Welcome to the pain fest

JEFFERSON COUNTY - The day is cold and damp. The course is muddy and littered with rocks. It is a perfect setting for a cyclocross race.

Cyclocross is a sport combining bicycle racing with steeplechase. It was developed in Europe as a way for bicycle racers to stay in shape during the winter months. Here in Colorado, it has become one of the fastest growing segments of bicycle racing.

"It's fun because it's almost like you're a kid again on your bike," Brian Hart, a cyclocross racer said. "It's just playing around in the mud with a bunch of your friends."

"Fun" is a word you commonly hear in connection with cyclocross. So is "pain."

The closed circuit race courses feature obstacles that require riders to dismount and jump over while carrying their bike. The races are run on pavement, gravel and dirt trails. There are steep climbs up muddy hillsides requiring riders to scramble up the embankment with their bikes on their backs.

"The mentality is just all out. Just go," cyclocross racer, Jeffrey Homan said. "It's a pain fest or a pain bin. It's 45 minutes in the pain bin. It is a level of controlled pain the whole time."

Races are held each weekend from September through December in individual categories for various age and skill levels. The races are open to men, women and children.

For more information and a list of cyclocross schedule in Colorado, you visit their Web site at www.americancycling.org.