Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 203 total)
  • The Cyclocross season is upon us. Yay!
  • MulletusMaximus
    Free Member

    Yesterday saw the first round of the new season for most of us. So how did we all do?

    For me it was odd. I had no motivation for the season but went anyway. Even waiting at the start line I couldn’t really be arsed, but as soon as my name was called up to the grid that all changed.

    We had a strong field of 90+ in the Wessex League Vets and I started around 20th. A strong first coulple of laps saw me into the top 10 were I eventually finished 7th so really happy with that.

    The venue and course was really good fun with a mix of tough draggy climbs and good technical sections where time could be gained or lost depending how brave you were.

    Can’t wait until the next round. Motivation is back. 😀

    scratch
    Free Member

    I race road and TT’s but CX is definitely the best part of the season. Welsh league starts down here in a couple of weeks, todays starts the first day of ‘no cakes till xmas’ as I try to lose a bit of weight for the season.

    We had 80+ at most events last year, top 10 gets more competitive every year, its usually my aim for the season to squeeze a top 10 at one event, I’m forever just outside 12,13,14 etc, some good riders mind with one local repping for GB.

    Just stretching the tubs before gluing later this week.

    bikebouy
    Free Member

    My first foray into CX this year as it happens. I don’t expect to do anything special but as long as I ride hard where I’m happy with it I’ll be fine. My bikes not finished building yet so I’ll be racing in a couple of weeks.. Hoping to do some of the Wessex series as it happens.

    The-Swedish-Chef
    Free Member

    Club training has started, regional series in a few weeks, national series from October.

    One MTB race left then its full on CX. Not yet 100% motivated but no doubt it’ll come after the media rush of CrossVegas.

    scratch
    Free Member

    Anyone watch Behind the barriers? Powers is a bit of a goof, but I kind of like to keep up with the scene in the US, plus you can see him get schooled at the UCI events.

    The-Swedish-Chef
    Free Member

    I like the BtB films, to be fair to Powers top 20 in UCI events is hardly getting “schooled”

    scratch
    Free Member

    Yeah bit harsh, haha, I like the guy, I just remember I think it was the Chek round last year, he seemed to really struggle in the conditions, when a lot of the euro guys were just getting on with things. Looking forward to the Powers / Trebon battle again this year.

    That young lad on Rapha will be one to keep an eye on, did well in the worlds.

    The-Swedish-Chef
    Free Member

    Powers finsihed 7th in Tabor WC round 1, then crashed on the first corner in round 2 and never got back on and got pulled.

    CrossVegas in 9 days!

    See getting motivated just talking about it, good thread!

    MulletusMaximus
    Free Member

    Motivation for me is well and truly back. For the next 5 weeks I’m racing twice a week including a night race on Thursdays. Great for early season race fitness. 😀

    scratch
    Free Member

    Just looking at the calender now, don’t usually race outside of Wales but might pop down to Gloucester on Sunday, I need the early season prep!

    Just looking at the calender now, from here till xmas I have two weekends when I’m not racing. I’ll be looking to go race on the road next season but the cross means I’ll not be able to get those long weekend rides in the bank that most others will be doing, how do you work this? Leave the long rides and catch up in Jan-March, or squeeze a long steady 4hr ride into a week night?

    warton
    Free Member

    first season for me, first race yesterday. was tough! I’ve raced a few warm up summer cross events, over the last month, so I had an idea of what to expect, but I gave it a bit extra yesterday, a little too much actually! lost it on a sharp right hander onto tarmac with two laps to go, bit bloodied and bruised, but nothing too bad!

    going to race this season on my boardman CX, which doubles up as my commuter, then look to build up a lighter bike, with tubs, and hydro discs over the summer for next year.

    By far the best type of racing IMO, fast, close, and a little bit mental. Love it!!!

    also great to see the U8s, U10s and U12s getting a race, this is how the future of our sport gets involved, and get hooked on racing!

    MulletusMaximus
    Free Member

    I’ll be looking to go race on the road next season but the cross means I’ll not be able to get those long weekend rides in the bank that most others will be doing, how do you work this? Leave the long rides and catch up in Jan-March, or squeeze a long steady 4hr ride into a week night?

