the Cyclo cross racing post
Comments
-
You can choose your pairings. Last year I didn't have anyone to ride with, so said I was looking for a partner, Mick was the next vet looking for a partner to sign on. I did point out that he was a bit better than me, but he claimed he'd been sick so wasn't going well. He did the first lap and handed over to me from 3rd position! We eventually finished 6th.0
-
Oh cool! How many sports could that happen in?0
-
Too kind, I was an idiot and got way too over-confident. I was feeling very poorly the day before training in Rich Park but the race pace was quite slow due to the conditions/constriction points so happily I felt better than imagined so was keen to capitalize and move up. I have a 3D bruise on my quad b/c the bars whipped around and pinned my left leg to the top tube - purple & painful.andyp wrote:The only epic wipeout I saw was FransJacques when he tried to come up my inside on one of the corners early on in the race. I stayed upright, but heard him crash behind me. He got up though and finished, what a trooper!
It was very, very muddy and grip was at a premium but I managed to keep the bike upright all race and finished 24th and 5th vet which I was very happy with. I rode with my head, ensuring I was consistent and not taking any big risks as it was the kind of day when wiping out was a very real possibility. The 24 DNFs, including some big London League hitters are testament to that.
The old timers in my club cited HH last Sunday as THE business case for Dugast/Challenge tubulars @ 28-30psi. Tubs aside AndyP (along with many others) respected the conditions, played the long game very well and was rewarded with a solid early-20s placing and I think 5th Vet again! Well done, I hope you got an envelope. I eventually recovered for a very late-30s placing which was a(nother) setback to improving.
Poor Ben from Finsbury Park was distraught with a cracked Super X frame! Not a result. Never seen so many wrapped rear mechs. What causes it assuming a rear der is otherwise properly adjusted?
David, next race come and say Hi to Andy and I. He wears an all black skinsuit but is slightly less portly than the fellow in the pix in the link below =D
http://www.ukcyclesport.com/index.php?o ... &Itemid=78When a cyclist has a disagreement with a car; it's not who's right, it's who's left.0 -
FransJacques wrote:David, next race come and say Hi to Andy and I. He wears an all black skinsuit but is slightly less portly than the fellow in the pix in the link below =D
Will do - apologies for not having said "hello" so far at any London League events where we might have been on the same start sheet (I'm easy to spot, or at least my bike is thanks to its saddle). Hope to be at HH for the League final in early Feb.
David"It is not enough merely to win; others must lose." - Gore Vidal0 -
FransJacques wrote:say Hi to Andy and I. He wears an all black skinsuit but is slightly less portly than the fellow in the pix in the link below =D
http://www.ukcyclesport.com/index.php?o ... &Itemid=78
You can always say hi to the portly fellow as well (me), if I am not on course you can normally find me wherever the food is.
http://sufferfaces.bikehugger.com/post/ ... h-the-mini
Chris0 -
Tough conditions on Sunday, but pleased I pitched up to round of a last race in 2011. Serious mud clagfest on my brakes and needed to poke them a few times to get the wheels turning. For once SS was an advantage though and for once i had a low enough gear.
Hey Chris, you riding Dagenham late January?
steve0 -
Wilmington School, Dartford on 22nd, yes.
Saw you at the start but you were too far away to talk too. Didn't see anyone after the race as I went straight to my car to have a look at my shoulder. I was a bit bruised following a tree incident on lap three and needed to tuck into a thermos of Lemsip.0 -
FransJacques wrote:Never seen so many wrapped rear mechs. What causes it assuming a rear der is otherwise properly adjusted?
It can happen to the best set-up drivetrains - mud, grass and twigs get wrapped around the jockey wheels jamming them - pressure on the chain simply jams the who lot up and wraps it around your cassette. Happened to me in my third or fourth race - thank god for replaceable gear hangers and supports the addage, "only race what you can afford to trash"Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..0 -
Did anyone race over the festive season? I didn't have room to take a bike to my parents' place so activities have been confined to running as the kit is less cumbersome to pack! However, I did spectate at the Macclesfield Supacross where Paul Oldham was on stupendous form with what looked like an easy win.
"Stealth" cyclocross influence was to be seen on our Christmas dinner table this year in the shape of Aldi's own-brand squirty cream. Not only does it go my the name of Cowbelle (hmm...) but it's also produced in Belgium (hmm...).
Hope you all had an excellent Christmas and that a great 2012 awaits.
David"It is not enough merely to win; others must lose." - Gore Vidal0 -
DavidBelcher wrote:Did anyone race over the festive season? I didn't have room to take a bike to my parents' place so activities have been confined to running as the kit is less cumbersome to pack! However, I did spectate at the Macclesfield Supacross where Paul Oldham was on stupendous form with what looked like an easy win.
