the Cyclo cross racing post

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  • VamP
    VamP Posts: 674
    VamP wrote:
    devhads wrote:
    Is it entry on the day only, and if so does it ever sell out?

    Entry is by post only and closed a couple of days ago. It usually fills up very early too. I go back home to the midlands every Boxing Day to see family and thought about entering last year but it filled up before I could enter.

    They have a Facebook page so you could ask if they have a reserve list.


    Oh bum! Thanks Dave.

    I have tried that there facebook thingy, but it sounds like it might be a forlorn thing.


    Just as an FYI, I contacted the organizer and hopelessly sold out apparently, even the reserve list...


    In other news, the regionals in Deal today were the most puncture affected race I have ever seen. I punctured once, but probably still made top ten on the back of everyone else puncturing too. Interesting course design with two pits separated by 150 yards of space. Guess which pit my spare was in when I punctured?
  • cyclingsheep
    cyclingsheep Posts: 640
    VamP wrote:
    VamP wrote:
    devhads wrote:
    Is it entry on the day only, and if so does it ever sell out?

    Entry is by post only and closed a couple of days ago. It usually fills up very early too. I go back home to the midlands every Boxing Day to see family and thought about entering last year but it filled up before I could enter.

    They have a Facebook page so you could ask if they have a reserve list.


    Oh bum! Thanks Dave.

    I have tried that there facebook thingy, but it sounds like it might be a forlorn thing.


    Just as an FYI, I contacted the organizer and hopelessly sold out apparently, even the reserve list...


    In other news, the regionals in Deal today were the most puncture affected race I have ever seen. I punctured once, but probably still made top ten on the back of everyone else puncturing too. Interesting course design with two pits separated by 150 yards of space. Guess which pit my spare was in when I punctured?
    The first one but you needed it 15 seconds after you passed the second one?
  • johnboy183
    johnboy183 Posts: 832
    Just had this pointed out to me. Just love it. Wonder how di2 would fair in these conditions. And how about today's "pampered" riders? Hopefully in right place, if not please move

    http://youtu.be/H9_Fs1QtsOY
  • cyclingsheep
    cyclingsheep Posts: 640
    Anyone else hanging out for this weekend? I know the more elite amongst us have been racing but it's been 3weeks for me so I don't care what the weather is doing this weekend......let's go racing
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    cyclingsheep wrote:
    Anyone else hanging out for this weekend? I know the more elite amongst us have been racing but it's been 3weeks for me so I don't care what the weather is doing this weekend......let's go racing
    Are you helping put the course out at Hillingdon? If so, would you accept bribes to "improve" certain course features? :-)
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • cyclingsheep
    cyclingsheep Posts: 640
    TGOTB wrote:
    cyclingsheep wrote:
    Anyone else hanging out for this weekend? I know the more elite amongst us have been racing but it's been 3weeks for me so I don't care what the weather is doing this weekend......let's go racing
    Are you helping put the course out at Hillingdon? If so, would you accept bribes to "improve" certain course features? :-)
    Yes I am and who knows? Maybe I could be persuaded ;)
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    Yep, I'll be at Hillingdon.

    Oh, and I just got accepted into the Nationals. :D :shock: :!:

    This is an alarming development given my present fitness.

    I'll also have to buy a new cassette, check the brakes, clean the bike, get a new rear mech and get new cables.

    Frankly, it's easier to just buy a new bike.
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    cjcp wrote:
    I'll also have to buy a new cassette, check the brakes, clean the bike, get a new rear mech and get new cables.
    I wouldn't bother. Just wait for the existing rear mech to get sucked into the back wheel, run the rest of the race whilst carrying the bike, and then replace it all over the Summer. Brakes don't matter anyway, they just slow you down.
    cjcp wrote:
    Frankly, it's easier to just buy a new bike.
    Yeah, but at some stage you'll feel you have to fix the old one. Then you'll have two CX bikes. Once you have two CX bikes, you also need a pit b*tch, pressure washer etc.
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • cyclingsheep
    cyclingsheep Posts: 640
    Right lads (and ladies), Hillingdon is laid out and awaiting your presence tomorrow. As nobody approached me with beer tokens the course is suitably diabolical. Bring your long spikes, knobbliest tires and cheapest rear mechs :twisted:
  • devhads
    devhads Posts: 236
    Right lads (and ladies), Hillingdon is laid out and awaiting your presence tomorrow. As nobody approached me with beer tokens the course is suitably diabolical. Bring your long spikes, knobbliest tires and cheapest rear mechs :twisted:

