the Cyclo cross racing post
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Anyone else going to race Wilmington on Sunday?0
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I hope too, but have a back problem that is not responding to rest. Off to the physio tonight.0
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I rode it last year (and snapped my chain on the last lap). It's a funny course, with some fast open sections and some really insane technical sections. Last year they sent us up a steep hill which was unrideable, then you remounted to ride along a slippery, root covered section before riding down a large dropoff, followed by a hairpin bend then a fast off camber downhill singletrack. Fair more technical than anything else I've seen, here's what I said to my clubmates last year;
"I thought they overdid the technical sections by some distance, it felt like half the lap was spent dodging trees and trying not to slip down as you rode across muddy, rutted slopes. The open sections were good, nice and wide and a decent surface so more of them would have made it more of a race. I don't think I've ever been lapped as quickly as I was today, presumably because the front runners missed the bottleneck on the first lap that held most of us up."
I rode clinchers last year, and think tubs would have made a world of difference as you'd have had more grip. I'll be using tubs on Sunday.0 -
Thanks for the detailed description... I think! Sounds interesting :shock:0
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They might change the course, it was different from the previous year according to those who'd ridden it before.
See you on Sunday (physio has done enough that I can ride).0 -
One of the (many) things I love about cyclocross. You can never get bored of racing on the same old circuits.
I did three of the Imperial Winter Series at Hillingdon, and I struggle to distinguish between the memories of those three races. All seem much the same.
Gret news care of your physio! See you Sunday.
PS: I must be the only weirdo who, when told by their girlfriend that it's forecast to rain on Sunday, pumps their fist and says Yes!!!!0 -
only two race for me left this season,
got a world cup in Holland tmo, and then the world champs next weekend!I do science, sometimes.0 -
Just two insignificant little races then, Alex?! Congratulations on your selection and best of luck. Wherever your cycling career goes in the future it will be a fabulous feather in your cap to have ridden even one season at World level. You must have worked hard for it and you clearly deserve it.mentalalex wrote:only two race for me left this season,
got a world cup in Holland tmo, and then the world champs next weekend!
Ruth0 -
Signed off for this season at Thruxton yesterday afternoon, coming home last but one out of a tiny field of only 19 seniors. The windy conditions didn't exactly suit a tall rider like myself, as such I really suffered (putting one of the hurdles at the very foot of the climb didn't do me any favours either). However, I got some useful Wessex League points out of it and might end up finishing as high as 15th overall in the senior category! Time for a brief rest now, I think, before getting stuck into training ready for 2012-2013....
Also good to say hello to another BR member out there in the "real world" yesterday - cheers for Monty Dog for taking the time out to offer an introduction and a handshake, hope your race was more fruitful than mine!
David"It is not enough merely to win; others must lose." - Gore Vidal0 -
Well only 2 cross races left for me
Last of the WMCCL events at Baggeridge Sunday then Hit the North on Feb 4th (2 hours of fun)
Yesterdays race didn't quite go to plan. raced at Wolverhampton in the vets (my last year before grand vets) Took the bell in 6th with 5th just ahead. Then split a tub with 3/4 of a lap to go and had to run it. Ended up 13th Just look at the last lap time-slowest on the board I think http://waldrons.wmccl.net/site/images/results/var12.pdf0 -
Ouch, bad luck! Where and how did you split the tub?MikeWW wrote:........ Took the bell in 6th with 5th just ahead. Then split a tub with 3/4 of a lap to go and had to run it. ...........
I really enjoyed Wolverhampton on Sunday - one of those races when I felt I made progress rather than the week before at Shrewsbury when I was really thinking my natural habitat is dry roads in summer!
I'm really coming to like the Wolverhampton course, maybe because I feel like I know every last tree root now!
Ruth0 -
I'm a Notts and Derby regular but tempted to get an extra race in on Sunday at Baggeridge before our finale the following week. Could any of you WM CXers give an insight into what the Baggeridge course is like? If it's a mudfest hell then I'll probably pass!0
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I think it's probably like many courses in that it will depend on the recent weather. I've raced there once in a WMCCL race and it wasn't muddy except in the odd place, but that was a glorious early-October day in warm sunshine. I believe I've seen Youtube footage of it as a total mud-fest too. There is a large open grassy area with plenty of slopes which the course uses to full-advantage and then it heads off into the woods on a track, up a long drag beside the access road, crosses the road and then all the way back down again.
I'm sure it could be a total mud-fest - but then again it might not be!
Ruth0 -
BeaconRuth wrote:
Ouch, bad luck! Where and how did you split the tub?MikeWW wrote:........ Took the bell in 6th with 5th just ahead. Then split a tub with 3/4 of a lap to go and had to run it. ...........
I really enjoyed Wolverhampton on Sunday - one of those races when I felt I made progress rather than the week before at Shrewsbury when I was really thinking my natural habitat is dry roads in summer! I'm really coming to like the Wolverhampton course, maybe because I feel like I know every last tree root now!
Ruth
Raced once at Aldersley about 11 years ago when I was starting out and was put off somewhat by one especially treacherous feature of the course - does the uber-steep descent (visions of a nightmare over-the-bars scenario) into the old railway cutting and then a 180-degree turn back up and out of it still form part of the usual CX race route?
David"It is not enough merely to win; others must lose." - Gore Vidal0 -
BeaconRuth wrote:I think it's probably like many courses in that it will depend on the recent weather. I've raced there once in a WMCCL race and it wasn't muddy except in the odd place, but that was a glorious early-October day in warm sunshine. I believe I've seen Youtube footage of it as a total mud-fest too. There is a large open grassy area with plenty of slopes which the course uses to full-advantage and then it heads off into the woods on a track, up a long drag beside the access road, crosses the road and then all the way back down again.
