the Cyclo cross racing post

mentalalex

So then... who was racing this weekend.

Where, which league, and how did you do

Don't you just love cross

jibberjim

I raced Herne Hill, 7.5 laps punctured in my 6th crash of the race (plus 1 in my warm up lap) I have the fitness, but my skills are terrible and I crashed into all sorts of things fortunately never anyone else.

Full report on KW site

Mark Alexander

Wales, near Abergavenny, bloody awful.
Ok, I raced with 1/2 flats, 1 SPD clipped in one loose on the flat. after 1 lap a saddle down with less power than I did before. so had to stop to fix it. :shock: :shock:

Other than that the race went well in great scenery in sun and no mud. I have no idea of where I came.

Better than lying in bed on a Sunday morning though

Mark Alexander

bring on next week baby Yea!!!

BeaconRuth

mentalalex wrote:

Where, which league, and how did you do

I don't need to tell you because it was the same race as you were in - but for everyone else's benefit I think you really ought to tell people which race it was and where you came. You're itching to tell.................

Ruth

ps. many congratulations Alex - great riding.

Mark Alexander

Ms B. Ruth, it was the welsh cross race an I have no idea where I came other than I was careful when I was lapped for the 2nd time.

Come on mentalalex, ' fess up, what's your name and how much higher than mr BR and I did you come?

SBezza

jibberjim wrote:

I raced Herne Hill, 7.5 laps punctured in my 6th crash of the race (plus 1 in my warm up lap) I have the fitness, but my skills are terrible and I crashed into all sorts of things fortunately never anyone else.

Full report on KW site

I raced at Herne Hill as well, never seen so many riders at a CX event, 150 starters. Had a cracking race, 37th overall and 8th placed vet, best CX race ever.

I hit the deck when unclipping for the sleepers, well right foot unclipped, left foot didn't want to LOL.

Fun course is Herne Hill, apart from running up the ruddy hill for 10 laps.

MikeWW

BeaconRuth wrote:

mentalalex wrote:

Where, which league, and how did you do

I don't need to tell you because it was the same race as you were in - but for everyone else's benefit I think you really ought to tell people which race it was and where you came. You're itching to tell.................

Ruth

ps. many congratulations Alex - great riding.

Good to meet up Ruth
Was a nice looking course at Solihull and weather was perfect. Good to see so many out
and well done Alex-nice win.

streako

Boggart Hole Clough, Manchester.

Superb course, I have ridden on less technical MTB courses than that one! Dead good singletrack, including plenty of roots and muddy bits. Nearly lost the front wheel a couple of times but just managed to keep upright. Saw a couple of crashes around me though.

Got lapped a couple of times by Nick Craig, he went by like I was stationary!

Great weather also, the early frost cleared up into a fine autumnal sunny day.

Got a respectable 68th from a field of around 130. Not bad for my 2nd CX race.

jibberjim

SBezza wrote:

Fun course is Herne Hill, apart from running up the ruddy hill for 10 laps.

Running up the hill was good! I liked it, never crashed anywhere near it... which really says something.

BeaconRuth

MikeWW wrote:

Good to meet up Ruth
Was a nice looking course at Solihull and weather was perfect. Good to see so many out
and well done Alex-nice win.

Yes, thanks for coming and saying hello, Mike. Sorry we got interrupted by my club mate. Certainly was a fantastic day for a 'cross race and the course seemed a really good one to me.

Ruth

Tom BB

Nice one Al

Hmm cx you say......*goes to search ebay for cheap cx bikes*

hammerite

Central League race at Hemel yesterday, great day for it. My second CX race, and totally different to the last. The previous one was just a hard slog the whole way round, my legs were wrecked by the end of it (Baldock Eastern League). Where as the course at Hemel was a lot more technical, lots of singletrack which meant I could recover a bit - although had to use my head a lot more due to obstacles.

Stacked the bike 5 times, the first time was most innocuous as the bike just went from underneath me on a bend and I face planted! The other 4 times I went over in exactly the same place as the ground got softer each lap, on a downhill chicane.

Feeling a bit battered and bruised this morning, but it was good fun. No idea how I did, possibly finished in the last third, I know I got lapped by the leaders a couple of times, but didn't get passed by too many others (I started right at the back).

hammerite

Tom BB wrote:

Hmm cx you say......*goes to search ebay for cheap cx bikes*

Hey, don't do that it's my current task, I could do with less competition

Maurice Thepity

Manchester Wheelers cross at Boggart Hole Clough in the North West League.

Over 130 starters and 127 finishers.

Had to do two short fast flat laps laps to thin out the riders before we started on the course proper.

Finished around the middle I think. Got lapped by Nick Craig a couple of times too.

