One of the many reasons I love the internet is its ability to teach me about stuff I’ve never heard of before. Without fail, if I log on and spend more than five minutes staring at Twitter, Facebook, or TikTok, I’ll come across something that has me audibly whispering to myself, “What the hell?”
This morning’s mindless scroll gifted me an absolute banger: An activity called “Hobbycrossing,” wherein people hold handlebars taken from a bicycle or a motorcycle (or sticks resembling handlebars) and run around pretending to ride dirtbikes.
Evolved from literal child’s play, hobbycrossing has become a bit of an online phenomenon, with people across the web demonstrating their skills and speed, as I’ve discovered after diving down a rabbit hole of social media. Let me take you down this hole with me.
Born From A Different Type Of Riding
Hobbycrossing isn’t a totally original activity. It’s a spin-off of hobby horsing, a similar activity that originated in Finland, where people perform stunts while holding a stick horse—also known as a hobby horse—between their legs. Hobby horsing is a serious thing; there are entire organizations around it in several countries that hold annual competitions, where participants perform tricks and acrobatics in front of crowds.
The U.S. Hobby Horse Championships take place every August in Michigan, where participants describe the performances as “every equine discipline you can ever do, done on a hobby horse.” The activities include hurdling, timed courses, and even a dressage-type segment. Here’s a video of highlights from last year:
Hobbycrossing is, then, simply an evolution of hobby horsing. But instead of a hobby horse, you hold handlebars that have been disconnected from bikes. And instead of performing equestrian stunts, people online are recreating motocross stunts for their followers.
The Art Of Hobbycrossing
The act of hobbycrossing isn’t nearly as well-established as hobby horsing, but it’s nonetheless become a fairly popular activity that replicates the same basic premise. This August 2024 Instagram video from the user officialchickenjoe shows their similarities well. It directly references the connection with hobby horsing, and shows someone in a motocross outfit pretending to rip around a dirt course as if they were riding a real dirtbike:
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Here’s another one from Instagram user misshaby, with a very similar theme:
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Search the term “Hobby Cross” on any social media platform, and you’ll be greeted with dozens of similar videos, some more satirical than others. One user, one andy_braker on YouTube, has leaned into the joke by dedicating his channel to trying to launch hobbycrossing (he calls it hobbyduro, as in the endurance version of hobbycrossing) into the mainstream.
Andy goes a few steps further than your “average” hobbycrosser. In addition to wearing a full motocross outfit, he also uses a full dirtbike fairing attached to his handlebars. Here’s a video of him performing some stunts while describing, either through voiceover or an AI narrator, what appears to be his extremely deep passion for the activity:
Andy describes hobbyduro as “the toughest, most spectacular, and downright awe-inspiring sport on the planet,” which makes sense considering he’s lugging around that entire fairing, instead of just a pair of handlebars.
Andy’s videos show him holding the fairing between his legs, performing tricks similar to those you’d see someone do on an actual bike. Except, instead of wheels and tires, he’s using his feet to maneuver over and against objects. Slightly impressive? Sure. Widely entertaining? Definitely.
Let’s Get Competitive
Interestingly, it was none of Andy’s or anyone else’s videos that sent me down this rabbit hole. Instead, it was footage of an actual race. Yes, in addition to people joking online, there is a sanctioned series for hobbyracers that happens alongside real motocross events throughout Europe. It’s called the Raven Spectator Race, and it’s happened alongside the FIM SuperEnduro World Championship for the past two years. Held more as a slice of halftime entertainment for the crowd before the real bike races, it has hobbycrossers going all-out on the same jump-filled dirt courses.
The championship has been holding these races for at least two seasons, from what I can tell from the races published online, and the people participating seem to take it pretty seriously (well, at least some people). Here’s a video from the earliest event published by the organization’s YouTube channel, where at least one guy racing was dressed up as a banana:
From what I can tell, the only real rule here is to stay on the course and hold the bar with both hands, though it’s clear not everyone is gripping the bar throughout the entire race, with some using their arms and hands to maintain balance or get a better running stride. If anything, it’s probably best not to take any of this so seriously.
My personal favorite version of this has to be this race, which was held in January 2024 during the SuperEnduro event in Romania, had a photo finish for first place:
While the act of hobbycross racing is very much in its infancy, I see a lot of potential here, either as a standalone race series or, like hobby horsing, an annual get-together where competitions can be held not just for speed, but for style and pizazz. Seeing as how it’s essentially just running with some extra steps attached, virtually anyone can get into it. If an event were held in my neck of the woods, I’d certainly consider going after seeing all of this.
Top graphic image: andy_braker / YouTube
Let’s blow this concept sky-high. At first I thought “pogo sticks” but figured it was lazy to stop there. Adapted from the Wikipedia entry for Hobby Horsing:
Hobbyjecting is a sport with aerobatic elements which uses ejection seats.[1][2][3][4][5] Sequences similar to those in blasting out of an airplane or ”bailing out” are partly simulated in various contexts, without real aircraft being used. The participants predominantly use a combination of historically accurate seats and self-made rocketry components.[6][7][8]
Kind of an expensive bit to commit to, though.
https://ebay.us/m/6tPeC6
Nerrrrrrrrrrrrrds
We could invent the hobby monster trucking and start a new trend.