    Will your road racing be crits of longer races?
    For me, last season’s cx finished 26th December. I had two weeks off the bike completely then started pre season.

    I didn’t do much base as most of my races throughout the season were less than an hour. I have a good base anyway so long steady rides were a waste of my time IMO. Longest base ride was once a week of about 70 miles.

    I used pre season to concentrate on areas I needed to improve on but also maintain my strengths. Mainly strength, and speed later on in pre season. A lot of my sessions were high resistance on my rollers.

    Result of this is my best season ever. Double figures in Club TT wins (I think?), Two crit wins and high placings in open TT’s and top 5 in summer cyclocross. So I guess I did ok with my plan.

    All this was done after reading Joe Friels Training Bible.

    scratch
    Free Member

    My base is steady, I wanted to use the longer rides to get my cadence up a little, its a terrible mid-80’s at the mo’ I wanted to bring in some adaptation time with the longer stuff and make mid-90’s a lot more natural feeling going into next season.

    I’ll be racing crits towards the start RR’s then moving onto 50, 100 TT’s and hopefully another shot at the 12hr late next summer so I could do with a bit of time on the bike over the winter before next season kicks off, once it started in Feb this year I didn’t have a weekend not racing till May, and you need some steady hours to be racing a 12. I should focus on the 12 really but CX and crits are fun! ;o)

    MulletusMaximus
    Free Member

    Your next season sounds like the season I’ve just had with the exception of the 12hr.

    I have done loads of TT’s and have found my cadence has dropped from high 90’s to mid to low 80’s. Maybe because of the resistance training?

    Good luck with the 100TT! I did a 50m a few weeks back and it was horrible, especially at the 35 mile mark.

    scratch
    Free Member

    …….I did a 100TT this year, well almost, my head started to go after 75m and I took a wrong turn at 90, had to DNF gutted!

    The-Swedish-Chef
    Free Member

    100M TT, ooh respect!

    notmyrealname
    Free Member

    Looking forward to trying a couple of CX races this winter.
    I’m not going to bother with buying a new bike so it’s going to be a rigid SS 29er with a set of drop bars on it for CX duties.
    What could possibly go wrong…..

    rp16v
    Free Member

    looking forward to dippng my toe at the bristol races now i have transport

    benji
    Free Member

    It’s the most wonderful time of the year, been travelling around to get my racing fixes as my local (lincolnshire) league has cancelled it’s first two races. Spent the summer riding the yorkshire summer series which was superb fun. Tried a bit of road racing it’s just not the same, there is more banter at a cross race which kind of makes it like a little travelling mud flinging family. Got racing planned for every weekend well into next year, including boxing day and news year day, not to mention the excellent cobbles of todmorden.

    Just in case you haven’t seen there are cowbells in the STW shop, ideal for supporters to give you a ring and a heckle.

    LS
    Free Member

    I’ll be racing crits towards the start RR’s then moving onto 50, 100 TT’s and hopefully another shot at the 12hr late next summer

    It’s pretty straightforward to mix your CX and TTs, I’ve done it successfully in the past up to 100m. The trick I’ve found is not to TT every week but really target specific events and train (hard!) between. I think in my last ‘big’ TT season I only rode 5 or 6.
    Quite how you fit RRs in as well, I don’t know 🙂

    rusty-trowel
    Free Member

    A few pics from Newbury Wessex Round 1 yesterday

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    2 by bmclynskey1, on Flickr[/img]
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    MulletusMaximus
    Free Member

    Rusty, enjoyed your sequenced photos of the Cotswold Veldrijden rider stacking it on that wet corner. 🙂

    phil40
    Free Member

    I did the wessex league yesterday, first cross race in years and it was great fun. I think I was last male vet 🙂 but the way I look at it, I am the person with the most potential to improve!

    Can’t wait for Oxford next week, we were too late for the u12’s race, but the commissar said that there is no lower age limit, and my lad on a balance bike would be welcome to have a go! Yay my first dad and son race day, he loves bike racing so he will be over the moon to actually do a race like daddy, although he will probably be faster than me already 🙂

    Might have to look at buying some cow bells!