I'm sure it could be a total mud-fest - but then again it might not be!
Ruth
The youtube footage doesn't look promising! Looks a good course though (if you have 3 bikes and pit crew)!0 -
The course which they've used for the last couple of seasons makes extensive use of the railway cutting. I've just counted them and there are 9 ascents or descents of it of varying steepness/length/difficulty. There is an uber-steep descent (i.e. too steep to walk/run down) but it takes you back down to the open grassy area rather than into the cutting. There's another nasty descent beside an old railway bridge which is muddy and lumpy but it's not too bad to roll down. Most of the descents seem to be followed soon after by a steep little climb back out of the cutting.DavidBelcher wrote:Raced once at Aldersley about 11 years ago when I was starting out and was put off somewhat by one especially treacherous feature of the course - does the uber-steep descent (visions of a nightmare over-the-bars scenario) into the old railway cutting and then a 180-degree turn back up and out of it still form part of the usual CX race route?
I'm told they used to take the 'cross course onto the banked cycle track at Aldersley but since I've been riding there we've not gone anywhere near the track.
Ruth0 -
Not sure how I split the tub- but it let go on the off camber section before you drop down and ride past the back of the finishing tent
Did Baggeridge a couple of years ago and it was a great course. Pretty wet and although it was muddy I managed OK with 1 bike. My guess would be it will be more like Macclesfield than Bakewell(Thornbridge)
Some nice technical bits and off camber sections when I rode it and some nice climbs.
...and well done Ruth-good result on Sunday and saw you have beaten Beth0 -
As David B says, signed off at Thruxton too. It was a bit last minute when my mate called at 9.30 to suggest we should go at 10. Despite racing countless years, did the classic new shoes and pedals routine which meant I couldn't clip in quickly after each dismount which lost me a whole bundle of time. The course-setters at Thruxton are getting creative and I'm not sure many folks appreciated the hurdle at the bottom of a steep bank plus the 40 minutes plus a lap was 55 minutes long in pretty blowy conditions. That said, the couse was firm and grippy and I enjoyed myself when the field thinned out and you could work the turns smooth and hard rather than riding brakes.Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..0
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Good luck to Alex Welburn (mentalalex) Travelling with the GB squad to Belgium for the World Championships!!! The lads living the dream!!!!
Enjoy it mate!!!0 -
PuttyKnees wrote:BeaconRuth wrote:I think it's probably like many courses in that it will depend on the recent weather. I've raced there once in a WMCCL race and it wasn't muddy except in the odd place, but that was a glorious early-October day in warm sunshine. I believe I've seen Youtube footage of it as a total mud-fest too. There is a large open grassy area with plenty of slopes which the course uses to full-advantage and then it heads off into the woods on a track, up a long drag beside the access road, crosses the road and then all the way back down again.
I'm sure it could be a total mud-fest - but then again it might not be!
Ruth
The youtube footage doesn't look promising! Looks a good course though (if you have 3 bikes and pit crew)!
Unless they've cut it out of the circuit, don't forget the miniature railway crossing to negotiate at Baggeridge! Not something you find every day on a CX race!
David"It is not enough merely to win; others must lose." - Gore Vidal0 -
I've only raced at Baggeridge once, in the area champs a couple of years ago, and it was a swamp. A very nice swamp, granted, but it was a two-bike, pit crew and pressure washer job. It was much worse than the New Year's Eve event up at Thornbridge.0
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Tom BB wrote:Good luck to Alex Welburn (mentalalex) Travelling with the GB squad to Belgium for the World Championships!!! The lads living the dream!!!!
Enjoy it mate!!!
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Have an awesome weekend the Welburns! I am sure you will. Deeply jealous (in a good way).
Being Czech, my loyalties in the Elite mens race are compromised, but for the Juniors race it's clear.
Go Alex!0 -
At a 'slightly' less rarified level, the London League results from Wilmington are (finally) out, and look completely wrong. AndyP as seems a tradition this year is missing from the result sheet, FJ and my good self, as well as quite a few others are credited with 1 lap less than we had completed, and worst of all - no contact is given that we can email and set the record straight - good job it's just a bit of fun eh 0
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Email John Mullineaux - john at londoncyclesport dot com - and let him know and he'll add you to the amendments.
He's assured me this morning that my repeated omissions, I think that's 5 rounds that it's happened on of the 8 I've ridden, is purely personal. 0 -
Well it does seem quite unlikely to be a coincidence
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Oh no....
British Cycling@BCreports
Cross Worlds: GB Team Juniors Hugo Robinson, Alex Welburn and U23 Steve James withdraw from today's races following illness0 -
Gutted for them all 0
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Totally correct, luckily I can show them my Garmin trace which has 5 laps on it. Andy & I should be right beside each other in the standings b/c I was on his wheel when we crossed the line.VamP wrote:AndyP as seems a tradition this year is missing from the result sheet, FJ and my good self, as well as quite a few others are credited with 1 lap less than we had completed
I don't think any of us '3 BR-LL muskateers' had a great race - Andy's mechanical, I was home sick Mon&Tues and not recovered and VamP, you can thru like a shot then faded, were you feeling off as well?
Hope it gets sorted - we're both top 10 overall so would be nice to end the season by not slipping down any further.When a cyclist has a disagreement with a car; it's not who's right, it's who's left.0
