the Cyclo cross racing post

Moonbiker

8-10???!!! I'd need a nap after that! :-)

Race I did on sunday was 1hr long & I didn't manage that many in laps in the 1hr time :shock:

Here the strava seg for the course:

http://www.strava.com/segments/5986265?filter=overall


My first cx race, I need to improve my mtb type skills for the technical sections lost time on them. Just glad I wasn't last (I think I was a few places up from last :roll: ).

cyclingsheep

Moonbiker wrote:

8-10???!!! I'd need a nap after that! :-)

Race I did on sunday was 1hr long & I didn't manage that many in laps in the 1hr time :shock:

Here the strava seg for the course:

http://www.strava.com/segments/5986265?filter=overall


My first cx race, I need to improve my mtb type skills for the technical sections lost time on them. Just glad I wasn't last (I think I was a few places up from last :roll: ).

Is that the North Wales league? I'm up there for Xmas so planning on doing their race on the 28th Dec.

tgotb

VamP wrote:

You need to sort your pre-race cleaning routine. Sighting laps are essential if you want to be in it, the muddier it is the more important to get a feel for the course and to settle your head before the race.

^ This.

If you haven't done at least a couple of practice laps, including taking some of the critical bits at race speed, you're going to be at a huge disadvantage in lap 1, and the riders you've worked hard to get ahead of at the start will come flying past. You can also repeat critical sections without doing the whole lap.

In the last race at MK, for instance, the first climb after the start was pretty critical. If you hadn't figured out which lines were rideable, you might end up being forced off the bike and losing loads of places. Similarly the last descent before the finish; I probably rode that 10 times beforehand, including a couple of wipeouts, to figure out what line I wanted to take and how fast I could push it. The guy who ended up winning the V50s was doing a fair few laps too.

You don't have to have a pressure washer to clean the bike after practice; a bucket, brush, and a couple of large bottles of water will do.

cyclingsheep

TGOTB wrote:

VamP wrote:

You need to sort your pre-race cleaning routine. Sighting laps are essential if you want to be in it, the muddier it is the more important to get a feel for the course and to settle your head before the race.

^ This.

If you haven't done at least a couple of practice laps, including taking some of the critical bits at race speed, you're going to be at a huge disadvantage in lap 1, and the riders you've worked hard to get ahead of at the start will come flying past. You can also repeat critical sections without doing the whole lap.

In the last race at MK, for instance, the first climb after the start was pretty critical. If you hadn't figured out which lines were rideable, you might end up being forced off the bike and losing loads of places. Similarly the last descent before the finish; I probably rode that 10 times beforehand, including a couple of wipeouts, to figure out what line I wanted to take and how fast I could push it. The guy who ended up winning the V50s was doing a fair few laps too.

You don't have to have a pressure washer to clean the bike after practice; a bucket, brush, and a couple of large bottles of water will do.

A couple of young children for slave labour probably doesn't go amiss either

tgotb

cyclingsheep wrote:

A couple of young children for slave labour probably doesn't go amiss either

If only :roll: There's only one slave in Team TGOTB, and it's not one of the kids...

Moonbiker

Is that the North Wales league? I'm up there for Xmas so planning on doing their race on the 28th Dec.

Yeah it was,,

http://nwcycloxgroup.ning.com/forum/top ... ue-2014-15

Theres a youtube video of the course for the Bodalwyllan 28th Dec one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nHOuvfx6EI

Drone camera video for the Amlwch one i did:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPmmm2g ... e=youtu.be

cyclingsheep

Moonbiker wrote:

Is that the North Wales league? I'm up there for Xmas so planning on doing their race on the 28th Dec.

Yeah it was,,

http://nwcycloxgroup.ning.com/forum/top ... ue-2014-15

Theres a youtube video of the course for the Bodalwyllan 28th Dec one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nHOuvfx6EI

Drone camera video for the Amlwch one i did:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPmmm2g ... e=youtu.be

Yeah I did that race last year, not to my best as I had a two month old and hadn't been training. Sadly I'm only in the video at the start

cyclingsheep

Was anyone running Challenge Limus clinchers at Luton on Sunday? If so how did you find them?

devhads

I was and I found them great as always. I've had them on pretty much all season, swapping from Grifo at the first hint of mud. Was running them at 20psi front and 22psi rear on Sunday, with latex tubes. Gave me good grip in the spiral and even though I struck the tarmac lip going back on to the tennis courts pretty hard I didn't flat. I'm a massive fan of Challenge tyres with latex tubes.

cyclingsheep

devhads wrote:

I was and I found them great as always. I've had them on pretty much all season, swapping from Grifo at the first hint of mud. Was running them at 20psi front and 22psi rear on Sunday, with latex tubes. Gave me good grip in the spiral and even though I struck the tarmac lip going back on to the tennis courts pretty hard I didn't flat. I'm a massive fan of Challenge tyres with latex tubes.

