Cyclists of all ages came to Greensboro on Jan. 24, to run up hills, jump over hurdles, and drink beer at the North Carolina Winter Series Final, hosted by Bur-Mil Park. This may sound strange, but it is all part of the sport of cyclo-cross – a mix between road cycling and dirt biking. Adam Myerson, who won the pro-race, travels the nation promoting the sport.

“For those not familiar with (cyclo-cross), I think the best thing to visualize is cross country running on road bicycles,” Myerson said.

In a cyclo-cross race, there are obstacles such as sand pits or hills that are possible to bike across, but more practical for cyclists to pick up their bikes and run. There were several races on the 24th. Each race was for a different level. The last race was the pro-race, where locals and racers known nation-wide shared the course.

To ride cyclo-cross, one needs a suitable bike.

“The bikes that we’re riding look like road bikes, but they have knobby tires – they’re skinny knobby tires,” says Myerson. “It’s a lot faster than mountain biking. It’s a lot more technical than normal road racing. It’s the middle ground between the two.”

Chris Oishi, who raced in the pro-race, agrees, and says that it is easy to get started in the sport.

“There’s a really wide variety of bikes,” Oishi says. “For people just getting into the sport, you can do it on a mountain bike. Basically, you need a bike with traction on the tires, decent breaks, clearance around the breaks for mud, and other than that, just about anything goes.”

The spirit of cyclo-cross is laid back. Ryan Gibson, a fan of cyclo-cross who races as well, mentions the spectacle of bigger races when the season is at its peak.

“At the bigger races, there are people out here cooking – barbecuing. You don’t see that at road races.” Gibson said. “You see people with kegs or beer. It’s almost like a party.”

For Gibson, the fact that the sport is accessible to everybody is part of what makes it so appealing.

“It feels better than road racing, where it’s every man for himself,” Gibson said. “In this case, there is competition, but your competitors are actually cheering for you to make the race more interesting.”

Gibson attests to the diversity of cyclo-cross fans and racers. He says that the races are fun for the whole family. “At any cyclo-cross race, you’re going to see moms, dads, their babies,” he says. “You’re going to see all age levels, from little kids to old people.”

Oishi also attests to the diversity of cyclo-cross racers’ backgrounds.

“There are people with professional coaches who are very into their training. Then there are people for whom it’s more of a punk rock thing.”

According to Oishi, cyclo-cross is an easy sport to get into. People have different reasons for racing in cyclo-cross races.

“You can ride the race however you want to,” Oishi says. “You can try to beat people or try to ride it cleaner than the last time you tried it. It’s nice in that regard. People can set their own goals.”

In Myerson’s words, “You go as fast as you want and it’s a ton of fun.