I don’t know how it would work, but the idea is a good start.
The commitment to wearing the full gear is something else. MX boots in particular aren’t fun to run around in, and even helmets aren’t actually designed for comfort during physical use like that.
Well, at least they’re outside.
Until they invent the indoor hobbycrossing
Well, better for televising the spectacle and selling ad space. And flames, lots of flames.
Hobbycrossing Xtreme coming soon to the Nintendo switch.
Did I wake up in the movie ‘Idiocracy’?
Sadly, it’s a double feature with Groundhog Day.
Wait till Brian discovers belt sander racing.
I first heard of it at the International Tom Waits Festival, and it seems to be a thing in the normal world too.
Yeah, I graduated from high school in the 80’s. I know what causes this behavior.
NASCAR needs to look into this. People running around with steering wheels would certainly bring down the cost of racing.
And CO2 emmissions. 😀
That’s what happens when you order a dirt bike from Temu.
While reading this article, my mind kept playing Shoresy saying “So dumb” on a loop.
To stay in shape for hobbycross, better do your prancerscize work out daily:
No. Absolutely not.
I really try hard to be open-minded in life. I do. But my gut response to this was “I’m sorry, but no.”
Cosplaying I get. Its an effort in pretending to be something that never existed, or no longer, exists. But this and hobby horsing I can’t get. Ride the horse. Ride the bike. These are options available to you. No one is becoming a superhuman space marine in real life. No one is becoming a dark elf necromancer. But you really can become a person who rides motorcycles.
To be clear, I have no problems with this. I just can’t wrap my brain around participating, or even moreso, posting about it on the internet.
I knew nothing good would come of “quidditch leagues”.
I full on belly laughed at your comment. Well played good sir. Well played.
In one of the hobbyhorse videos someone says they have always wanted a real horse but, since they can’t afford one, this is second best. First I thought it was a bit sad, like a kid who doesn’t have a bicycle, but then I remembered horses are stupid expensive and having one is not some kind of rite of childhood. I’m fine with this.
From the sound of it, for many of the kids, it was not an option available to them. Horses are friggin’ expensive, motorbikes maybe less so, but they’re still not cheap.
Snoopy appears to have been way ahead of the curve on this one with “Joe Motorcross”.
This is so dumb and I’m all for it.
I think the first time I heard of cosplaying I thought it was stupid and now I get a kick out of seeing the photos of so many people enjoying themselves in a (usually) harmless way.
People making and flying crazy kites, model robot fights, competitive accordion contests, yes and more please.
Strange but I have watched Air Guitar championships on ESPN.
I never miss a chance to watch The Ocho.
Dodge, Dip, Duck, Dive, and Dodge.
If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.
There has to be an auto race series where people runaround in cardboard cutouts of Porsches or something.
Picture this: an adult with one of those Little Tykes cars on. Cut a hole in the bottom for the torso, and the top of it sits on their head like a hat. Elbows sticking completely out of the doors, but with both hand on the wheel. Then multiply that by 8 or so, and let them loose on a racetrack. I’d watch that!
Extreme barbie jeep racing is a real thing.
Air guitar, eating contests, now this! I fear for the sanctity of the ministry of silly walks.
Rock crawling when?
I think wearing costumes (in a sports mascot style) should be required to make it more interesting.
You wouldn’t want it to become silly.
I think it’s already silly, I want super silly.
(slaps hand to forehead)
Society is broken!
I didn’t think we needed more evidence of that, but it keeps piling up regardless
For the most part, I blame the internet.
Of all the things wrong with society, this is barely on the list. We’d be so much better off if more people put their energy into harmless fun vs other antisocial “hobbies”
…I’m not nearly this high energy. I think I need to figure out how to do hobbycruising. The problem is going to be figuring out how to connect a set of Stingray handlebars and a banana seat…
I participate in barcacruising on a regular basis.
Putting baseball cards in the spokes seems like a challenge.
That it would be. This idea needs some work.
Just eat enough beans and you’ll get a similar sound effect.
This feels very much “Real-life Quidditch for motorsports fans”.
If they aren’t making “brmmmm brmmmm” noises the entire time, then GTFO.
In many cases, they are. Honestly it should be in the rules for these races
If you aren’t making the noises, your engine has died and therefore you cannot continue forward.
If you take it serious you master different noises for each gear.
Ideally you’d be judged partly on your gear selection.
There needs to be an Olympic rules committee to codify this as a hard requirement.
Or “braaaap braaaap” if their hobby cross is 2 stroke.
And now I wanna run around screaming BRAAAAPPPP BRAAAAPPPP! ( No muffler on my two stroke)
You act like electric bikes aren’t a thing.