the Cyclo cross racing post
Comments
-
no race for me at the world, half of team GB including me, all got ill, not confirmed what it was yet, likely to be food poisoning, ended up me throwing up all night, lost over half a stone in body weight and i'm only 55kg so that's a lot.
gutted i couldn't race, i felt mega good in practice, me hugo steve and annie were all riding really well in practice and feeling mega up for it!I do science, sometimes.0 -
no race for me at the world, half of team GB including me, all got ill, not confirmed what it was yet, likely to be food poisoning, ended up me throwing up all night, lost over half a stone in body weight and i'm only 55kg so that's a lot.
gutted i couldn't race, i felt mega good in practice, me hugo steve and annie were all riding really well in practice and feeling mega up for it!I do science, sometimes.0 -
FransJacques wrote: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?
I lost a back wheel on a tree root on lap three, and fell awkwardly. Spent the rest of that lap out of sorts, and unable to corner properly. Then I consolidated on laps 4 and 5, and got ready for a big push on lap 6, only to be thwarted by getting lapped in the last part of lap 5.
Turned out I had bruised my knee quite badly, and ended up limping everywhere for a week... all good now.0 -
VamP, sorry to hear that. Can you please PM with your name (I don't out peeps on BR) so I can compare that to the round 13 standings. I really need to get in touch with those dude.
MentalAlex, very, very sorry you and the rest of the team didn't get a chance to race a worlds. In the 25+ years I've been following pro-cycling this team-wide type of sudden illness is a normal if not too frequent occurrance. Do you guys all feel better now? I know it's a long way off but hope you have a strong 2012 and get selected again to strut your stuff State-side in 2013. Do you have any more CX races this season?
Man the Belgians were amped up for the Worlds. I was at Kiksijd for the Novmber WC#3 and while it would have been nice to watch it on Eurosport insead of snooker, I wouldn't have wanted to be there for the crowds - would've been too busy. Wonder what happened to Sybar - wasn't he gridded in front as the reigning WC?When a cyclist has a disagreement with a car; it's not who's right, it's who's left.0 -
FransJacques wrote:VamP, sorry to hear that. Can you please PM with your name (I don't out peeps on BR) so I can compare that to the round 13 standings. I really need to get in touch with those dude.
MentalAlex, very, very sorry you and the rest of the team didn't get a chance to race a worlds. In the 25+ years I've been following pro-cycling this team-wide type of sudden illness is a normal if not too frequent occurrance. Do you guys all feel better now? I know it's a long way off but hope you have a strong 2012 and get selected again to strut your stuff State-side in 2013. Do you have any more CX races this season?
Man the Belgians were amped up for the Worlds. I was at Kiksijd for the Novmber WC#3 and while it would have been nice to watch it on Eurosport insead of snooker, I wouldn't have wanted to be there for the crowds - would've been too busy. Wonder what happened to Sybar - wasn't he gridded in front as the reigning WC?
You have PM.
Stybar was attacked by Albert when he had a mis-hap on a climb, and then the rest of the Belgians worked against him while Albert built his lead. And then they killed him after he exhausted himself trying to catch Albert...
http://ukcyclesport.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5389:world-cross-champs-men&catid=37&Itemid=790 -
Well after getting Alex back from Koksijde (bit of a squeeze in the car) he is now starting to feel a bit better and has a couple of weeks off his bike before starting to pick things up for the mountain bike season
I competed in the last round of the WMCCL at Baggeridge on the Sunday which was a fitting end to the series. Technical, muddy course plus hurdles. Was a bit tired after driving 600 miles in 2 days but really enjoyed it and was happy with 7th and glad I had a bike change
Beacon Ruth ended the season in style with a 2nd and has made massive progress over the season-well done Ruth
Going to do Hit the North on Saturday on the cross bike - 2 hours will be tough going but should be fun. Hope there is a summer cross season
0 -
-
After all that discussion about the course it was totally different from anything used before - and very muddy. The guys in Halesowen C&AC had worked really hard devising a fabulous course using a whole lot of new paths and slopes with plenty of very steep little ups and downs, a set of planks and some nasty cambered slopes. I gather there were some broken rear-mechs but I got round with just one little crash and no mechanicals. Loved it!DavidBelcher wrote:PuttyKnees wrote:BeaconRuth wrote: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
Ruth0 -
As I said to you on Sunday Mike, commiserations to Alex - he must be gutted.MikeWW wrote:Well after getting Alex back from Koksijde (bit of a squeeze in the car) he is now starting to feel a bit better and has a couple of weeks off his bike before starting to pick things up for the mountain bike season
Thanks Mike and congratulations on your 7th place after all that driving. I thought the race at Baggeridge was a great end to an excellent league. With the chip timing at all events now I really think we're very lucky with our league in the West Midlands.I competed in the last round of the WMCCL at Baggeridge on the Sunday which was a fitting end to the series. Technical, muddy course plus hurdles. Was a bit tired after driving 600 miles in 2 days but really enjoyed it and was happy with 7th and glad I had a bike change Beacon Ruth ended the season in style with a 2nd and has made massive progress over the season-well done Ruth
Ruth0 -
Any idea how much the chip timing system cost the West Midlands League, Ruth?0
-
It is hired from Black Sheep http://www.blacksheepsportsltd.co.uk/chip_timing_atheletes%20_race_organisers.html
Seem to think its about £300 a meeting-but I may have got that wrong
Very good in that you have lap times and generally mistakes seem to be able to be sorted out OK0 -
FYI for London Leaguers:
John Mollyneaux apparently said they're taking a "wait and see" approach re: tomorrow's race.
