Cross-country (XC) cycling is a discipline of mountain biking. Cross-country cycling became an Olympic sport in 1996 and is the only form of mountain biking practiced at the Olympics. [1]
Cross-country (XC) cycling is a discipline of mountain biking. Cross-country cycling became an Olympic sport in 1996 and is the only form of mountain biking practiced at the Olympics. [1]
Cross-country cycling is defined by the terrain on which it is performed. XC courses and trails consist of a mix of rough forest paths and singletrack (also referred to as doubletrack depending on width), smooth fireroads, and even paved paths connecting other trails. Until recently[ when? ] cross-country trails were deemed "easy" or "intermediate", due to the concept that this discipline of mountain biking relies more on physical ability than technical prowess.
Cross-country bicycles are some of the lightest mountain bikes, typically between 7.5 and 12.5 kilograms (17 and 28 lb ). They usually feature suspension forks in front and often have suspension in the rear. In both the front and rear, most XC bicycles have approximately 100 millimetres (10.0 cm ; 3.9 in ) of suspension travel and max out at 120 millimeters at the front typically (although on occasion it is 130 millimeters) and 120 millimeters in the rear, although some riders prefer 125 to 150 millimetres (12.5 to 15.0 cm ; 4.9 to 5.9 in ) of travel as bicycle frame strength and technology advance, but most mountain bikes past 130 mm of suspension on either the front or rear are not regarded as cross-country bikes. The geometry of the frames generally places the rider in a little more upright position than on a road bicycle but much less than on a downhill bike which allows for more nimble handling and better climbing characteristics along with a more comfortable pedaling position at the expense of stability, especially when going downhill. Despite this, most brands are designing their cross-country bikes to have more stable handling, especially when going downhill at the expense of nimble handling and better climbing characteristics, but less so.
Bicycle helmets are nearly universally used for cross-country riding. [2] However, XC riders only rarely wear full-face helmets and do not wear the full body "armor" employed by downhill riders and tend to wear helmets similar to well ventilated road helmets, but helmets most often used by enduro and trail riders are also used. Cross-country cyclists are more prone to injuries than road cyclists; however, the injuries sustained by XC riders are usually not as severe. [3]
Cross-country racing emphasizes endurance above technical prowess, and races vary from 30 minutes to 24 hours in length. More recently a new category has emerged called Marathon Cross Country or "Marathon Distance". Generally, the marathon distance bike races are over 50 miles. Anything under 50 miles is still called cross country. Additionally, many mountain bike races are divided up into stages so as to span several days. Races can be either point-to-point or lap-based. Short-track cross-country consists of many very short laps so as to be spectator-friendly.
Unlike downhill races, which are conducted in a time trial format, cross-country races traditionally feature a mass start or interval start, where riders are released in several large groups divided by age and/or ability. Races with very large fields that do not wish to stagger starts will sometimes employ a Le Mans start where racers begin by running to their bikes.
Globally, XC racing is governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale. In the United States, it is under the purview of USACMTB, a division of USA Cycling. In the United Kingdom, British Cycling is the governing body.
XC racing exists in four main formats: XCE (Cross-Country eliminator), XCO (Cross-Country Olympic), XCC (Cross-Country Short Circuit) and XCM (Cross-Country Marathon).
A discipline where the top two riders advance to the next round and the other two riders are eliminated. Each race has a maximum duration of 60 seconds. It is similar to four-cross, which is a downhill discipline.
Consists of completing multiple laps around a 4-10 km (2.5-6.0 mile) circuit, with a duration of about 90 minutes for elite classes. It is the only cross-country discipline in the Olympics programme.
A race similar to XCO racing, but with laps typically under 1.0-2.0 km (0.6-1.2 miles) in length in less technical terrain, and a duration of 20-25 minutes. Similarly, the number of laps is determined by how many laps can be completed in that timeframe at maximum given previous lap times.
XCC races typically determine the order that racers in an XCO race will be in and are typically held 2 days before the XCO race if they will determine the starting order.
With a route usually between 65 and 100 km. It has gained popularity in the last years, because XCM competition participation is open to everyone, including beginners.