"Stealth" cyclocross influence was to be seen on our Christmas dinner table this year in the shape of Aldi's own-brand squirty cream. Not only does it go my the name of Cowbelle (hmm...) but it's also produced in Belgium (hmm...).
Hope you all had an excellent Christmas and that a great 2012 awaits.
David
I raced at Macclesfield-although lapped x2 by Paul Oldham. Also raced at Bakewell New Years Eve (got lapped by Nick Craig) and them at Worcester on New Years Day. Liam Killeen was on great form at Worcester-I reckon it could be close between him and Paul at Ipswich Sunday0 -
DavidBelcher wrote:Did anyone race over the festive season? I didn't have room to take a bike to my parents' place so activities have been confined to running as the kit is less cumbersome to pack! However, I did spectate at the Macclesfield Supacross where Paul Oldham was on stupendous form with what looked like an easy win.
"Stealth" cyclocross influence was to be seen on our Christmas dinner table this year in the shape of Aldi's own-brand squirty cream. Not only does it go my the name of Cowbelle (hmm...) but it's also produced in Belgium (hmm...).
Hope you all had an excellent Christmas and that a great 2012 awaits.
David
I squeezed in two races (and a road race)
. CX is so much more fun than road though.
On the 26th I was in the Footscray race, gridded for the first time, and went all out. Tried to stay with AndyP, and was within shouting distance halfway through, and then faded badly. Still it was encouraging to see that I can stay with the big boys, if only for half the race Not often that big fish like Phil Murrell and Martin O'Grady only come past after a few laps have gone by.
The NY Madison at Herne Hill was a mission - raced 4th cats at Hillingdon on 31st, then out celebrating New Years till 3am, which involved a 20 mile round trip walk to Hampton Court for a spell of ice skating, up at 6am to sort GF's horse yard (don't ask) got kicked by a grumpy mare (not the GF) in my right quad, which is still painful as all hell today, and then turfed up at Herne Hill with the racing spirit of leftover christmas blancmange. Teamed up with GF, and earned a third place in the Family category, though quite how much of an achievement that is when there were only 7 entrants...
All in all a brilliant festive period!0 -
Are you suggesting I'm one of the big boys? :shock:
I also rode both Footscray and the Madison Cross at HH, but unlike VamP did not have a heavy night on new year's eve, in fact I got quite grumpy when woken up at 12:07 am by fireworks!
Footscray was a good race, more of an off road criterium than a cross race as most of it was on very fast terrain with hardly any technical challenges. I think I had a good race, despite being lapped by Jody Crawforth with a couple of corners to go, but no sign of the results yet so I cannot confirm this. I had a steady start and then went for it in the second half of the race and was catching riders in front (including Russell Jones who can't have been on a good day) so think I was probably in the top ten Vets again.
The Madison cross at HH was fun, very muddy and a good test of bike handling. My partner is relatively new to cross and enjoyed himself and I had a race long tussle with Kris from CycleLab which was made all the more fun by being able to banter whilst our partners were racing.0 -
andyp wrote:Are you suggesting I'm one of the big boys? :shock:
I did the West Mids League event at Top Barn Farm near Worcester on New Year's Day. Really good event and we also got to watch Liam Killeen beat Roger Hammond and Dan Booth in the seniors race.
Ruth0 -
What tyres are people using for these mud fests?
I'm currently using scwalbe racing ralphs, I think they're 35mm.
Only reason I ask is that my tyres resemble a big rotating mud circle while other peoples tyres seem to stay cleaner and not hold so much mud. I'm thinking mine loose grip once they're caked deep in mud.
Mine do look good when I build up some speed though, mud starts flying in all directions 0 -
-
Holy cow have you seen the price of those things ! ! !0
-
andyp wrote:MikeWW wrote:Dugast Rhino tubs for the mud
Me too. I didn't know if they'd live up to the hype, but the amount of grip they give in mud has to be experienced to be believed.
Andy, not sure if you have seen but the Foot Scray results are up on London X league site and they seem to have lost you (among others) from the results, so if you haven't already, drop them a line.0 -
PeteMadoc wrote:Holy cow have you seen the price of those things ! ! !