Depending on snow conditions, it might be called off, that's about all I heard - not the course but the footpaths and steps and ramps etc for the organizes and spectators etc.
Check out the LXL site tomorrow around 10am - 11am.
Assume it's on, I mean it's a tiny bit of snow, but we love to get all dramatic over it. Except if we're in Chamonix.When a cyclist has a disagreement with a car; it's not who's right, it's who's left.0 -
Not much more than a few cms of snow in south London this morning and it's already beginning to melt. I'd be surprised if they cancel but let's not forget this is southern England. :-)0
-
0
-
See you guys there:
SNOW! Snow fell on Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Roads adjacent to the Velodrome are OK, although Burbage Rd is a little icy.
The Velodrome was salted yesterday in various places and RACING will go AHEAD. If you can get there a little earlier to help with some snow clearance then that would be most welcome.
Please note that there is a ‘novice’ race open to all seniors and juniors who may not wish to race in the more crowded League senior race and who may fancy this competitive challenge instead.When a cyclist has a disagreement with a car; it's not who's right, it's who's left.0 -
Hilarious slip-slidy race at Herne Hill yesterday.
I had more crashes than in the rest of the season combined - I am counting 6 full on face plants, do I win a prize?
My favourite though was walking speed face plant right in front of the Commisaire during warm up - how we laughed
Great way to finish off the season!0 -
I didn't crash once. 8)
I did get tangled up in the course markers a couple of times, though. I was on for a top 15 finish until the bolt on my seatpost started to loosen, leaving me to ride the last two laps very steadily as I tried to nurse it home without falling off. Ended up in 21st, but was still 2nd in the vets, which is easily my best finish and won £15!
A great end to what has been a very enjoyable season.0 -
andyp wrote:I didn't crash once. 8)
I did get tangled up in the course markers a couple of times, though. I was on for a top 15 finish until the bolt on my seatpost started to loosen, leaving me to ride the last two laps very steadily as I tried to nurse it home without falling off. Ended up in 21st, but was still 2nd in the vets, which is easily my best finish and won £15!
A great end to what has been a very enjoyable season.
Very impressive Andy.
It was humbling to watch others with technical skills who were going as fast as I was but NOT crashing. I spent most of the race chasing TB of Corridori, who's a tremendously smooth rider. I'd catch him and crash, catch him and crash... he fessed up after the race that he did crash once, but he just looked totally solid to me.
I was pleased with my result ultimately, because given my shockingly poor start where I got caught in a mass pile-up, and the fact that I kept kicking loose the straddle wire on my rear brake, necessitating a stop and a fix each time, and ultimately a bike change, I was able to keep clawing back places, ending in 29th overall, and my best ever Vets finish in 6th.
I have to say it was really nice to have the chip timing as well, and to be able to take a look at the lap times splits is pretty handy too.0 -
DAve Hayward has some wicked ppics from yestreday on his site.0
-
I could not keep my bike upright. I crashed hard 5-6 times - I even crashed in the back-field going in a completely straight line - my front tyre just lifted, floated, then washed out.
I tried to get mad and ride faster and harder and that made me fall tooo. I want to blame tyres/pressure/the fact i have tubes & clinchers and not tubulars but something tells me that's a cop out.
I tried steering by turning the bars, tilting my hips, tilting my head, and I just wiped out. Scariest wipe out was coming out of the track, when we left the tarmac beside the fence onto the off-camber left sweeper I skidded out of control towards the big metal green bike stands and almost hit them. Just nuts.