In cross-country, a wider variety of wheel sizes have been used historically compared to other disciplines, although recently most riders have settled on a single wheel size. The 26-inch wheel size initially used in mountain biking has all but died off at the top level of cross-country racing, with 29″ wheels becoming the norm and 650b wheels being used occasionally. 650b wheels are 584 mm diameter wheels, and approximately 27.5″ with a mounted tire, hence their more common name, "27.5 inch wheels."
Most manufacturers of new cross-country bikes no longer offer bikes with 26″ wheels; 650b wheels are becoming less common and typically are only present on a handful of lower end cross-country bikes with a handful of exceptions (a notable one being the Pivot LES 27.5). 29″ wheels have become the standard available on all but a select few cross-country bikes and are the only wheel size used at most XC races (this is most notable at professional level races such as the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships where 29″ wheels are the only wheel size used). 29″ inch wheels started rapidly gaining popularity in the mid to late 2000s, and have become very successful in cross-country racing as a whole. A notable boost to their popularity came with Lance Armstrong, racing and winning on a Gary Fisher 29er. Advantages to the larger wheel formats are less need for suspension due to a decreased angle of attack, more energy propelling the bike forward per pedal stroke, and also less loss of momentum. Disadvantages include slightly increased weight, decreased acceleration, higher rolling inertia, rider fit issues for those under 5′5″ (165 cm), and slower handling, although handling issues are being addressed successfully in newer designs with geometry changes like steeper head tube angles and higher fork offsets (although these changes are being reversed slowly by most brands to increase stability). A further disadvantage is that, all other variables (spoke number, rim design and material, etc.) being equal, a 26″ wheel will be much stronger than a 29″ one.
A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling. Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, which makes them heavier, more complex and less efficient on smooth surfaces. These typically include a suspension fork, large knobby tires, more durable wheels, more powerful brakes, straight, extra wide handlebars to improve balance and comfort over rough terrain, and wide-ratio gearing optimised for topography and application. Rear suspension is ubiquitous in heavier-duty bikes and now common even in lighter bikes. Dropper posts can be installed to allow the rider to quickly adjust the seat height.
Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, such as air or coil-sprung shocks used as suspension, larger and wider wheels and tires, stronger frame materials, and mechanically or hydraulically actuated disc brakes. Mountain biking can generally be broken down into five distinct categories: cross country, trail riding, all mountain, downhill, and freeride.
Cyclo-cross is a form of bicycle racing. Races typically take place in the autumn and winter, and consist of many laps of a short course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills and obstacles requiring the rider to quickly dismount, carry the bike while navigating the obstruction and remount. Races for senior categories are generally between 40 minutes and an hour long, with the distance varying depending on the ground conditions. The sport is strongest in the traditional road cycling countries such as Belgium, France and the Netherlands.
Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing cycling sports include artistic cycling, cycle polo, freestyle BMX and mountain bike trials. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is the world governing body for cycling and international competitive cycling events. The International Human Powered Vehicle Association is the governing body for human-powered vehicles that imposes far fewer restrictions on their design than does the UCI. The UltraMarathon Cycling Association is the governing body for many ultra-distance cycling races.
A bicycle fork is the part of a bicycle that holds the front wheel.
29ers or two-niners are mountain bikes and hybrid bikes that are built to use 700c or 622 mm ISO wheels, commonly called 29″ wheels. Most mountain bikes once used ISO 559 mm wheels, commonly called 26″ wheels. The ISO 622 mm wheel is typically also used for road-racing, trekking, cyclo-cross, touring and hybrid bicycles. In some countries, mainly in Continental Europe, ISO 622 mm wheels are commonly called 28″ wheels or "28 Incher".
John Tomac is an American former professional cyclist who competed from 1985 to 2005. He was a versatile rider who competed in multiple disciplines including; BMX racing, cross-country, road racing, trials riding and downhill racing. Tomac became a mountain bike racing icon in the late 1980s as the sport began to develop beyond its formative years. At the time of his retirement in 2005, he had won more mountain bike races than anyone in the sport. In 1991 he was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame and, in 2004 he was inducted into the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame.
