the Cyclo cross racing post
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A week on Sunday till first race of the season. Although I'll be focusing on the central league which doesn't start till the end of the month.
Tubs are glued and ready. Just need to fit some new discs to them. Also just ordered the shimano rs685 hydro brakes so will have to get them fitted at some point.***** Pro Tour Pundit Champion 2020, 2018, 2017 & 2011 *****0 -
I'm also now the proud owner of a proper petrol-powered pressure washer (though I'm not expecting to need it on Sunday...)
Ooooh! 8)
Did you remember to order a pit b**ch to go with the washer?0 -
He got that order in years ago......he has kids for thatI'm also now the proud owner of a proper petrol-powered pressure washer (though I'm not expecting to need it on Sunday...)
Ooooh! 8)
Did you remember to order a pit b**ch to go with the washer?
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Yep, various candidates lined up for some of the major races.Did you remember to order a pit b**ch to go with the washer?
The trigger on my Mobi washer broke after the first bike change of the Nationals last season, and my poor Dad had to do the whole thing with a bucket of water and a dishwashing brush; part of the deal of getting him to do it in Shrewsbury is providing the proper equipment...Pannier, 120rpm.0 -
Basildon on Saturday for the first league race, although Mildenhall last Sunday was the first race of the year.
Sunday is the finest CX sportive around, The Tour of the Cornfields, although we're told it is not a race, we'll still be going as fast as we can and try to be faster than others!0 -
I'll be at Basildon too, those hills are going to be interesting when wet!
We had a great time at Mildenhall, my dad had his first go at cyclocross, he blames his poor shoe choice for our 19th place finish but that sloppy potato field was hard going, especially for a first timer!
My little lad had his first go at a cyclocross race as well (aged 2 on balance bike), came 12th in the under 9's and loved every minute of it
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Yep, various candidates lined up for some of the major races.Did you remember to order a pit b**ch to go with the washer?
The trigger on my Mobi washer broke after the first bike change of the Nationals last season, and my poor Dad had to do the whole thing with a bucket of water and a dishwashing brush; part of the deal of getting him to do it in Shrewsbury is providing the proper equipment...
Of course, it will be you firing up the engines and doing all the schlepping with watercans while your kids do the serious racing
Maybe your dad too 0 -
One week to go!!!!!! My blog: http://www.roubaixcycling.cc (kit reviews and other musings)
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Facebook? No. Just say no.0 -
First one down was great fun, quite a strong field but I'm more interested in racing myself and the people around me. On that note it looks like I've improved a bit on this course since last year:
2014: 6:09 8:04 8:28 8:44 9:15 9:40 9:55
2015: 6:43 6:48 7:12 7:19 7:30 7:21 7:20 7:18
I'm at a stag do next weekend in Yorkshire so miss the next round in Chelmsford. Having checked British Cycling it looks like I will be passing the race in the Yorkshire points league on the way home, would it be worth taking the bike and having a go after a bit of a heavy couple of nights?0 -
Definitely have a bash at the Yorkshire one - best league around obviously! The course at northallerton is flat and fast, more like a grassy crit than a cross race.
Turned up tired to the first race of the season and was punished for it with a hard course, lots of hills and even more off camber sections. My two least favourite course features! Good training and even better fun though, in a particularly sadistic way.0 -
I watched a video of the 2011 race on youtube and it looks kind of flat and very similar to the one I will be missing.
I've spoken to the guy I'm driving up with and he is happy to stop off and watch me hurt myself for a bit. I'm thinking if I'm feeling a little tender I will just give the Go Race a go, I'm not particularly quick at the best of times so a full senior race with a hangover might be a bad idea. At least it will be a decent competitive ride to keep the fitness up, the thing is, do I wear my Ipswich kit and confuse people or go for something a bit more fun because I won't be restricted by club rules 0 -
First race entered on BC. Central League round 1 at RAF Halton. “Training is like fighting with a gorilla. You don’t stop when you’re tired. You stop when the gorilla is tired.”0
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See you thereFirst race entered on BC. Central League round 1 at RAF Halton.0 -
Checked forecast for Sunday. Clement XPlor off. Clement PDX on.My blog: http://www.roubaixcycling.cc (kit reviews and other musings)
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Facebook? No. Just say no.0 -
Checked forecast for Sunday. Clement XPlor off. Clement PDX on.