What wheel/tyre set up did you guys use? Did you go for the lowest psi of all races? Or were you middling? Would really have loved to have had some Limus :-) Narrow, biting with stiff sidewalls was the way to go me thinks.When a cyclist has a disagreement with a car; it's not who's right, it's who's left.0 -
I was using a pair of Challenge Fangos, running them at about 30 psi (I started off with them at 40 psi on my warm up lap but knew after the first technical section out back that I needed to reduce the pressure, which I did without a pressure gauge so not sure of the exact pressure). They were okay generally, but I was still sliding a lot and used the old 'hang out the inside leg to act as a counterweight' on most corners. After a few laps I was only doing this on the corners where there was still a lot of snow as for most of them as the racing line was clear of snow and ice.
My saddle came loose with approx 2.5 laps to go and that had a significant effect on handling. It's only when it isn't a stable platform that you realise how much it helps steering and balance. By the last lap, my slowest of the race according to the splits, I could barely sit on it and I was just trying to keep in front of any vets behind me. I was with the guys who finished in the low teens with 3 to go so, in one sense, am a bit disappointed I didn't get a better overall result.0 -
I was on FMB Supermuds on my starting bike (look at me, I've moved to two bike strategy like the pros) running at 26 psi. I had only finished building the bike up two days before the race, and shouldn't have raced it really, but the temptation was overwhelming. I hadn't quite resolved the way my brakes are tensioned, and kept kicking my rear brake loose. So I changed bikes half way through, with my trusty Tufo Flexus on the other bike, slightly higher at 30 psi.
The FMB gave better grip in mud, but worse in snow than the Tufos. But to be honest the grip on snow was largely imaginary. Like Andy I tried to ride corners with a leg out, and all my falls happened when I elected not to put a leg out, and the front wheel washed out unexpectedly. It was a steep learnign curve, and I was a lot smoother in the second half of the race, though to be fair, the amount of grip available grew as the race went on as well.
Pleased as I was with my result, a better result was available had I been a bit more awake lining up for the start. I rode the first lap 45 seconds slower than the guys I finished with, having got caught up in a pile up right at the start, and must have lost a further 30/40 seconds over the race fiddling with the brake and bike swapping. Ultimately that was the difference between getting lapped and getting a chance to do one more lap and fight for 3rd in the Vets race.
However, the finishing sprint (there's five of us split by just 2 seconds) is one of the highlights of my short racing carreer thus far, so I shouldn't really complain.
I loved my first season of CX, can't wait for September 0 -
VamP wrote:I loved my first season of CX, can't wait for September
Provisional Wessex and Central League fixture lists are already up on t'internet....already trying to arrange racing schedules so I can do at least half a dozen events in each.
David"It is not enough merely to win; others must lose." - Gore Vidal0 -
Oh good - seeing as my summer racing schedule has been abandoned due to the need to get over Stratford every weekend to practise riding for the Olympic Opening Ceremony (you won't believe how much training goes into riding such a short distance!) Anyway, come August, I can start focussing on the Wessex League CX....Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..0
-
brilliant - Central League dates out, and some new venues to me, much closer to home as well, so really looking forward to a proper go at the season this year Your Past is Not Your Potential...0
-
Bigpikle wrote:brilliant - Central League dates out, and some new venues to me, much closer to home as well, so really looking forward to a proper go at the season this year
The Central and Wessex calendars dovetail quite well this season, should be able to do half a dozen counting races in each league, subject to work commitments and travel arrangements. Dunno if the South of England championship carries any Central points at all.
David"It is not enough merely to win; others must lose." - Gore Vidal0 -
Monty Dog wrote:Anyway, come August, I can start focussing on the Wessex League CX....
December 2nd (IIRC) is the Isle of Wight round - potentially looks a bit of a tricky one to get to, might settle for the Central race at Sonning Common instead (probably easier on the wallet too).
David"It is not enough merely to win; others must lose." - Gore Vidal0 -
One other thing, having perused the various race calendars for different leagues since I started racing CX in the South - Surrey seems to be a bit of a cyclo-cross "desert" which has had me puzzled for a while given the large catchment area racing ought to be able to draw upon within the county and in surrounding areas too. Is this down to a lack of interest or a lack of suitable race venues? :?
David"It is not enough merely to win; others must lose." - Gore Vidal0 -
David, as you say, Surrey is a bit of a desert from a CX racing perspective - the nearest 'venue' being Hillingdon and is the reason I ride Wessex events rather than hoofing around the M25 for 2 hours for a 1 hour race. The sad thing is that there are some great CX venues on the Surrey/Hampshire borders, but being predominantly MOD land the cost would be prohibitive unless you could get the Army CU to lay on the events?
Gorrick MBC seem to manage, considering they can get 500-odd riders to pay £40 for an 'MTB enduro' then why go to the bother for the same effort to arrange something for a hundred or so riders only paying a tenner each?
There's one place where you could easily lay on a Koksidje-style event with deep sand and steep run-ups - the James Bond film crew have just gone after 6 months, having built some nice, new access tracks as well.Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..0
