NDCXL was at Shipley Park on Saturday, recent editions have been proper grass crits on a dry motorway of a course but this time, due to quite a bit of rain, we had a half-slog/half-fast course with a couple of very brutal hills.
Really odd race, no tyre was perfect so it was a case of using the best one for the majority of the course and managing the other sections.
Lots of very broken looking people by the end of the day!

Which is the best way to choose a tyre. I see too many people getting the muds out just because of a few slippery sections only to drag them round for the other 90% of the course.

Question to those on a 1x (as I’m not troubling the outer ring any) – what cranks did you use? Absolute Black oval 38 (or possibly 36 for me) seem derigeur but I’m debating stripping the 105s for the season, buying a spare ‘cross’ crankset as 1x or using the 105 and buying a posher road set.

1st round of the Scottish CX season at Callander Park today.

Lots of grim portents in the weather forecast, but I was secretly confident as despite never having raced CX before, I thought lots of mud would ve too my advantage.

Started poorly enough, joined the back of the grid and with 30 seconds till the off realised I still had my fleecy legwarmers on! The gun went while I was still hopping around with one leg warmer around my ankle 😳

Made up for it in first lap, passed a fair few folk without having to push too hard, but I think just the relentless mud meant I had to back off in the second lap to recover a bit. After that it felt like a bit of a TT really with occasional passing/being passed.

Got more confident on the wet grassy off camber corners on the descents, made a couple of high/inside line passes stick, but equally slid out a good few times. Gave the crowd something to enjoy at least!

Don’t think I’ll have placed very well at all, happy if I’m out of bottom third, but enjoyed and looking forward to more. Think I know what I need to do on my morning commutes to maybe improve fitness a bit more and have 3 weeks to work at it until round 3 (can’t make round 2).

Kudos to the organisers, excellent event.

Double header for Munqe Chick and I this weekend with Central CX at MK Bowl Saturday, then a ‘guest’ ride in newly formed Leicestershire CX League at Misterton Hall near Lutterworth because it’s an awesome course (Central raced there last year).

Our summer road riding in the Alps seems to have transferred into best-ever form for me, taking 4th in V40 in both races (equalling my best finish last year, funnily enough also at Misterton). MC was similarly consistent with 3rd senior woman at both rounds. I’m used to fighting for 10th so being in contention for a podium brought on some imposter syndrome and I kept assuming I’d get caught or blow up…

Misterton is a CX course for MTBers, with loads of tight twisty wooded singletrack and we’ll be joining LCXL there again (it’s hosting 3 of their 6 rounds) so if you’re in the Midlands I recommend it (it’s also about 90 seconds from M1 junction so easy to get to).

A double header for me, also starting with MK on Saturday. I got spanked; could barely hold the lead group for a lap and ended 9th.

I was hoping for better on Sunday at Happy Valley, normally a fast course where I was hoping to be able to sit in and follow for 59minutes… Needless to say the heavens opened just before the start of the seniors. So a similar race, holding the leaders for a lap then a lonely TT for 6th place.

Hopefully a double weekend was enough to waken my CX legs in time for Herne Hill next weekend.

So I decided to borrow a mates bike and head to Callendar too 🙂 2 short rides and 1 practice lap, so was always going to awesum (especially never having raced anything but DH or ENDURO). Was delighted to see the Women, V40s, V50s, etc ruin the track for us Seniors 🙂 Ended up owning the mid-field as per every other event I’ve ever tried Good fun day, proper hard work down the 2nd last straight!

The V40s park bench crash was brutal 😯

Not so in CX racing though, didn’t even manage my prediction of making it out of the bottom third

Yup, thats me too. To be fair, I think it’s fitness step up from all those events, even XC racing seems to be second to road or cross these days – if there’s a conflict I think the fastest are at the road events unless they love mtbs.

Still, starting at the back I’ve plenty to aim for 😀

We have the same Ferrals and LIVE TRACKING for all categories so if you can’t make it you can track your competition.

Leggy blonde you coming to Leighton this Sunday then or does it clash with Herne Hill! Good luck, come to say hi next time I’m racing at CCXL

Take it easy Ferrals. Nothing worse than losing months of riding due to sickness because you weren’t sensible enough to take a break. Kids + work + stress + trying to train could mean long term health problems if you push too hard. (My sinusitis issues seemed to start at around my eldest’ s first birthday and is continuing right now!)

legend, what were you riding/wearing, any chance I might have recognised you? Sounds like you were ahead of me from the start so we maybe didn’t cross paths…

I was in a red and black RCCK top (under the mud). Smashed into 40th place……. or 41st depending on which results you look at 🙂

You heading to Irvine?

I’ve got a wife and month old as travelling support by the look of it this weekend 🙂 I see at least one of them regretting the decision

Yes it’s nearly the weekend who is racing where? Central League Round 3 for us at Leighton which was a good course last year although loos like they’ve extended it around the playing fields.. so we shall see how it rides. Looking like another fast dry race though so one for the roadies 😉

Ferrals, you can lap me at Abergavenny if you want?

Wessex at Basingstoke for me on Sunday. Anyone here doing the night endurance CX at Abingdon in a couple of weeks?