Mountain bike racing is the competitive cycle sport discipline of mountain biking held on off-road terrain. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) recognised the discipline relatively late in 1990, when it sanctioned the world championships in Durango, Colorado. The first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup series took place in 1988. Its nine-race circuit covered two continents—Europe and North America—and was sponsored by Grundig. Cross-country racing was the only World Cup sport at this time. In 1993, a six-event downhill World Cup was introduced. In 1996, cross-country mountain biking events were added to the Olympic Games. In 2006, cross-country mountain biking events became part of the World Deaf Cycling Championships for the first time in San Francisco, USA.
The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup is a multi-round mountain bike racing series that is sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale. The first World Cup series – which was composed of cross-country events – was held in 1989. The Downhill World Cup was inaugurated two years later, and the Dual Slalom World Cup was launched in 1998. The dual-slalom format – which involved knock-out heats with two riders on the parallel courses in each heat – evolved into four-cross in 2002 before being dropped after the 2011 season. Riders win points according to their placing in each event. The reigning series leaders in each class are identified by a special jersey. The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup is broadcast live and globally on Red Bull TV.
A downhill bike is a full suspension bicycle designed for downhill cycling on particularly steep, technical trails. Unlike a typical mountain bike, durability and stability are the most important design features, compared to lighter, more versatile cross-country bikes. Downhill bikes are primarily intended for high-speed descent, and downhill riders will usually push, or shuttle via chairlifts or motorized vehicles, to the trailhead. Downhill bikes share similarities with freeride bikes due to their large strong frames and increased travel.
Nino Schurter is a Swiss cross-country cyclist who races for the Scott–Sram MTB Racing Team.
Annie Last, is an English professional cyclist, representing Great Britain and England, who specialises in mountain biking and cyclo-cross. She was chosen as a female competitor in the cross country mountain bike event for the Great Britain team at the 2012 Summer Olympics, going on to take 8th place.
Enduro in its most basic definition is a type of mountain bike racing where the downhills are timed, and the uphills are mandatory but not timed. Riders are timed in stages that are primarily downhill, with neutral "transfer" stages in between. The transfer stages usually must be completed within a time-limit, but are not part of the accumulated time.
Jolanda Neff is a Swiss cyclist, who primarily rides in the cross-country cycling and cyclo-cross disciplines, for the Trek Factory Racing team. She won the gold medal in the women's cross-country event at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Samuel William Gaze is a New Zealand cross-country and road cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam Alpecin–Deceuninck. He won the under-23 Cross-Country at the 2016 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships and the 2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships. He also competes on occasion in road racing events, winning the National Criterium Championships in 2017 and 2018.
Lejla Njemčević is an Italian-born Bosnian and Herzegovian cross-country and mountain bike cyclist considered as one of the best cross country marathon riders in the World and she is the overall winner of the 2023 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup. Lejla is as well the first ever mountain bike rider from the Bosnia and Herzegovina to sign a contract for a professional cycling team. Lejla started racing at the age of 15 at local cycling club Klub brdskog biciklizma "Puls" for which team she is still riding. During her career she has won 35 races organised by the Union Cycliste Internationale. Lejla Njemčević is an nineteen time national champion in various disciplines and five time national league overall winner. On regional competitions she has won the Balkan Championships title five time in the row which makes her all time best Balkan rider. Lejla is a graduated student of Faculty of Law in Sarajevo with a master's degree in criminal law.
The 2021 European Mountain Bike Championships was the 32nd edition of the European Mountain Bike Championships, an annual mountain biking competition organized by the Union Européenne de Cyclisme (UEC). The championships comprised six disciplines: downhill, cross-country cycling (XC), cross-country marathon (XCM), cross-country ultra-marathon, cross-country eliminator (XCE), and beach race.
The 2022 UCI Mountain Bike season was the seventeenth season of the UCI Mountain Bike season. The 2022 season began on 15 January with the Momentum Medical Scheme Attakwas Extreme presented by Biogen in South Africa and ended in December 2022.
The 2022 European Mountain Bike Championships was the 33rd edition of the European Mountain Bike Championships, an annual mountain biking competition organized by the Union Européenne de Cyclisme (UEC). Championships in 5 disciplines were held in 2022 for elite: downhill, cross-country cycling (XC), cross-country marathon (XCM), cross-country eliminator (XCE) and cross-country short circuit (XCC).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Mountain Biking in the Olympics 
Media related to Cross-country mountain biking at Wikimedia Commons
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