6 Instant Upgrades: Cyclocross
Dip your muddy toes into cycling’s favourite winter sport. Cyclocross is fast-paced fun… and it’s even better with this kit in your armoury
Spring may be upon us, but, with plenty of Cyclocross events across the UK over the next few weeks, there’s still time to don your lycra and embrace the mud.
And, whilst these tech upgrades won’t make those gruelling uphill slogs any less painful, they might just get you to the top warm, chafe-free and with enough telematic data to keep you entertained whilst waiting for the spin-cycle to finish…
1. SEALSKINZ MID LENGTH SEA EAGLE
Being dry is as much about improving your performance as it is about comfort.
Sealskinz socks have top-secret patented technology, which give them great breathability while being completely waterproof.
The Sea Eagle has a tongue-in-cheek design that pokes fun at stuffy golfers, with a comfortable fit thanks to their elasticated ankle and insteps.
Save money on expensive shoes and invest in socks, because trench foot isn’t a great post-race hangover.
Keep your feet dry › Buy Sealskinz Sea Eagle Socks (£32) here
2. BOARDMAN CX TEAM
The CX bikes are the love-child of road and off-road, although cyclocross racing was around long before mountain biking.
A couple of years ago the UCI relaxed the rules and cable-activated disc brakes began to appear.
The purists will moan about weight, but when racing in muddy conditions being able to stop is pretty handy. After all, these are little more than road bikes with fat tyres.
The disc-equipped Boardman CX Team is stiff, light and responsive, and great for the first-time racer
Get rolling › Buy the Boardman CX Team Bike (£900) here
3. ENDURA THERMOLITE WINTER BIBSHORTS
If tyres are important as contact points with the ground, the right shorts are equally important contacts with your bike.
During a race you’ll be on and off, riding and jumping obstacles, so a bibbed short will stay tight, won’t chafe and will keep you warm.
Endura uses ‘flat lock’ stitching to avoid uncomfortable rubbing and its gel insert with an antibacterial finish will ensure you won’t be walking like John Wayne the morning after the race.
Don your shorts › Buy Endura Thermolite Winter Bibshorts (£900) here
Cyclocross Essentials
PRACTICE DISMOUNTS
A cyclocross race can be won or lost on how good your dismounts and re-mounts are. It can be a little bit of a leap of faith at first, but practice unclipping, jumping off the bike, shouldering it and running for a bit and then jumping back on. This is how you get the ‘feel’ of the bike and it will pay off in a race situation.
STAY WARM
Embrocation will keep your muscles warm before the race. Cold causes cramp and the professionals swear by a combination of gels and gentle spinning on a turbo-trainer before the race. You’ll have two-min and one-min warnings to get yourself prepped at the start line, so get your race head on early.
RESEARCH RACES
Cyclocross races can be found all over the country and there will be a series near you. It’s quite late in the 2014/15 season now, but there are still races around. To find out where they are and how to get involved in the sport, go to British Cycling
4. OAKLEY RADARLOCK
While chasing down that elusive leader of the pack, the last thing you need is a big dollop of mud in your eye.
The Radarlocks have a hydrophobic treatment applied to their clear lenses so muddy water will run straight off, giving you a clear, unobstructed view of the backside of the rider you’re chasing.
The lenses also darken automatically in bright conditions, making them suitable for virtually any weather conditions.
Think of them as a lighter alternative to mudguards for a sport where weight is everything.
Shield your eyes › Buy Oakley Radarlock glasses (£195) here
5. CONTINENTAL CYCLO-X-KING
It’s easy to forget that tyres are the only thing connecting you to terra firma.
You need to make sure your tyres can clear mud, grip and roll well. The Cyclo-X King, as the name suggests, does all three.
It has a wide tread pattern for better mud dispersal, while providing larger knobs (no sniggering) for less rolling resistance on harder ground and improved ‘bite’. They meet UCI regulations for width too, to save you from any humiliating disqualification issues.
Rubber up › Buy Continental Cyclo-X-King tyres (£25) here
6. GARMIN EDGE SERIES 500
Your race will last just over an hour – and if you have time to look at a computer you’re not working hard enough.
But using a data logger to show how you performed, like just how badly you tailed off on the last lap, will give you valuable training feedback.
The Garmin Edge 500 links to both heart-rate and cadence monitors to give you telematics worthy of an F1 team, while the handy ‘Courses’ mode lets you compare rides over the same route.
Up your Nav game › Buy the Garmin Edge Series 500 (£170) here
Dan Grabham
Editor-in-Chief 