It's a kind of evolving process all cross racers go through. You start on clinchers, then notice people being faster than you in mud, so you start looking for more mud specific clinchers (Schwalbe Rocket Rons are not too bad), then you realise that once you start dropping the pressures right down to eke out some grip on the slippiest courses, you are getting pinch flats, so you scour the ebay for a cheap used set of tubs, and end up with something like Challenge Griffo or Tufo Flexus, which is a big improvement over your past clincher experiences, but you notice people talking with that kinda religious glint in their eye about the mythical grip properties of the Rhino. And one day you bite the bullet and get some...
Then someone says you need two bikes, and two sets of Rhino's, and Griffo's and Pipistrello's, all on 50mm carbon rims of course... then the bank reposseses your house, and you start over.0 -
VamP wrote:PeteMadoc wrote:Holy cow have you seen the price of those things ! ! !
It's a kind of evolving process all cross racers go through. You start on clinchers, then notice people being faster than you in mud, so you start looking for more mud specific clinchers (Schwalbe Rocket Rons are not too bad), then you realise that once you start dropping the pressures right down to eke out some grip on the slippiest courses, you are getting pinch flats, so you scour the ebay for a cheap used set of tubs, and end up with something like Challenge Griffo or Tufo Flexus, which is a big improvement over your past clincher experiences, but you notice people talking with that kinda religious glint in their eye about the mythical grip properties of the Rhino. And one day you bite the bullet and get some...
Then someone says you need two bikes, and two sets of Rhino's, and Griffo's and Pipistrello's, all on 50mm carbon rims of course... then the bank reposseses your house, and you start over.
If you really want to squander the cash and end up eating cold baked beans out of the tin, hanging around in the local library to keep warm, etc., you'll be wanting FMB tubs on carbon wheels. Preferably more than one pair.
David"It is not enough merely to win; others must lose." - Gore Vidal0 -
VamP wrote:Andy, not sure if you have seen but the Foot Scray results are up on London X league site and they seem to have lost you (among others) from the results, so if you haven't already, drop them a line.
I already have, but thanks for the concern. If you watch the video that John Mullineaux shot then I roll over the line just after Jody Crawforth and Kevin Ball so I can prove that I finished, somewhere around 30th and, I think, 6th vet.0 -
VamP wrote:PeteMadoc wrote:Holy cow have you seen the price of those things ! ! !
It's a kind of evolving process all cross racers go through. You start on clinchers, then notice people being faster than you in mud, so you start looking for more mud specific clinchers (Schwalbe Rocket Rons are not too bad), then you realise that once you start dropping the pressures right down to eke out some grip on the slippiest courses, you are getting pinch flats, so you scour the ebay for a cheap used set of tubs, and end up with something like Challenge Griffo or Tufo Flexus, which is a big improvement over your past clincher experiences, but you notice people talking with that kinda religious glint in their eye about the mythical grip properties of the Rhino. And one day you bite the bullet and get some...
Then someone says you need two bikes, and two sets of Rhino's, and Griffo's and Pipistrello's, all on 50mm carbon rims of course... then the bank reposseses your house, and you start over.
This is so true.......although not been repossesed yet. 0 -
National Cyclo Cross Champs last weekend at Ipswich
Was down there with my 2 lads to race, pit and watch-what a weekend
First up was Chris in the Youths U16. Gridded 2nd row so not too bad but caught in a crash first corner and down to 24th. Fought back really well to get 10th by the end so good result
Next up was me as a 49 year old, first full cross racing season in the Vets. Lack of National Ranking points meant I was gridded on about the 8th row so probably about 70th exiting first bend. Hard to move through at first but started to open up a bit and as those in front tired was able to make more progress. Ended up 43rd overall and 17th in my age category so very happy with that
Next up was Alex(mentalalex on here) in the Junior race. Got off well but was about 6th after the first lap just due to the pace and with hot favourite Hugo Robinson starting to get away followed by Joe Moses and a couple of others. Alex road fantastically getting up to 3rd past 2nd and after about a lap of chasing up and briefly past Hugo. Hugo pushed again and Alex couldn't quite hold him ending up 5 secs off the National Jersey but in a very well deserved 2nd place. Good enough to be picked for GB to ride in the World Cup weekend after this and the the World Champs at Koksijde the weekend after that-how cool is that
National trophy for us all this weekend so a full few weeks0 -
MikeWW wrote:National Cyclo Cross Champs last weekend at Ipswich
Was down there with my 2 lads to race, pit and watch-what a weekend
First up was Chris in the Youths U16. Gridded 2nd row so not too bad but caught in a crash first corner and down to 24th. Fought back really well to get 10th by the end so good result
Next up was me as a 49 year old, first full cross racing season in the Vets. Lack of National Ranking points meant I was gridded on about the 8th row so probably about 70th exiting first bend. Hard to move through at first but started to open up a bit and as those in front tired was able to make more progress. Ended up 43rd overall and 17th in my age category so very happy with that
Next up was Alex(mentalalex on here) in the Junior race. Got off well but was about 6th after the first lap just due to the pace and with hot favourite Hugo Robinson starting to get away followed by Joe Moses and a couple of others. Alex road fantastically getting up to 3rd past 2nd and after about a lap of chasing up and briefly past Hugo. Hugo pushed again and Alex couldn't quite hold him ending up 5 secs off the National Jersey but in a very well deserved 2nd place. Good enough to be picked for GB to ride in the World Cup weekend after this and the the World Champs at Koksijde the weekend after that-how cool is that
National trophy for us all this weekend so a full few weeks
That's great, and what a result for Alex! Congrats.