That'll explain why you beat me then nothing to do with my jet lag or lack of general fitness

devhads

That'll explain why you beat me then nothing to do with my jet lag or lack of general fitness

Probably all to do with the jet lag and general fitness. I see from the league tables you had some pretty impressive results early on in the season so I'm sure normal service will be resumed soon enough.

So what I meant to say was, the Limus were rubbish, definitely don't get any Seriously though if you're not going tubular or tubeless then Challenge tyres seem to be the ones that you can run at really low pressures if used with latex tubes.

PuttyKnees

I'm not sure how I'd find the time for 8-10 laps! An ideal recce for me would be 2-3 laps, with time spent on any tricky section or any area where I think I might be pushed off line. The reality is of course that I spend most of the time sorting the kids out that I can't really do more than a skim ride round just to know the layout. Nationals afford time the day before though, which is pretty handy.

I go against the commonly head belief that the race is all about the sprint. For most of us, the sprint at the start is just to make sure you're not caught up in any bottleneck. What most commentators mean of course is that a bad start means you miss the selection to the front group. If only that was my worry!

Did anyone race at Durham on Sunday? I think I saw VamP on the start sheet. It's only my second race of the season and it really showed, but despite looking unpromising, Durham races really well. There are sufficient technical bits to make you think, particularly when greasy, but there's also a flow to it that means you can really race. I think CX diehards prefer something more like Bradford, but that course is more about the battle with the course rather than with the opposition. I missed the entry for MK, since every old lag decided they fancied themselves on a WC course, but the upside being that I can spend time in the beer tents Saturday guiltlessly

cyclingsheep

PuttyKnees wrote:

I missed the entry for MK, since every old lag decided they fancied themselves on a WC course, but the upside being that I can spend time in the beer tents Saturday guiltlessly

I'll see you in there. Originally I was going to bring my wife and kids along, booked for car parking as well, then my better half decided she'd rather do anything else other than that so I'm on my own and training it. Win win

cjcp

Guys - what's the criteria for gaining entry into the Nationals in Jan? I've entered, but not had the entry confirmed. Are the organisers deliberating over how best to say, "Not this year, son. Maybe next year"? :-)

tgotb

cyclingsheep wrote:

I'll see you in there. Originally I was going to bring my wife and kids along, booked for car parking as well, then my better half decided she'd rather do anything else other than that so I'm on my own and training it. Win win

I'll buy your car park ticket off you if you still have it!

VamP

PuttyKnees wrote:

I'm not sure how I'd find the time for 8-10 laps! An ideal recce for me would be 2-3 laps, with time spent on any tricky section or any area where I think I might be pushed off line. The reality is of course that I spend most of the time sorting the kids out that I can't really do more than a skim ride round just to know the layout. Nationals afford time the day before though, which is pretty handy.

I go against the commonly head belief that the race is all about the sprint. For most of us, the sprint at the start is just to make sure you're not caught up in any bottleneck. What most commentators mean of course is that a bad start means you miss the selection to the front group. If only that was my worry!

Did anyone race at Durham on Sunday? I think I saw VamP on the start sheet. It's only my second race of the season and it really showed, but despite looking unpromising, Durham races really well. There are sufficient technical bits to make you think, particularly when greasy, but there's also a flow to it that means you can really race. I think CX diehards prefer something more like Bradford, but that course is more about the battle with the course rather than with the opposition. I missed the entry for MK, since every old lag decided they fancied themselves on a WC course, but the upside being that I can spend time in the beer tents Saturday guiltlessly

Yep I was in Durham, loved the course! Really loved it. Well worth the drive up.

As to the number of practice laps - I realise I'm a bit extreme, and I don't always have the luxury of time either, but when I have the time then I really like to learn the course. Of course there are training and skill acquisition upsides too.

cyclingsheep

TGOTB wrote:

cyclingsheep wrote:

I'll see you in there. Originally I was going to bring my wife and kids along, booked for car parking as well, then my better half decided she'd rather do anything else other than that so I'm on my own and training it. Win win

I'll buy your car park ticket off you if you still have it!

Yours if you want it mate.

tgotb

Done, thanks. Can either grab it from you this weekend, or give you a lift to MK...

CJCP - Nationals last year wasn't a sell-out; I wonder whether they'll prioritise anyone who has national ranking points on the cutoff date, and then let anyone else in if there's space. you could always drop a mail to the organiser for clarification. To get ranking points, you have to finish top 10 in a league event (which, on the basis of Sunday's ride, I think you could do if you rode a few more races to get a decent gridding).

