Running and riding

By DAVE REESE

Cyclocross combines bike, foot racing

Special to the Inter Lake

There's a sport where you don't do a lot of running or riding a bike.

You do a little bit of both.

It's called cyclocross, and for athletes like Tim Gaertner, it's the perfect combination of endurance and adrenaline.

Come fall, with mountain bike and road bike races behind them, this is the time of year when members of the Flathead Cycling Team turn to cyclocross.

"Of all the disciplines, mountain biking or road racing, it's probably the most fun," said Gaertner, 41, last year's state cyclocross champion in the master's division.

Successful cyclocross racers must have all the skills of a mountain biker - fitness and bike handling - with the added requirement of being a good runner for short, intense distances, Gaertner said.

Cyclocross was developed in Europe as a way for road cyclists to stay fit during the off season. The race course is usually a mix of pavement and dirt roads, grass and even sand. There are sections on the course that will force the rider to dismount, shoulder his bike, run up hills and leap over hurdles placed along the course. Since it is held in the fall, rain, mud and snow are often factors, but these "just add to the challenge of the race," Kalispell racer Steve Muller said.

With athletes having to run on variable surfaces and dismounting their bicycles frequently, injuries do happen. Cyclocross athletes use a bicycle that's a cross between a road bike and a mountain bike, with lightweight frames, curved handlebars and narrow, knobby tires. The gearing on the bikes is similar to that of road bikes.

The courses are designed with obstacles to break up the riders' momentum and force a change in direction. Races last about 45 minutes, with several laps on a course.

Herron Park near Foy's Lake is the perfect place for just such a course. While normally the grounds there are used by equestrians, the 1.5-mile cyclocross course at Herron Park features a mix of riding and running terrain. It's also the site of the state cyclocross championships Oct. 29.

"I'm a bit biased, but I think this is one of the best courses in the Northwest," said Muller, who designed the course and has raced on cyclocross courses around the United States. This will be the seventh annual cyclocross race at Herron Park.

The race will attract competitors from around Montana. The cyclocross racing season runs through November.

Although the races feature a mass start, depending on the course, riders tend to get spread out throughout the race. Dismounting and mounting of the bike are key skills.

"Some racers can do it without even losing a beat," Gaertner said. There isn't much strategy to cyclocross racing. "It's all pretty much flat out" racing.

MULLER, 51, got hooked on the sport before he even knew much about it. He bought a cyclocross racing bike before he had competed in a race. "I just knew it would be something I'd enjoy," he said after training Wednesday at Herron Park.

The mass start is where injuries often occur. In one race, Muller was dismounting his bike only to have his foot wind up in the wheel of a rider behind him. His foot was fine, but his opponent's tire was trashed. "You can get tangled up when you're in a group of riders," he said.

In Northwest Montana there is a small but dedicated group of cyclists that train regularly together and travel to races throughout Montana and the Northwest.

"We actually have guys to train with now," he said. "We have some top-notch athletes on the team."

The Herron Park race is the sixth in a series of seven races organized by the Montana Bicycle Racing Association. Other races are in Butte, Bozeman, Helena and Missoula.

There is a race in Helena after the state championships - a perfect time to start skiing. In fact, Muller says cyclocross is the perfect way to train for cross-country skiing. After last year's race in Helena, he took his skis to West Yellowstone to go skiing.

"It's a lot of fun, and a great time of year to do it," Gaertner added.

The sport of cyclocross has grown tremendously in recent years, with the East and West coasts attracting hundreds of racers, according to Muller.

Several Flathead Cycling members also have competed at national events in California, Oregon and Kansas.