Unicycle Bastards: October 2007 Archives

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Unicycle Cyclocross

Unicycle + Cyclocross = UniCross

Background

Cyclocross is a old type of European bike racing that occurs in the autumn to help keep racers in shape during the off season. It involves alot of quick dismounting, re-mounting, running up steep grades, jumping over barriers and MUD. (and sometimes Beer)

Portland, Oregon has one of the largest and most vibrant cyclocross racing scenes in North America. An organization called CrossCrusade organizes a series of cyclocross races in Portland and surrounding NW areas. In addition to the standard class like Mens, Women’s, Masters, and SingleSpeeds they also have a Unicycle class. Actually two, Unicycle A and Unicycle B however all race at the same time. Joe Marek aka “racerjoe” is credited with originally starting the CrossCrusade Unicycle class.

Machine

The predominate Unicycle wheel size on the course is 29” aka 29’ner with a large knobby tire. Some race on 24” wheels however there is a definite speed and roll-over advantage to the 29”. Most use between a 150-175 crank.

Gear

Helmets are required, other gear worn by some riders includes:

gloves
wrist protection
knee + leg armor
arm + elbow armor
furry shoulders
ankle protection

The Race

The race is a 1 lap all out sprint, the unwritten rule is you ride as much as possible, the fact of the matter is you could probably carry your Unicycle and run faster then you could ride. It’s not uncommon to have 10 entries in the Unicycle class.