VamP

TGOTB wrote:

CJCP - Nationals last year wasn't a sell-out;

Are you sure? I heard a rumour that there were 400+ entries, and start list was 115 (40-49 category)

In any case last year I didn't get my place until mid December, this year I was accepted back in October. I have no idea how they do it. Looking at the BC site, they have confirmed 20 riders so far, I am sure a lot more than that have entered.

cyclingsheep

TGOTB wrote:

Done, thanks. Can either grab it from you this weekend, or give you a lift ..

Already have train tickets so happy to get there that way. Will give it to you on Sunday.

tgotb

VamP wrote:

TGOTB wrote:

CJCP - Nationals last year wasn't a sell-out;

Are you sure? I heard a rumour that there were 400+ entries, and start list was 115 (40-49 category)

In any case last year I didn't get my place until mid December, this year I was accepted back in October. I have no idea how they do it. Looking at the BC site, they have confirmed 20 riders so far, I am sure a lot more than that have entered.

Ah, ok, I may be wrong. I was basing that assumption on 115 not sounding like an obvious number for a rider limit (bearing in mind no other categories on the course at the same time).

400+ sounds like a lot. Based on my gridding last year, something like half the riders ranked in the top 150 actually entered the Nationals. If you extend that ratio to all of the 320-odd riders who had at least one point (and I'd be very surprised if the ratio was that high for lower ranked riders) that would still only be 160-odd entries, so they'd have had to have 240 entries from non-ranked riders. Maybe you need to have at least one point, or to have done a trophy series race, to get an entry?

tgotb

cyclingsheep wrote:

TGOTB wrote:

Done, thanks. Can either grab it from you this weekend, or give you a lift ..

Already have train tickets so happy to get there that way. Will give it to you on Sunday.

Thanks, will bring beer tokens in exchange :-)

cjcp

Cheers, guys

cyclingsheep

Bloody gutted today. Drove an hour to Harlington and discovered I'd left my kit bag at home. No helmet, no shoes.....no race Looked like a great course too

bendertherobot

Pembrey today. Lovely conditions. Despite rain this week Pembrey remained dry (good drainage to the nearby sea).

Chose to use my MTB just to see what it might be like. Conclusion? Rubbish. Nowhere near enough advantage on the forest parts to outweigh the sheer treacle like progress on the open bits.

andyp

Raced the London League event at Wivelsden Farm today. Amazingly wet course, even the slightly uphill bits in the field were waterlogged, and it was unrelentingly hard as you had to pedal all the time to maintain momentum.

I'm broken tonight.

antsmithmk

cyclingsheep wrote:

Bloody gutted today. Drove an hour to Harlington and discovered I'd left my kit bag at home. No helmet, no shoes.....no race Looked like a great course too

Raced the seniors at Harlington today, brutal conditions. Mud over the ankles in lots of places and quite a bit of the lap was only running. Yet again I lost all braking at the end of the race. The pads have again been cut, despite taking people's advise previous on type of pad. I now think it's the rotors so placing an order for new ones.

tgotb

antsmithmk wrote:

Raced the seniors at Harlington today, brutal conditions.

Chapeau! A full hour of that must have been pretty hard work...

It was bad enough in the vets. Believe it or not, the entire course was rideable on my first practice lap, second time round (ten minutes later) I had to run two bits, and it just got harder. The corners were a lot grippier than they looked, you just got bogged down and had to force your way through the mush (though some lines were a lot easier than others.) Hate to think what it must have been like after a further hour...

How much are you using the brakes? Mine were fine, but I only really used them on the two steeper descents (and even then, anything more than a light dab would have caused more problems than it solved.)

DavidBelcher

No West Midlands race for me yesterday, felt too drained (mentally & physically) from Saturday's Notts & Derby event at Markeaton which was frustrating and not a huge amount of fun due to everything coming with a huge side order of dead leaves. Lost track of how many times I had to stop and unclog the bike just to keep the wheels moving - near the close of the race it was more than once a lap. Bit of a contrast with the previous week at Holme Pierrepont when most of the muck was just mud and grass with not such a detrimental effect.

Mind you, I somehow still managed not to be the last-placed rider (48th of 64 across the whole field) or indeed the last Senior.

David

dangerousdave.

DavidBelcher wrote:

No West Midlands race for me yesterday, felt too drained (mentally & physically) from Saturday's Notts & Derby event at Markeaton which was frustrating and not a huge amount of fun due to everything coming with a huge side order of dead leaves. Lost track of how many times I had to stop and unclog the bike just to keep the wheels moving - near the close of the race it was more than once a lap. Bit of a contrast with the previous week at Holme Pierrepont when most of the muck was just mud and grass with not such a detrimental effect.

Mind you, I somehow still managed not to be the last-placed rider (48th of 64 across the whole field) or indeed the last Senior.

David

Hi David, the west mids event didn't suffer with leaves but a whole lap of either mud or very very heavy grass and was tough as a consequence, don't know how you or others ever manage to race twice in a weekend, once is definitely enough for me!

Dave