Commitment, discipline and good old-fashioned fun keeps Smithers, BC’s Craig Richey in the ‘cross saddle

When it comes to preparing to ride in a major ‘cross competition — or any ‘cross competition, for that matter — Canada’s Craig Richey is about as methodical as it gets.

“From mid-August onwards,” he told Canadian Cycling Magazine, “I ride my cyclocross bike almost exclusively, and try to ride ‘cross terrain as much as possible. My commute to work on my CX bike is mostly on trails and even requires three dismounts. To prepare for a big race like nationals, I try to sleep more and rest for the few days leading up to the event.”

“All the hard training,” he added, “has already been done.”

The 28-year-old rider from Smithers, British Columbia is no stranger to hard training, or hard work of any kind, really. Like other competitors, his expertise spans a number of disciplines: cyclocross, road riding, and cross-country. It’s his focused, almost tunnel-vision approach to preparation and training, though, that has often put him ahead. During the summer of 2011, he says, he trained “super hard” and achieved some towering results, including the Bastion Square Grand Prix, Victoria’s biggest race. With that, he had a taste for the discipline, and the rest followed. His first pro win came at New Jersey’s Beacon Cross during the 2011-12 season. And although he came down with pneumonia after the competition, an illness that weighed him down for the rest of that season, there was already no turning back.

“For the 2012-2013 [season],” Richey wrote on his website, “I again came into the season hungry and motivated and had some great results but still came up a little short of achieving my goals.” As the Winnipeg cyclocross nationals roll out at The Forks, though, topping his past efforts is no doubt first and foremost on his mind.

To hear the B.C. rider talk about his expectations, one gets the impression that a certain measure of perfectionism is at play.

September’s competition under the unusually rainy skies of Las Vegas launched his season, as CrossVegas 2015 got underway. It provided an insight, he said, to the tempo of the remaining season’s competition, and by the Vegas measure, that tempo was a blistering one. “With CrossVegas being a world cup this year,” he told Canadian Cycling Magazine, “the level of competition was noticeably higher than previous years. It was full gas from the gun and never let up.” Did it get him ready for this weekend’s racing on the course at The Forks, though?

“Honestly,” he admitted, “it is not the best preparation for Winnipeg. Racing mid-pack is far different from racing in the lead group or near the front, which is how the national championship race [in Winnipeg] will likely play out. A couple weekends ago I raced the Trek CXC Cup in Madison and a race like that is much better preparation for the nationals.”

The Winnipeg nationals, though, is a competition he looks forward to, if only for what he describes as the unpredictability of it.

“Nationals is always an interesting event,” Richey said, “since it is the key event for most Canadian riders, so you don’t know who is going to be peaked and hyper-motivated for the race.” And though he anticipates any number of surprises from the field, not knowing who’s packing the biggest, most relentless punch, there are a few riders, he says, that he has his eyes on. “Red Truck-Garneay p/b Easton is definitely the strongest team between Raphael Gagne, Michael van den Ham and myself,” he said, “but Kabush, Garrigan Schooler and the Norco boys are all capable of winning.”

Something Richey shares with Kabush, it seems — and with other riders, no doubt — is an appreciation for a muddy, wet, dramatic course, and as the rain started to fall in Winnipeg, it’s possible he and his like-minded competitor won’t be disappointed this year. It would be better, he says, than what 2014’s competition offered in terms of conditions. “I like a middy and hilly course with long, draggy climbs,” he said, “which is nothing lik Winnipeg. Last year was very fast and dry which I struggled with, but it looks like there might be some rain this year. Hopefully.”

Richey’s passion for the discipline, though — to say nothing of the 28-year-old’s expertise — suggests that he finds himself at home on any terrain.

“I really like the mix of technical skill, fitness and tactics that make up cyclocross,” the talented British Columbian told Canadian Cycling Magazine, describing what keeps him coming back to the ‘cross saddle. “In a mountain bike race, the strongest rider usually wins and in a road race the strongest rider sometimes never has the opportunity to win. In ‘cross, the strongest rider usually has the opportunity to win, but has to have the correct tactics to do so. The compact courses and constant result uncertainty is what makes cyclocross so spectator friendly.”

Like other experts of the discipline, riders and spectators alike, Richey acknowledges with an unmistakable optimism the steadily rising, energized excitement surrounding cyclocross in Canada. Larger crowds of spectators than ever before are gathering at events like this weekend’s to take in the action. Meanwhile, riders from other disciplines, curious about the buzz, are adding ‘cross to their calendar and a good CX bike to their quiver.

Richey, he says, would like to see more of them at the start line.

“Cyclocross is an amazing shoulder season sport,” he said. “Maybe you are an avi road or mountain bike rider that skiis in the winter. The fall is often a hard time to be motivated to get outside and be active, and cyclocross is the perfect sport to fill that space in your annual calendar. Since the races are short, it doesn’t require long rides to be reasonably competitive and the fun, relaed atmosphere can be a welcome change to the high stress of the road season.”

“Cyclocross is fun. You should try it.”