Should have left them off. Was pretty dry.
One puncture on warm up lap. Back to car. Changed it. Back to start line with 2 minutes to spare. Hissssssssssssssssssssssss
(different tyre) My blog: http://www.roubaixcycling.cc (kit reviews and other musings)
https://twitter.com/roubaixcc
Facebook? No. Just say no.0 -
See you thereFirst race entered on BC. Central League round 1 at RAF Halton.
See you there0 -
I hope your tag suits you Vslowpace, I've got enough people finishing in front of me as it is
See you thereFirst race entered on BC. Central League round 1 at RAF Halton.
See you there 0 -
See you thereFirst race entered on BC. Central League round 1 at RAF Halton.
And me0 -
I dipped my toe in the 'cross waters yesterday, in the over 45s at Thornes Park, Wakefield, in round 3 of the Yorkshire Winter series.
I tried a novice race at York last year, but since then, my bike has been hung up in the garage, an in this impasses, I've "blasphemed" in a few triathlons.
The course was dry and not that technical, notwithstanding a few adverse cambers. The repeated sprints were a bit of a shock to the system having been in "steady state" mode all summer, but I soon got into the swing of things and maintained a broadly even pace throughout. I've rarely been so pleased to see a finish line, with our 40 minute race lasting 49 minutes!
Overall, 66 out of 99 finishers in a section combining the over 45s, over 50s and some scarily fast ladies. Very pleased with that. Will be more pleased when I can walk again! Might do Temple Newsam in two weeks time, though I have a Beer Festival the day before, which might be sub-optimal!0 -
Interesting to hear that Yorkshire split the 40-49 category. How do they deal with points allocation, or do they just give points to the under 45s, and allow over 45s to race up? Eastern League used to do that a while back, but now the V40s get their very own race.0
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Interesting to hear that Yorkshire split the 40-49 category. How do they deal with points allocation, or do they just give points to the under 45s, and allow over 45s to race up? Eastern League used to do that a while back, but now the V40s get their very own race.
I think that the over 45s race was just for honour / survival / local series points. To score proper BC points, all vets would have had to race in the earlier over 40s race. Obviously, the 40-44s had no choice but to race in this. I didn't research things properly as there was no way that I was going into battle against young whippersnappers in their early 40s!0 -
Interesting to hear that Yorkshire split the 40-49 category. How do they deal with points allocation, or do they just give points to the under 45s, and allow over 45s to race up? Eastern League used to do that a while back, but now the V40s get their very own race.
If you are a vet 45 and want national points then you need to race with the seniors and vet40s. The season long Yorkshire Points competition gives the vet45s points in the older classification though.
I guess it depends on what your goals are. On Sunday 13 vet 45 riders rode with the seniors and 2 vet 50s.0 -
Interesting to hear that Yorkshire split the 40-49 category. How do they deal with points allocation, or do they just give points to the under 45s, and allow over 45s to race up? Eastern League used to do that a while back, but now the V40s get their very own race.
If you are a vet 45 and want national points then you need to race with the seniors and vet40s. The season long Yorkshire Points competition gives the vet45s points in the older classification though.
I guess it depends on what your goals are. On Sunday 13 vet 45 riders rode with the seniors and 2 vet 50s.
OK that's how Eastern used to do it. It's more fun for the V40s to have their own race though.0 -
The problem is that there are millions of vet 40s. In last years Wakefield round the under 23, senior and vet 40 race had 144 riders (of which 88 were vet 40s!) and the vet 50 +/ women's race had 57.
In yesterday's Wakefield round the senior race inc. vet 40-45 had 121 riders and the women / vet 45+ had 103 riders.
