Cyclocross : A look at both sides of the Atlantic

 

Cyclocross : A look at both sides of the Atlantic

Cyclocross, a sport where cyclists ride laps through mud, grass, sand and jump over some obstacles now and then. That's a very brief description of the sport, that is mainly practised in Europe and North America. We already described the similarities in the first line, but both continents also have their own approach to the sport. Let's line up the best of both continents and look through the eyes of both sides of the Atlantic.

Competitions

Superprestige, X20 Trofee, Ethias Cross, EKZ Cross Tour. Europe hosts many series and trophies. In North America, fans don't have to follow many different series, including their different rules and standings. There is rather a lack of big series in the USA & Canada. Since the abolishment of the USGP in 2013, are there no big series anymore. The Pro CX Calendar by USA Cycling was an attempt to create a similar alternative, but it never the same prestige like the USGP had before.

Broadcasting

In Belgium it's very common to broadcast cyclocross races on the main national TV-channels. In North America, you rely on an internet connection to see your favourite riders. Most of these races are not their own races but overseas competitions. The only American events that usually got broadcasted are the national championships. Other races rarely get live coverage due to high production costs.

Ticketing

It might not be so easy for American fans to watch their own races on their devices but the races are a lot more accessible to watch in person then in Europe. Most American organizations don't charge money for tickets. Amateur riders can also race on the same parcours as their heroes. Fans get the opportunity to ride over (almost) the same parcours as the pros during the morning right before the race. In most European races, the race days are usually scheduled full of youth races in the morning and the elite races in the afternoon.

Prize money

Gender-equality is often not completely accomplished in most European races, at least not in price money. The male riders often receive a lot more starting fees and price money then their female counterparts. In North America it's always been common that men & women received the same rewards for their performances.

Tracks

The European tracks are in general more technical than those in North America, even then there are some exceptions. The Jingle Cross can be considered as much technical as an European track. Like mentioned earlier, there are many American amateurs who want to try the parcours before the pros so making the laps a bit less technical makes them more accessible to them as well.

Audience

In both continents, most of the fans come to the races to watch their idols but there might be some different 'second interests' on both continents. In Europe there is a part of the spectators that mainly comes for the atmosphere and the social aspect of cyclocross. There are also VIP-tents where company owners use the races rather as a form of networking instead of watching the race itself. In North America, you'll find more amateur cyclocross racers among the fans for who it's also important to ride on the track by themselves.

Popularity

In both Europe and North America you have countries and regions where cyclocross is more important then in others. In Europe cyclocross is by far the most popular in Belgium, but the sport also has some impact in France, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland and more recently it had a boost in the UK as well. In North America the sports stands out the most in states like Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Wisconsin, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio and Kentucky. 

I would like to thank Corey Coogan Cisek for her support to make this article possible.