The Oh-So-Important Pits

A cyclocross racer relies on a person in “the pits” to hold an extra bike in case he or she needs to exchange bikes — maybe mud gummed up the brakes, or course tape wound around the gears, or something about the bike just doesn’t feel right. That’s a lot of staff present at each race for a team. 

“It’s more important to have more staff in cyclocross than in road racing,” Dusty LaBarr said at the Colorado Cross Classic in Boulder. Dusty is mechanic and part-owner with Ryan Trebon of the L&T Sports/Felt team. Road staff can clean bikes after a race, but cyclocross staff may clean a racer’s bikes multiple times during a race.

This video by crossvideo08 captures the role of a cyclocross rider’s staff in the pits. How many gel packs does he consume during one race?

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Here’s a good article on pit etiquette from Cyclocross Magazine that explains a staff person’s / mechanic’s job in the pits. There’s more going on than meets the eye.