    Is it muddy, didn't think it would be as we've not had much rain. Can't be as bad as last year surely. I've got two bikes now and wasn't going to bring the spare one as I thought it wouldn't be too bad but I will now.
  • cyclingsheep
    cyclingsheep Posts: 640
    devhads wrote:
    Right lads (and ladies), Hillingdon is laid out and awaiting your presence tomorrow. As nobody approached me with beer tokens the course is suitably diabolical. Bring your long spikes, knobbliest tires and cheapest rear mechs :twisted:

    Is it muddy, didn't think it would be as we've not had much rain. Can't be as bad as last year surely. I've got two bikes now and wasn't going to bring the spare one as I thought it wouldn't be too bad but I will now.
    This mud will stick like glue to your bike so probably a good idea.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,325
    devhads wrote:
    Is it muddy, didn't think it would be as we've not had much rain.

    That's debateable

    http://nw3weather.co.uk/wx12.php

    November was very wet and it hasn't dried at all since. Been in woods around Esher this morning and the mud was the same as two weeks ago
    left the forum March 2023
  • devhads
    devhads Posts: 236
    I'm just going on what I've seen really, I'm a landscape gardener and work with the brown stuff every day. It seemed to have dried out a lot over the last couple of days but I'm 30 odd miles north of London. I'll take your advice though cyclingsheep, just need to find some pit crew now!
  • cyclingsheep
    cyclingsheep Posts: 640
    devhads wrote:
    I'm just going on what I've seen really, I'm a landscape gardener and work with the brown stuff every day. It seemed to have dried out a lot over the last couple of days but I'm 30 odd miles north of London. I'll take your advice though cyclingsheep, just need to find some pit crew now!
    There's a lot of grass but some boggy sections and that stuff was sticking to my boots.
  • devhads
    devhads Posts: 236
    There's a lot of grass but some boggy sections and that stuff was sticking to my boots.

    Sounds like a mech wrecker, sticky mud mixed with a lot of grass. Sometimes the mud that's drying out is worse than the really wet stuff.
  • bendertherobot
    bendertherobot Posts: 11,684
    Caerphilly. 50% running
    My blog: http://www.roubaixcycling.cc (kit reviews and other musings)
    https://twitter.com/roubaixcc
    Facebook? No. Just say no.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,325
    Couple of photos of my friend Steve and Cyclingsheep at "A sunday in Hellingdon"

    DSC_3554_zps10d358df.jpg
    DSC_3551_zps6cd915c6.jpg

    Cyclingsheep by then had so much grass under his fork that I am surprised the wheel was still going
    left the forum March 2023
  • bendertherobot
    bendertherobot Posts: 11,684
    Just had similar, but gloopier, at Caerphilly. Removed masses of mud at the bottom bracket. Clement PDX worked superbly, the engine driving them could have been better.
    My blog: http://www.roubaixcycling.cc (kit reviews and other musings)
    https://twitter.com/roubaixcc
    Facebook? No. Just say no.
  • devhads
    devhads Posts: 236
    Cyclingsheep by then had so much grass under his fork that I am surprised the wheel was still going

    Yep, it was one of those days. Glad I had the pit bike and a few kids to help clean it in the pits. Your legs certainly thanks you on days like that.

    What happened to you TGOTB on the first lap? I passed you when you were by the side of the course. Must have been the first time I've been ahead of you in a race, albeit for about a minute.
  • cyclingsheep
    cyclingsheep Posts: 640
    devhads wrote:
    Cyclingsheep by then had so much grass under his fork that I am surprised the wheel was still going

    Yep, it was one of those days. Glad I had the pit bike and a few kids to help clean it in the pits. Your legs certainly thanks you on days like that.

    What happened to you TGOTB on the first lap? I passed you when you were by the side of the course. Must have been the first time I've been ahead of you in a race, albeit for about a minute.
    Apparently he got a bit wide on one of the corners and a fence post sent him over the bars.
  • cyclingsheep
    cyclingsheep Posts: 640
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    Couple of photos of my friend Steve and Cyclingsheep at "A sunday in Hellingdon"

    DSC_3554_zps10d358df.jpg
    DSC_3551_zps6cd915c6.jpg

    Cyclingsheep by then had so much grass under his fork that I am surprised the wheel was still going
    They were only going round because of the massive power I was putting down :)
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,325
    cyclingsheep wrote:
    They were only going round because of the massive power I was putting down :)

    Still in two minds about the leg warmers... :roll: :roll:
    left the forum March 2023
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    cyclingsheep wrote:
    Still in two minds about the leg warmers... :roll: :roll:
    The other picture has one of my kids in the background, rocking the same look...

