Sports City Velo Cross

AndyRubio

Cross race today at Clayton Vale in Manchester - it was SO HARD, I think I'll never ever recover. Ever.

Good fun though. It's got to be doing me some good right?

popette

Was good to meet you Andy. It was ridiculously hard but like you, I kept thinking that it must have a really good training effect to ride at such intensity for an hour. I'm not sure I enjoyed it - so demoralising to be putting all that effort in and to be going nowhere. Now I know how the mountain bike riders feel on the Manchester 100 feel when us roadies zoom past them. I need to change my tyres before I try it again - they are so fat and were caked in so much mud that they were almost like slicks.

I feel good now I've washed my bike and had a bath.

Slow1972

Hi Poppette, you did well and yes narrow tyres would speed you up quite a bit on that course today

try some of these if you want a cross tyre for 26" rims http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product/108854.html

I had them on at Clayton Vale today, still give you enough grip but you'll roll quicker with them on.

Passed you on the climb to the steps, would have said hello but was too busy trying to breathe at the time!

popette

Slow1972 wrote:

Hi Poppette, you did well and yes narrow tyres would speed you up quite a bit on that course today

try some of these if you want a cross tyre for 26" rims http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product/108854.html

I had them on at Clayton Vale today, still give you enough grip but you'll roll quicker with them on.

Passed you on the climb to the steps, would have said hello but was too busy trying to breathe at the time!

Did I see you at the end? I was talking to a guy with those tyres on - there were a few of us looking at them. I came home and tried to find them but only managed to find a set for road wheels. Cheers for the link

Slow1972

I think you were talking to my team mate Tom, (he met you at the top of Ventoux in the Etape) - same tyres though

Try 'em around 45psi

TomF

I must apologise, Karen. I've met you twice, and on neither occasion did I look a picture of health. At least I didn't throw uup this time (touch and go early in the race, mind)!

Glad you liked the racing. Nick's suggestion of tyres is a good one. They do make a discernible difference, as does riding without a suspension fork (picked mine up for £20 s/h).

That said, the real problem with my performance was not tyres, but a distinct lack of fitness, as witnessed by anyone who heard my death-rattle breathing early in the race..!

AndyRubio

popette wrote:

Was good to meet you Andy. It was ridiculously hard but like you, I kept thinking that it must have a really good training effect to ride at such intensity for an hour. I'm not sure I enjoyed it - so demoralising to be putting all that effort in and to be going nowhere. Now I know how the mountain bike riders feel on the Manchester 100 feel when us roadies zoom past them. I need to change my tyres before I try it again - they are so fat and were caked in so much mud that they were almost like slicks.

I feel good now I've washed my bike and had a bath.

Glad you made it Karen - like you I certainly didn't enjoy it at the time - it was like gong over the top oin the first World War - but now, at the comfort of my desk, all I can think of is my next one, whenever that may be.

Good meeting you at last too Tom.

Maurice Thepity

I used to use Continental Cross Country tyres on my mountain bike before I swapped to a cyclo cross bike.

Certainly was a tough race. Quite a bit of climbing each lap up from the finish, by the time you got to the steps you were gasping and there was still a bit more uphill after that.

There are some good photos via a link from the NWCCA forum at nwcca.org.uk.

Some good ones of you Popette. I seem to have someone between me and the camera on the ones I'm one.

AndyRubio

Maurice Thepity wrote:

There are some good photos via a link from the NWCCA forum at nwcca.org.uk.

Link to pix

TomF

Andy - likewise..!