Superb autumnal day

Surfr

I was down in Penperlleni too. Mark Alexander were you the Ogmore rider in club jersey? I think we did a warmup lap together (I was a lone Ystwyth CC rider with black 3/4s and a blue Jake the Snake), you were moaning about your pedal problem. We had a good battle for the first 2 or 3 laps then I managed to get away from you. Great racing! Results are up now, you managed 60th. I improved on my Crickhowell result and got 49th which I'm pleased with. Lovely fast course and those downhill corners were great for hammering through. My problem is more skills than fitness coming from MTB. Absolutely loving the cross so far though

Anybody know of any photos from the race? I've seen 1 set on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cathnoble/ ... 182775834/

mentalalex

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mentalalex

@ mark Alexander

My real name is Alex Welburn...

i race in the WMCCL (west mids) in the juniors, I'm a first year junior, the vets are in our race, was a really good race.

check out my blog http://alexwelburnracing.blogspot.com/



The pics kinda gives away where i came

mentalalex

DELETED

Mark Alexander

mentalalex wrote:

@ mark Alexander

My real name is Alex Welburn...

i race in the WMCCL (west mids) in the juniors, I'm a first year junior, the vets are in our race, was a really good race.

check out my blog http://alexwelburnracing.blogspot.com/



The pics kinda gives away where i came

Well done Alex

Mark Alexander

Surfr wrote:

I was down in Penperlleni too. Mark Alexander were you the Ogmore rider in club jersey? I think we did a warmup lap together (I was a lone Ystwyth CC rider with black 3/4s and a blue Jake the Snake), you were moaning about your pedal problem. We had a good battle for the first 2 or 3 laps then I managed to get away from you. Great racing! Results are up now, you managed 60th. I improved on my Crickhowell result and got 49th which I'm pleased with. Lovely fast course and those downhill corners were great for hammering through. My problem is more skills than fitness coming from MTB. Absolutely loving the cross so far though

Anybody know of any photos from the race? I've seen 1 set on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cathnoble/ ... 182775834/

Good to hear from you Dan. It is fun isn't it? I am the Ogmore in Bright yellow 'tellytubbie' kit.I was 'first oggie' this week. I was the only Oggie too but I don't care!

I enjoyed our battle and also with Jeff Lewis from Cardiff Tri but I could have sworn he beat me! I thought I'd come a lot lower than I did I think you got away as I nobbled my seat when I remounted at the boards in the back field. I struggled on the rise in that field and just flew backward. I had to stop by the farm to fix it and think I lost 10 places or so there. I made one back but that was it with the field strung out. I'd been doing well with 1 pedal. 8)

andyp

SBezza wrote:

I raced at Herne Hill as well, never seen so many riders at a CX event, 150 starters. Had a cracking race, 37th overall and 8th placed vet, best CX race ever.

I hit the deck when unclipping for the sleepers, well right foot unclipped, left foot didn't want to LOL.

Fun course is Herne Hill, apart from running up the ruddy hill for 10 laps.

I spent most of the race trying to catch you (finished 41st and 9th Vet in the end) but 2 crashes put paid to my efforts, including one at the foot of the hill on the final lap. I still don't know what happened, nor did I notice the tree I hit on the previous 9 laps.

SBezza

Andy

You must have been quite close for the majority of the race looking at the lap times. Was that your first London League event?

jibberjim

SBezza wrote:

Andy

You must have been quite close for the majority of the race looking at the lap times. Was that your first London League event?

Where are the full results with lap times?

SBezza

www.cross-crazy.com

Click on results, and look for the London League Round 5

andyp

SBezza wrote:

Andy

You must have been quite close for the majority of the race looking at the lap times. Was that your first London League event?

It was my first this season. I rode the first half of the season last year up until December when my daughter was born, which put an end to racing.

I'll ride most of the events that are local to me, i.e. south east London, this year but can't really travel much further afield as it takes up too much time.

I was with Jason Cattermole and Andy Snowsall for the first few laps and could see you just ahead of me, but then a moment's inattention saw me crash in the sandpit on lap 5 and I lost you all. I made a do or die effort on the last lap but crashed again just before the hill so didn't have a hope of catching you after that.

jibberjim

Thanks.

So even taking 15seconds off per crash (as there was a crash every lap!) I still wouldn't've been close to you. I really was rubbish. Hoping for some mud next time.

andyp

Anyone riding Muddy Hell II on the 30th? There'll be guaranteed mud from what I hear...

SBezza

jibberjim wrote:

Thanks.

So even taking 15seconds off per crash (as there was a crash every lap!) I still wouldn't've been close to you. I really was rubbish. Hoping for some mud next time.

Well this is my 2nd season, so I do have an advantage there I think, this was one of your first races wasn't it?

Getting yourself up near the front after gridding has been done, is also important, and really just nail the first lap, or at least the first part until it starts going more single file.

I am surprised how well I race CX really, as I am a tester, and the changes in pace really do me in, as I am just not used to it.

Andy, I won't be at Muddy Hell, as I will be racing at Fowlmead on the Sunday in round 6. I think after the rain today, it could well be a mudbath there, but that is the fun of CX.

Mike67

streako wrote:

Boggart Hole Clough, Manchester.

Got lapped a couple of times by Nick Craig, he went by like I was stationary!

Mr Nick Craig is obviously a busy man. He lapped me twice as well but on the Saturday at Alfreton, Derbyshire in the NDCXL league.

157 finishers in the Senior race there. Cross is certainly getting popular, must be the appeal of all that mud

Monty Dog

Wessex League at Prospect Park, Reading on Sunday for me. I was in the money in the vets race @ Newbury and hopefully will get a better grid position come Sunday too. Rolled a tub last year at Reading so will be making sure they're stuck down well - hopefully it'll be drier too - negotiating the off-camber downhills withe a dodgy front tyre was a bit worrying..