Rainbows in the Mud: Inside the intoxicating world of cyclocross

by Paul Maunder

Cyclocross is no longer cycling's hidden gem. Its rapid growth in the US--and its new popularity as off-season training--means this intense and dramatic sport is exploding into the mainstream. With a season running from September to February, cyclocross is cycling's only purely winter discipline, demanding a combination of athleticism, supreme technical skill, and ruthless tactics for the muddy conditions.

In the sport's heartland of Belgium, major races attract crowds of thousands and have a carnival atmosphere fueled by heavy drinking, ringing cowbells, and pumping airhorns. Many top riders have enthusiastic fan-clubs and are national celebrities--one even had his own reality TV show. On race day, Belgian and Dutch television coverage is akin to a major football game in the US, stretching for hours with pre--race interviews, pundits, and behind-the-scenes films.

In Rainbows in the Mud, Paul Maunder spends a season soaking up the sport's rich culture and history, and mixing with the obsessive fans, celebrity riders, and old-fashioned patriarchs of the sport. Following the riders--novices, veterans, American, British--as they slog their way through the season, he captures the spirit of this flamboyant cult sport, and paints a picture so vibrant you can almost feel the mud under your feet.

Genres: Cycling

288 pages, Paperback

Published September 5, 2017

About the author

When I'm struggling to get a story going, I'll take myself off to the National Theatre lounge on London's Southbank with a notebook and a pencil. Buy coffee. Eat fruit pastilles.

When it's flowing, I'll switch to my laptop. Get distracted by Facebook and Twitter. Fail to achieve the word target I'd set myself. So it goes.

I live in South London with my wife and two children. When the city drives me crazy I head out into the Kent lanes on my bike, pedal into the Weald of Kent, turn round and ride back into the suburbs.

Reviews

[Carroll Wills · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable journey through the joyously grassroots -- and occasionally unhinged -- cyclocross scene in Europe. Written in the mid-2010s, in the height of the Van der Poel-Van Aert cross rivalry, the author largely centers on Belgian racing, with sojourns to the British and US cross scenes. Its focus on individual riders gives us a great view of how the cross scene differs from the much more corporate and vastly better-funded road cycling business. In some cases, "teams" are family members. Recent changes in the sport have rendered some of the book dated, but MVDP and WVA are still going at it, and cyclocross is still (in my view) the most fun you can have on a bike.

[Michael ONeill · Rating 5 out of 5]

In-depth look at a niche sport

A fantastic birds eye look at the wonderful world of Cyclocross from an author who obviously spends time in the trenches of the sport. A great read for anyone looking to get a feel for what the sport of cyclocross means to its fans.

[MATTHEW J WILLIAMS · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is ‘cross

If you want to understand cyclocross read this book. Well written and insightful. Was sorry when I got to the end

[Mark Sodergren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I start, I should say that I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway, however this hasn't influenced my review.
Before I was even a quarter of the way through this book, I was already scanning eBay for second hand 'cross' bikes. By halfway, I had watched the top 50 hits on YouTube for cyclocross and three quarters through, add to that all the Scottish cyclocross events over the past few years. Now I'm finished, I just want to get cold and muddy!
I really loved this book and think it describes the sport and community with a true sense of love and understanding. It's odd, when I was reading this and after watching videos of cyclocross, people in dismal weather, cycling with gritted (muddy) teeth, having to get off and carry their bike over thick boggy ground and up steep slopes. On one hand you ask yourself why on earth someone would put themselves through the misery. On the other hand, the slightly masochistic side of me says "wow where do I sign up. I think the later reaction is winning.