How do you find racing at the national level in the Vets compared to your local league Mike? And is there a minimum accomplishment level that you have to reach to enter, or is it open to all? Slighlty considering giving the National Trophy a go next season...0 -
VamP wrote:
That's great, and what a result for Alex! Congrats.
How do you find racing at the national level in the Vets compared to your local league Mike? And is there a minimum accomplishment level that you have to reach to enter, or is it open to all? Slighlty considering giving the National Trophy a go next season...
Its quite a step up but well worth giving it a go. I ride in the WMCCL West Mids league and generally finish 5-10th place Was 17th in the Midlands Champs. My best position in the National Trophy has been 28th and worst was 44th. Part of the problem is that you need ranking points to be gridded well and they are hard to get. However I don't get lapped or anything and finished about 5 mins down on the winner. I'm pretty new to it and have only been cycling for 4 years in total
The courses are far better and the day itself is great. There is no qualification criteria. There tends to be about 60 in the field so you also need to bear in mind that even if you are towards the back you are only up against the best guys in the country. You should give it a go0 -
MikeWW wrote:National Cyclo Cross Champs last weekend at Ipswich
Was down there with my 2 lads to race, pit and watch-what a weekend
First up was Chris in the Youths U16. Gridded 2nd row so not too bad but caught in a crash first corner and down to 24th. Fought back really well to get 10th by the end so good result
Next up was me as a 49 year old, first full cross racing season in the Vets. Lack of National Ranking points meant I was gridded on about the 8th row so probably about 70th exiting first bend. Hard to move through at first but started to open up a bit and as those in front tired was able to make more progress. Ended up 43rd overall and 17th in my age category so very happy with that
Next up was Alex(mentalalex on here) in the Junior race. Got off well but was about 6th after the first lap just due to the pace and with hot favourite Hugo Robinson starting to get away followed by Joe Moses and a couple of others. Alex road fantastically getting up to 3rd past 2nd and after about a lap of chasing up and briefly past Hugo. Hugo pushed again and Alex couldn't quite hold him ending up 5 secs off the National Jersey but in a very well deserved 2nd place. Good enough to be picked for GB to ride in the World Cup weekend after this and the the World Champs at Koksijde the weekend after that-how cool is that
National trophy for us all this weekend so a full few weeks
Well done to Chris, Alex and yourself Mike. Excellent results.0 -
That's very cool Mike - many congratulations to Alex! It's going to be an exciting few weeks for you watching Alex ride in a World Championship!MikeWW wrote:......Alex couldn't quite hold him ending up 5 secs off the National Jersey but in a very well deserved 2nd place. Good enough to be picked for GB to ride in the World Cup weekend after this and the the World Champs at Koksijde the weekend after that-how cool is that
National trophy for us all this weekend so a full few weeks
I'll see you at the National Trophy. I'm preparing to take a hammering on a course which doesn't suit me at all (but I'll never get better at it unless I try - it's like taking medicine which is good for me). No doubt Alex will fly past me at least once if not twice. :oops:
Ruth0 -
BeaconRuth wrote:
That's very cool Mike - many congratulations to Alex! It's going to be an exciting few weeks for you watching Alex ride in a World Championship!MikeWW wrote:......Alex couldn't quite hold him ending up 5 secs off the National Jersey but in a very well deserved 2nd place. Good enough to be picked for GB to ride in the World Cup weekend after this and the the World Champs at Koksijde the weekend after that-how cool is that
National trophy for us all this weekend so a full few weeks
I'll see you at the National Trophy. I'm preparing to take a hammering on a course which doesn't suit me at all (but I'll never get better at it unless I try - it's like taking medicine which is good for me). No doubt Alex will fly past me at least once if not twice. :oops:
Ruth
I saw you on the Start List. Good on you for entering. We will be cheering you on and I'm sure you will do great0
