Brian had to do a lot of his work while he was at the Storrs campus.
“Up at school, I trained at Mansfield Hollow,” says Brian. “I had to do a lot of cross-training. I'd do a lot of running, which is specific for cyclo-cross to prepare for crossing barriers or if it gets really muddy. At nationals, there was even a small set of stairs that we had to get over.”
“It's a sport within the sport of bicycle racing,” says Brian. “It's similar to road racing, except there's just some road with a lot of grassy sections, mud, and barriers. It can be cold with the rain and the mud. Racing in New England can get interesting.”
Cyclo-cross riders race over smaller courses than what is typical for road races and the season for cyclo-cross takes place in the fall before ending in mid-December. In high school, Brian began to take up biking—first as a mountain biker and then he got into road races. By the time he graduated from high school in 2003, Brian was racing regularly. Brian first got involved in cyclo-cross specifically because it had a season that fit into the road racing off-season.
“I got into it through Richard Sachs, who is also my coach,” says Brian. “We were looking for something for me to do in the off-season. Cyclo-cross is definitely a change of pace. All the races are shorter, so they're more intense. Competition takes up less time compared to road racing. It's fun.”
Besides racing with team run by Richard Sachs, Brian recently became a member of the developmental team run by International Bike/Nerac.com, which if all goes well should give Brian a chance to ride for a professional team in the coming years.
“I'd definitely like to give racing professional a shot,” says Brian. “By the summer of 2007, I'd like to be able to ride on a pro team. If not a paid spot, at least ride for the team.”
Road racers divide riders into six categories with pro racers being the top and category V racers being the bottom. Brian is currently ranked as a category III.
“I think I can work my way up to category II,” says Brian. “Then I'd be able to race with the pro team.”
To prepare for that, Brian spends between 15 and 30 hours a week training in the winter, but that tapers off a little in the summer as he spends more time racing.
“With racing, it becomes more intense,” says Brian, “and you have to do a recovery in between races.”
While Brian spends a great deal of time racing and becoming a better biker, he is also a finance major at UConn. Although even being at school doesn't give Brian a break from the world of biking, since he's the manager of UConn's collegiate road racing club team.
“We have a pretty strong team here,” says Brian. “As manager, I have to make sure that we get money from school and get everyone out and to the races. Then I'll submit paperwork for reimbursement from the school.”
Preparing for the cyclo-cross season corresponds with the fall semester of school, so Brian had to do a lot of his work while he was at the Storrs campus.
“Up at school, I trained at Mansfield Hollow,” says Brian. “I had to do a lot of cross-training. I'd do a lot of running, which is specific for cyclo-cross to prepare for crossing barriers or if it gets really muddy. At nationals, there was even a small set of stairs that we had to get over.”
posted by Ryan Amirault at Thursday, January 19, 2006
