CX manager & race game
When you start a race in Cyclocross Manager, you see a track winding through woods, mud and meadows. It isn’t hand-drawn: it is a chain of small pieces, the segments, that the game snaps together like miniature train rails.
1. Segments: the heart of a circuit
Each piece of the line is a segment, with a type (what you ride on, or what you have to get over), a length (usually 100 m) and a name in three languages (FR / EN / NL), like “Winding trail” or “Open meadow”.
Each terrain calls for its own decisions and its own behaviour: you don’t take sand the way you take grass, or stairs the way you take woods. That’s what gives every circuit its personality.
| Type | What it is |
|---|---|
| Asphalt | Road, start straight: very fast |
| Grass | Meadows: fast, but slippery in the rain |
| Dirt | Hard-packed earth paths |
| Mud | Bog: slow, crashes and dismounts |
| Sand | Dunes and beach: very slow on the bike |
| Woods | Forest and roots: technical |
| Gravel | Gravel path |
| Off-camber | Slope across the hill |
| Stairs | Steps to climb, bike on the shoulder |
| Planks | Barriers to get over |
| Running | Carry section: the slowest of all |
| Corner | Hairpin or chicane (45°, 90° or 180°) |
Each type also has its own reference time: for 100 m, about 2 seconds on asphalt, 3.6 on grass, 5.6 in mud and 6.3 in sand. A circuit isn’t only about distance: 100 m of sand is not 100 m of tarmac.
2. The legend
Each surface has its own colour on the map. The legend lets you read the track at a glance.
3. Weather
The same circuit doesn’t race the same in sunshine and in rain. At Dippach, for example, in the rain mud becomes almost twice as punishing and the woods much more slippery.
4. Trees and scenery
The last layer is the scenery. It doesn’t affect the race, but it sets the mood. The game automatically places trees, bushes, supporters, food stands, tents and a podium around the track, always keeping clear of the course.
In short
A circuit is a background map + a line of typed segments + weather + scenery. With this recipe we can build dozens of very different circuits: muddy classics, stair-heavy courses, fast road tracks.