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Power, Stability, and Confidence
Racing in the mud takes something special
As cyclo-cross has developed in the US, we've drawn our inspiration from
images and stories of European events. And on a continent where there's
lots of farmland, lots of rain, and temperatures that rarely go below
freezing all fall and winter, that means one thing: mud. Thick, deep,
slow mud.
The thing is, you don't need mud for a cyclo-cross race. Mud is not endemic
to the sport, and not necessary for an interesting or enjoyable race.
Some promoters have missed that point in the past, and taken to flooding
their courses to ensure a spectacle, instead of letting the racing be
the spectacle itself. But it's your weather and geography that should
determine the conditions you race in, not man-made modifications to the
land provided by a garden hose.
That said, there's still something special about racing in the mud. That
might be lost on the Seattle guys who get to do it every weekend, but
in New England a rainy or snowy day that deteriorates into a mud-bath
gives us one of those epic races that will be talked about for seasons
to come.
When you don't race in the mud every weekend, a muddy race can catch you
by surprise. It requires a different type of effort, technique, mindset
and rhythm from a dry, fast race, and it can be difficult to get into
that groove for the first time. With 'cross nationals this weekend, and
rain in the forecast, here are some things to remember about riding in
the slippery stuff, with some tips from Marc Gullickson and Tim Johnson:
Tire Choices
The first consideration of the day is equipment, and most importantly,
tire width, tread, and pressure. It might seem counterintuitive, but in
muddy conditions you want to go with a skinny tire, ideally a 28 or 30
mm width, in order to cut through the soup, get down to the hard ground,
and leave plenty of clearance around the chainstays. Tire tread should
be something with bite, but open so as not to pack up with dirt. A tractor
tread works well, and if there isn't too much off-camber, sometimes you
can get away with a file tread in the front. Pressure in the mud should
be the lowest you can get away with without bottoming out on the rim.
25-35 lbs. of pressure in a tubular, and about 10 more if you're running
clinchers.
Cornering
Again, racing in the mud forces you to go against your instincts. The
urge in slippery turns or off-cambers is to go as slow as possible to
try and maintain traction. That's correct to a point in the sense that
if you come in to a turn with too much speed, you're going down. But if
you come into the turn or off-camber under control, the key is still to
pedal through the turn or across the hillside at a low cadence. Putting
pressure on the pedals and power to the rear wheel will help you dig in
and keep you going in the direction you want. Former national champion
and SuperCup winner Marc Gullickson is a master in the mud. His advice
is "not to tense up in the corners, stay fluid and let the bike steer
itself to some degree."
Accelerating
When you have to slow down so dramatically for every corner and transition,
sometimes racing in the mud can put you into a bit of a lull. It's important
to maximize every opportunity you have to cover ground. That means putting
100% effort into accelerating as quickly as possible after every corner
or dismount. In a muddy race, getting from point A to point B in the shortest
time possible is your only chance to make up time.
Gear/Cadence Choices
One mistake I see riders make in the mud is to try to spin a small gear
when they're bogged down in the deep stuff. This causes their weight to
shift quickly with each pedal stroke, affecting their balance. Additionally,
a big gear and a lot of downward force on the pedals will allow the rear
wheel to bite deeper and give more traction. National champion Tim Johnson
suggests "using your legs like an outboard motor on a boat, totally
separate from the upper body to power your forward movement only."
Which leads us to consider how to control that movement itself through
weight distribution.
Weight distribution
Tim comments that it's crucial to "steady your course with stable
body weight." Meaning that while your bike might be floating in different
directions underneath you, you need to keep your body centered and moving
forward. Also, to be able to make sure the power you're putting to the
pedals actually gets to the ground, Gully says to "try to keep your
weight towards the back of the bike in thick mud." Too often I see
riders trying to accelerate in the soup by getting out of the saddle,
only to have their tires spin underneath them. There are no shortcuts
when riding in the mud, and it's best to stay seated and pedal with your
weight on the saddle, and over the rear wheel.
These tips will make a difference if you put them to use next time the
grass turns to marsh. Years of experience and lots of horsepower helps,
too, but that doesn't mean you can't make the most out of what you've
got. In general, making sure you pick the right tires, keep power to the
pedals wherever possible, and stay in the saddle as much as you can will
get you through the trough with more speed and success.
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