So whos up to what then this weekend?

Central CX Round 5 at Milton Keynes (don't laugh) it's a tricky course.

Sram Notts/Derby Round 7 at Bingham.

Should be nice and muddy. Yeah!

I am popping my cross cherry on sunday. (on a mountain bike 😳 )

Ivybridge round of the south west cx series.

Nice one Julian. Good luck, hope you enjoy your first race.

Not going to MK, VC Deal on Sunday so 80 mile road ride on Saturday morning as it'll be a 7.30 start on Sunday to get the numbers there in time for the U12 races.

Nice one aP, we'll have to hook up after the cross has finished. I'm sort of from your way, my first road club was the Kenton RC and we generally rode out west so it would be nice to run over some old ground.
You might know, I have hazy memories of track racing in what I remember to be Paddington, back in the seventies was there a track there ever?

Coleman are you derby based by any chance? ive moved here recently and need cross and mtb routes

oldgit – would be good to meet up, we can do some road (be gentle please) or even some good offroad (non jumpy).
There was a Paddington track – demolished in the early 80s I believe, its where my club began – we probably actually know a fair few of the same people. My email's in the handbook if you want to mail.
Looks like its going to be wet weather gear tomorrow.

It's hooning down so definately a wet'un. It'll make a fresh change to the rock hard bumpfests that were rounds 1 2 3 and 4.

Otterspool park for the nw league…with 19 extra and probably superfluous gears.If I don't beat my current best of 15th its back to the single speed and "ultegra 6700-used once" on the classifieds.

Notts/Derby as well..
Should be lovely, specially looking forward to all the off camber bits, adds abit of fun to the race.

See you there coleman!!!
Hope you all have fun with whatever races you do.

Cheers…

Western League Round 7 for me @ Castle Coombe motor racing circuit. Course uses the periphery of the NE corner of the circuit: Pan flat, bit of tarmac, mostly grass, some steps, bit of woodland and 3 illegal hurdles…

looking forward to all the off camber bits, adds abit of fun to the race

I was lucky (?) enough to be in the Seniors' race at the Inter Area Team Championships last weekend at Leicester. I reckon a good 80% of the course there was off-camber muddy grass.

One of the best courses I've ever raced on 🙂

MK what a peach of a course, all the off cambers that make up the Bowls apmitheatre? were just dry enough to hold, though the soft turf was punishing.
That's my season almost done and I have to wait a month before the next round.
Might hop into some Wessex races.
Thanks Team MK.

Well i did one. Rolled across the line dead last!! (though I think I might have clocked up one more lap than another fella on an fs with biiig tyres)
Lord, it was muddy! I wasn't really expecting it to be largely on wet playing fields, with 4 granny-ring banks to get up (1 unrideable for me by the end) and 200m of hugely entertaining off camber grass and mud. Oh and those funny hurdle things were a bit random. It was fun in a way, but requiring some rather 'different' skills to xc racing, (i touched my brakes about ten times a lap if that, and steered with the back wheel much to my delight) and shocking how much the course deteriorated in an hour.

Of course I will do it again though.

Next question: will I be able to fit 700c rim plus cx tyre plus mud through a reba and the back end of an NRS?

Well i did one. Rolled across the line dead last!!

You mean I beat someone? That course was living hell! Glad I stuck in there and finished though, it'll toughen me up 🙂

Simon, you beat two finishers (including me) and 3 dnf's.
See race report here.

will there be more hills next time? 🙂

Oh, the other great memory for my first cross race was a dog walking past a couple of cross bikes lying about in the grass/swamp to have a pee on my NRS. Very well trained, I thought!

Woohoo, I wasn't last!

Looking forward to getting back onto proper Northern cross courses with climbs, singletrack, descents and proper carries 🙂

My second cross race (SW series) and I didn't come last again. Managed to beat both Simon and Julian(just), although I'll admit to just cruising on the last couple of laps. That mud was like an energy magnet!

Definitely aiming to get a proper cross bike for next season, or at least something more suitable than my full-suss. I was thinking about a 29er with skinny tyres. I could use it for xc too.

Julian, have a look at Nick's bike at the next round. He's managed to fit cross wheels/tyres into an old Orange mtb (and beat us both quite convincingly on it too). Alternatively, I saw THIS and instantly thought of you.

A little way off yet but the Notts & Derby round on the 19th of December at Derby is giving a free Christmas pudding to all finishers. 🙂
I'm mentioning this in the hope that more people will go – it means I'm less likely to come last! Or at least if I do come last there'll be a decent crowd to hide in afterwards.

Notts & Derby is a bit far from Devon I'm afraid. I my try and venture afar for a race next season though. I've got a couple of mates in Bedfordshire, so I might see you up there, Oldgit.

Notts & Derby is a bit far from Devon I'm afraid.

Nonsense! It was a 900 mile round trip via Penzance for me to get to the Ivybridge race. I don't think the driving did my back much good though – it had pretty much given up after a couple of laps slogging through the mud 🙁

hey, wonder what 'team mcroy' will be winning racing this weekend??

Having just one race left this season is a bit of a downer, though perhaps the short cross season is what makes it so special?
So come March are we all going to be racing on tarmac. I know I will be.

Not going to Basingstoke on Sunday then?

No for some reason I decided against going there when the season started, wish I was now. I'll probably race in Oxford in a fortnight.
I might enter some of the Winter road races at Hillingdon though, it's closed circuit isn't it? I only ask because I only race LVRC and haven't bothered with a full licence in years.

Still a few races left in Yorkshire… did my first winter race and didn't quite come dead last, but there was a looooong gap between me and the guy in front!

but there was a looooong gap between me and the guy in front!

The winner of our race was cheering me on from the trackside while I was still on my penultimate lap! Made me feel very slow, particularly as he's about 15 years older than me.

Soggy Bottom SW XC Winter series starts this Sunday. Anyone coming?