    Sheep's description is pretty accurate; I drifted wide on that corner, hit one of the course stakes head-on and did a perfect endo. Got up quickly enough, but wasted ages disentangling my bike from various bits of tape, stake etc.

    Was a good race to have two bikes and a pit crew (very unusually for a league race). I was planning to change once, mid-race, but after another coming together with the course markers, I threw the bike at my daughter in lap 1, telling her I wanted it back later. Many thanks to the kind people who helped her remove several metres of tape from the drivetrain; think I ended up changing pretty much every lap after that...
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • cyclingsheep
    cyclingsheep Posts: 640
    TGOTB wrote:
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    cyclingsheep wrote:
    Still in two minds about the leg warmers... :roll: :roll:
    The other picture has one of my kids in the background, rocking the same look...

    Sheep's description is pretty accurate; I drifted wide on that corner, hit one of the course stakes head-on and performed a perfect endo. Got up quickly enough, but wasted ages disentangling my bike from various bits of tape, stake etc.

    Was a good race to have two bikes and a pit crew (very unusually for a league race). I was planning to change once, mid-race, but after another coming together with the course markers, I threw the bike at my daughter in lap 1, telling her I wanted it back later. Many thanks to the kind people who helped her remove several metres of tape from the drivetrain; think I ended up changing pretty much every lap after that...
    Ftfy
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    :-)

    I gather the guys in the pits enjoyed it...
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • proto
    proto Posts: 1,483
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    Couple of photos of my friend Steve and Cyclingsheep at "A sunday in Hellingdon"

    Ha, didn't see you there! daughter was using her/your new wheels and declared them fine but we had the wrong tyres, Specialized Tracer. Clogged up horribly. Her second bike had Challenge Limus and they performed much better. Didn't have a particularly good race, on the last lap when she was in third place managed to pick up some tape in her gears and ended up carrying the bike a fair distance. Came in fifth I think, disappointed.
  • morph
    morph Posts: 63
    Rocked up at Hillingdon for my first proper go at cross on Sunday in the senior race.
    Bit of a disaster all round. Arrived too late to look at the course, figured I'd see how the first lap went and then hit it harder second lap onwards. But saddle on bike slipped on lap 1 and back went as a result of trying to stand the whole time during lap 2. Always figured on being towards the back, but not last by 3 minutes :oops:

    Will definitely do more, but I'm going to wait until I have my own bike. Which Canyon are doing their best not to deliver.
  • cyclingsheep
    cyclingsheep Posts: 640
    morph wrote:
    Rocked up at Hillingdon for my first proper go at cross on Sunday in the senior race.
    Bit of a disaster all round. Arrived too late to look at the course, figured I'd see how the first lap went and then hit it harder second lap onwards. But saddle on bike slipped on lap 1 and back went as a result of trying to stand the whole time during lap 2. Always figured on being towards the back, but not last by 3 minutes :oops:

    Will definitely do more, but I'm going to wait until I have my own bike. Which Canyon are doing their best not to deliver.
    That wasn't you on a borrowed Pina was it? That looked like hard work for sure, might've saved time by stopping at the club house and asking for an Allen key :)
  • Moonbiker
    Moonbiker Posts: 1,706
    Drone vid of race I did Sunday, was extremely muddy, had to stop several times to pull mud off as wheels were jammed up with grass mixed with leaves & mud. Only one bike allowed so everyone has same problem though apart from thoose with disc brakes which have more mud clearance than canti's

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6kkgohXEz8
  • morph
    morph Posts: 63
    cyclingsheep wrote:
    morph wrote:
    Rocked up at Hillingdon for my first proper go at cross on Sunday in the senior race.
    Bit of a disaster all round. Arrived too late to look at the course, figured I'd see how the first lap went and then hit it harder second lap onwards. But saddle on bike slipped on lap 1 and back went as a result of trying to stand the whole time during lap 2. Always figured on being towards the back, but not last by 3 minutes :oops:

    Will definitely do more, but I'm going to wait until I have my own bike. Which Canyon are doing their best not to deliver.
    That wasn't you on a borrowed Pina was it? That looked like hard work for sure, might've saved time by stopping at the club house and asking for an Allen key :)
    Yep, that was me. Unfortunately I'd done up the seat post as much as it could be done already - bolt was a bit rounded. Given that it didn't last a lap I decided stopping to do it 4 times wasn't going to be worth it. My back which is still killing me today disagrees though!
    Still, if I hadn't kindly been loaned a bike I wouldn't have raced at all.

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