    MulletusMaximus
    Free Member

    phil40, the Oxford course is another good course. Last year they had a series of 45°ish slopes that you had to go both up and down. Better going down mind.
    Me descending one last year.

    And someone getting it wrong!

    lemonysam
    Free Member

    If I rocked up to the CXNE race next weekend in Ponteland for my first race ever, will I be the only reasonably fit punter in a field of ubermensch and thereby be reduced to a mewling child crawling in hours after the organisers have packed up and gone home or am I likely to at least compete with some other chubsters for last place?

    vdubber67
    Free Member

    I raced for 30 seconds in Notts/Derby yesterday. Then something slashed my front tub open and game over. I spent longer warming up on the turbo than I did racing! 🙂

    rusty-trowel
    Free Member

    Off camber tarmac corner + Cloud burst + Cross tyres + over eager young ride = Chewing pavement and broken teeth

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    rusty-trowel
    Free Member

    Downhill tarmac path with manhole at braking point to 90 degree right turn up two steps onto gravel path.
    Option 1 Jump off and run
    Option 2 Bunny hop or skip bike up steps
    Option 3 What steps? 🙂
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    3 by bmclynskey1, on Flickr[/img][/url]
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    takisawa2
    Full Member

    Respect to the chap bunnyhopping the wall!!! 🙂

    oldgit
    Free Member

    First cross race of the season in a few weeks time. Had a good long season of crits and road including a win. And a weeks training in the Pyrenees so I’d like to feel a bit better than last year.
    Dropping road races for 2014, just crits and circuits.
    And my (over 50’s) CX races will be only 40 minutes long, so that’s new.

    Note; must rebuild the Eggbeaters and get a new semi slick.

    lemonysam
    Free Member

    First ever CX race at Ponteland (CXNE rd. 2) today. I started with the goals of not dying, not vomiting, not crying and not coming last. I achieved all of the above. The ride home into a 40 mph head wind was perhaps the hardest part of the day.

    Enormous respect to the bloke who rode the race on his Dahon folder.

    taxi25
    Free Member

    Western league at Gloucester for me. Just a warm up for the Welsh league wich starts next week. Good course realy enjoyed it ! Just a question though, where were are all the slightly portly older blokes ? Killed me keeping up ( and failing ) with all those skinny young guys. 😀

    eddie11
    Free Member

    lemonysam – genesis vapour? 🙂

    good lad, ponteland first one of the year for me, nearly brought up my lunch by lap two but got up to pace by the end. well impressed with my clement pdx’s though.

    Ponteland was surprisingly fast and grippy, its been a real swamp in previous years. Other ne rounds are more mountainbikey, some even have singletrack. Certainly ponteland has the highest quotient of stupid off camber grass.

    mooman
    Free Member

    Yes – good course at Gloucester today.
    Was a definite lack of slightly portly older blokes there today .. just the two I counted eh Col?

    The-Swedish-Chef
    Free Member

    First round of the Göteborg series, “introcross” today, strong line up of current, past, and most certainly future national champions.

    Group warm up and drills for 45 minutes followed by one 20 minute race then a 15 minute race.

    10th then 8th place and pair of lovely orange Pedro’s tyre levers for my efforts.

    Didn’t roll my newly glued tub either, which is a bonus.

    The season has started!

    lemonysam
    Free Member

    lemonysam – genesis vapour?

    That’s me! Not last but not far off… I’m guessing you were one of those blurs that came past periodically. The worst bit for me was the straight at the top into the wind. I just couldn’t get any momentum up.

    Oh well, plenty left in the tank at the end so I’ll have to go a bit harder next time.

    eddie11
    Free Member

    I was safely mid pack so don’t know whether i did go past. i overtook you driving home in my nice warm car and wondered who’s that fool 😉

    lemonysam
    Free Member

    Haha, And I got a puncture too. It nearly broke me… I was only riding back to Wylam but it took over an hour.

    warton
    Free Member

    I didn’t race today. cold is in the post,and an hour in the wet, slogging myself to death would have been the end of me.

    taxi25
    Free Member

    First round of the Welsh league today. A record 140 field !!! It was as you say “interesting”, good fun after the initial carnage . 😀

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 203 total)

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