Putting on another race isn't really possible as we already have under 8s, under 10s, under 12s (typically 50 riders in each of those races so have to be run separately) and junior/ novice (70 odd riders) races before hand.0 -
Maybe the answer to all this growth is to subdivide the leagues. That would also mean less time spent driving to races (some of my "local" league races are more than 2 hours drive away), but of course it would require more venues, league coordinators, event organisers etc...The problem is that there are millions of vet 40s. In last years Wakefield round the under 23, senior and vet 40 race had 144 riders (of which 88 were vet 40s!) and the vet 50 +/ women's race had 57.
In yesterday's Wakefield round the senior race inc. vet 40-45 had 121 riders and the women / vet 45+ had 103 riders.
Putting on another race isn't really possible as we already have under 8s, under 10s, under 12s (typically 50 riders in each of those races so have to be run separately) and junior/ novice (70 odd riders) races before hand.
50 riders in a U8 race is pretty awesome Pannier, 120rpm.0 -
Maybe the answer to all this growth is to subdivide the leagues. That would also mean less time spent driving to races (some of my "local" league races are more than 2 hours drive away), but of course it would require more venues, league coordinators, event organisers etc...The problem is that there are millions of vet 40s. In last years Wakefield round the under 23, senior and vet 40 race had 144 riders (of which 88 were vet 40s!) and the vet 50 +/ women's race had 57.
In yesterday's Wakefield round the senior race inc. vet 40-45 had 121 riders and the women / vet 45+ had 103 riders.
Putting on another race isn't really possible as we already have under 8s, under 10s, under 12s (typically 50 riders in each of those races so have to be run separately) and junior/ novice (70 odd riders) races before hand.
50 riders in a U8 race is pretty awesome
My 7 year old beat 51 riders to win round 1
Cyclocross is pretty big in Yorkshire and already most venues are quite close as my most people live in and around the Leeds / Bradford area. I live between Huddersfield and Wakefield and the only race in the 17 race Yorkshire programme (Yorkshire Points plus other non series races) that is much more than one hour's drive from me is the 3 Peaks, and that is only 50 odd miles away but the roads are bad.
I don't suppose race organisers can win really. No arrangement will work for everyone. I did wonder about how mothers of young kids would get on, as the first under 8 race is at 10.30 and the last race off doesn't finish until approx. 2.45 so it is quite a long day already. I'm trying to get my wife to race in the novices so she isn't bored hanging around watching the three of us.0 -
We had the same discussion at the Central league AGM. Running the kids' races later in the schedule doesn't work (when it's wet) because they'll struggle to ride a course that's been churned up by the adults; the best we could come up with was to run the V40s as the first of the "adult" races, on the basis that there seem to be more parents in the V40 category than any other.I don't suppose race organisers can win really. No arrangement will work for everyone. I did wonder about how mothers of young kids would get on, as the first under 8 race is at 10.30 and the last race off doesn't finish until approx. 2.45 so it is quite a long day already. I'm trying to get my wife to race in the novices so she isn't bored hanging around watching the three of us.
Sometime seems like getting up early and getting kids, bikes etc to the venue in time for a 10.30 start takes more out of me than 40 minutes of actual racing!Pannier, 120rpm.0 -
The numbers racing in the kids races are awesome! 51 in U8 is brilliant, though not as brilliant as your lad (lass) winning it Wessex had 77 in U12 last weekend which is also huge compared to even just a few years ago.
In a way, the explosion in numbers is a good problem for CX to have. I think leagues are responding quite well to the growth with a corresponding growth in numbers of races, Eastern for example has gone from 12 a few years ago to 18 this year. Lots of double header weekends which again gives people more options.0 -
Lots of double header weekends which again gives people more options.
Or makes you very tired on Monday when you've been stupid enough to do both 0 -
Brilliant first round of the Central league today at RAF Halton. Great course with a few challenges, can't imagine how hard it would've been if it had been wet. Shame my fitness and horror first section of single track couldn't do the course justice but fun all the same.0
