Cyclocross vs. Road Cycling: Lore and Mirre Explain

Lore De Schepper

Bicycles: In the world of cycling, the type of bicycle is crucial. To me, cyclocross feels more agile, especially due to the use of nearly flat tires. This is a clear difference from the sturdy tires of road cycling.

Courses and Technical Skills: In cyclocross, the courses are challenging with technical elements. It's all about agility: smooth dismounting and remounting, maneuvering fluidly through often slippery turns, and even running with the bike on your shoulder. This is what I also focus on in training.

Duration and Intensity: A typical cyclocross race lasts only an hour. It's an hour of giving it your all, with little room to hold back. You need to maintain a pace that you can sustain. What stands out is that I improve during the race and ride my fastest laps towards the end. The explosive nature of cyclocross, where you need to accelerate maximally after each turn, is quite different from the more consistent tempo of road cycling.

Strategy and Tactics: In road cycling, the emphasis is on positioning and staying out of the wind as much as possible. In cyclocross, I prefer a leading position to choose my own lines without much interference from others. It might not be the conventional strategy, but it works well for me.

Mirre Knaven

Season Schedule and Prestigious Races: My personal focus is on road cycling. That's why I have a short cyclocross season to quickly prepare for the road season. In the world of cyclocross, the major events are the World Cups and the European and World Championships. Unfortunately, the championships don't align with my short cyclocross season, but I hope to qualify for some World Cups. On the road, my goal is the European Championship, mainly because it has a separate U23 category for women, unlike the World Championships. I hope to make it into the selection there.

Physical Demands: The difference in physical demands between cyclocross and road cycling is significant. Cyclocross is short and explosive, with minimal moments of rest, whereas road cycling maintains a more constant tempo. Besides physical fitness, technique plays a crucial role in cyclocross.

Equipment and Attire: The equipment is largely similar between both disciplines, with some nuances. In road cycling, riders have pockets in their jerseys for items like gels, which are unnecessary in cyclocross. Cross jerseys, therefore, lack pockets.

Benefits of Dual Discipline: Combining cyclocross and road cycling has two main advantages. It helps me maintain my race rhythm and explosiveness during the winter, ensuring a strong start to the road cycling season. Second, the technical skills developed in cyclocross make it easy to ride comfortably in a peloton on the road.

Cyclocross and road cycling are two vastly different disciplines, even within the same team. The personal insights from Lore and Mirre provide an intriguing glimpse into the diversity of cycling. They demonstrate that female cyclists can successfully excel in both disciplines, each with its unique challenges and rewards.