Posts tagged cyclocross on the cheap

Cyclocross rarely knows such glamour, despite richly deserving it. And Vegas had it all: shiny things, light things, new things, expensive things; trade shows were ever thus. Oh, and the hangovers. I’m sure there were some immense hangovers.

A casual glance at this array of goodies might convince you that their purpose was to make you faster. Anyone who has ever pressed a pedal in anger can tell you otherwise. These gadgets exist solely to tell you how slow you are. They can express inadequecy in figures accurate to the third decimal point. The all-consuming guilt that can be inspired by a powermeter is phenomenal. If I ever find myself poor (poor in a serious way, not poor in my current self-proclaimed, irreverent, slightly flippant way) I will qualify as a psychoanalyst and specialise in treating the anxieties of middle-aged bike racers. I would never go hungry again.

This week: cheap eats. When reading up for this article, I came across two schools of thought: those who ride to eat and those who eat to ride. I can’t pretend to be too partisan, I have sympathy for both camps.

A short catch-up: I wanted to cycle from Barcelona to Paris… These moments were the crux of the matter, I taught myself some discipline. What happens if you don’t stretch, prepare, feed, or clean properly? Well, lots of things, and few of them pleasant. Each time there was no option but to carry on. I was alone in a foreign country, without much to do except cycle and read and think, and I had a train to catch in Paris. Carry on.

Our newest addition to the Cyclocross Magazine staff, UK-based intern David Evans is unveiling his new bi-weekly column all about racing cyclocross “on the cheap.”