Please, Please, Please.
If youre not planning on finishing in under three and a half hours dont go fast on the road, you just become a bollard for the faster riders to get round.
It's a long race and it's not won or lost on the neutralized road section.
although if you are planning on a top fifteen placing, where you are when you come off the road is important.
sefton - Member
What does everyone's training look like at the moment?
Bit of running, a few fell races, 2-4 60-90min road rides per week, bloody hilly 65 at the Bronte sportive last week, a few hill reps with a road bike on my shoulder...
...and a mostly-built cx bike in the garage.
Really really need to finish building and ride it.
Top tip for you
set your bars up for a better position for the descents.
i.e. roll them forward a bit and drop the levers further forward.
that way when you are descending in the drops the brake levers will be easier to reach and you wont have to bend your elbows as much.
any compromise you may get for climbing or on the road is negligible.
Thanks for that. I've been trying to ride in the drops as much as possible to get used to the position so this makes sense. I've also bought some compact bars from the classifieds with the same aim.
The other thing I need to practice is dismounts and jumping back on. I'm left-handed and automatically get off on the wrong side. If I try to get off on the left I get my foot stuck in the pedal every time. Grr.
I'm not specifically training for it. I've bought a 11-32 casette for the back and found some pipe lagginf and got no further. Might go an run up a few hill in August. At present I'm concerned about having to get off the bike and push, anything on the bike will be fine with no further training but I'm not much of a runner.
Summer cross series starts in August too but it is fairly flat.
A bit of practice getting on and off helps, the main thing to remounting is to get some momentum going before you jump on, and when dismounting, step through with your right leg between the frame and your left leg.
for a long carry, its not a bad option to use both hands and have the bike across your shoulders. And by the time you cant pedal a 32t on the back, youll be walking not running.
I'm not worrying about proper dismounts. once knackered a correct dismount wouldn't end good. just got some mini v brakes they are very good, since having them and the chicken levers I haven't been in the drops once (which my back and neck thank me for)
still undecided if I should change my 11-28 to some mountain bike gears???
a 32t with a 34 front is a good combo.
main thing is dont crash or puncture.
Get some tough tyres and pump them up hard(60psi)
You will lose more time through a pinch puncture than the extra traction a lower pressure will give.
11-28 and a compact 50-34 here.
main thing is dont crash or puncture
🙄 thanks 😀
Plenty of road riding for me, the cross bikes built up but with slick tyres and a small cassette at the moment, Ultra run next weekend which I hope to get through with no niggling injuries then some trips over to the Dales with the bike now the weathers brilliant.
Question for experienced PPPcx riders, footwear? are mtb spds which is my usual choice for CX suitable I'm particularly concerned about the rocky terrain on Ingleborough.
My other thought is fell shoes with old fashioned strapped pedals.
Any tips for a 1st timer regarding footwear.
Rich
@Sancho regards starting line up and positioning, I did the fell race in 4hr 12min this year and was hoping to do a sub 4hr for the CX so where do you reckon I should be in the pack at the beginning? 1st 25% of the field?
Question for experienced PPPcx riders, footwear? are mtb spds which is my usual choice for CX suitable I'm particularly concerned about the rocky terrain on Ingleborough.
My other thought is fell shoes with old fashioned strapped pedals.
MTB shoes, studs and SPD's. It's not that long over Ingleborough. Straps will just slow you getting in and out, falling, dying etc etc.
Im using an 11/32 cassette and a 22/32 /44 chainset so I can drag myself up Peny ghent lane
It's up to you Rich, its just annoying to see a load of people flying down the road and then pull the rip chord on the first climb, its best to be realistic and not hold up the top thirty or so riders.
I've done heehaw training so far, just really got back on the bike after a particularly fattening family holiday. I have bought the Land Cruisers though. Next week should see most if not all biking done on the CX'r from now on.
Planning on hitting the hills big time, with one or two weekly runs taking in some stair/hill repeats.
Well I've just made it a whole lot harder for myself by going over the bars and breaking my collar bone last night, at least it's my left shoulder and I carry the bike on the right!
Anyone got any advice on reducing healing time for a bust clavicle?
Rich
Don't try to do too much and re break it.. it's not nice!
anyone fancy some training on saturday afternoon? probably around winterhill?
Well did a cross race on Sunday and my last hill running session was last night, so rest up now till Sunday!
The weathers looking like it's going to be wet,windy and not very warm is anyone else as worried/nervous/excited as me?
The weathers looking like it's going to be wet,windy and not very warm
To be fair, we're due a wet one. Last year was wet on the ground but it wasn't actually raining - I think this year is going to be rain all day...
I've done very little since finishing LEJOG a couple of weeks ago. Been out on the CX twice last weekend, both rides of about 90 minutes. Will do a short spin around the area on Saturday, maybe head up the PyG track and back again.
Bike all sorted, just need to tape the orange survival bag to the underside of the top tube now.
I'm in. Eventually bought a Boardman CX Team and very happy with it. It's got a 34 front, 32 back gearing, so hopefully that's low enough for me.
I've done a bit of training, but not a lot. Up to 8 mile runs. I did the Walney to Wear coast to coast bike ride last week, 160 miles or so, so hopefully that will be some help on Sunday.
I think it'll be a tough enough day anyway, but the weather is looking ropey!
Like a kid at Christmas! I will be on a borrowed bike which is currently still in bits but otherwise kind of prepared.
Ish.
😀
Start list is up
Thomas Frischknecht is racing, same cat as Nick Craig, it be like the 90s all over again.... 😆
Oh, and after asking on here I have my Schwalbe Land Cruisers fitted. Feel bombproof and roll well on the roads, and a 14st fat knack like me shouldn't notice the weight to much.
Frischnecht racing is pretty cool. Now if only Tim Gould was racing, that really would be awesome!
My house is smack between Penyghent and Ingleborough. Looking out of the window, I would leave your bike at home and bring your flippers.
C
I'm considering ditching the SPD's and going for fell shoes with toe clips? But not really sure so it's more indecision and doubt.
Sunny day in East Yorks today!
[img] 
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I saw a set of these on a bike last week.
Made me smile.
Hmmmm. /goes off to pack SPD wellies...
[img] 
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good luck guys and girls 😉
heavy rain and 20mph winds - see you all Sunday
I just hope nobody pulls the plug going through Horton Scar Lane, there'll be a hell of a whirlpool. Pack your overcoats folks!
I think I'll bring my waterproof shorts as well...bloody eck.
My top tip is buy yourself a cheap waterproof top and cut the sleeves off at the elbow, then bin it at the end.
My top tip is buy yourself a cheap waterproof top and cut the sleeves off at the elbow, then bin it at the end.
I'll just wear a gillet, same as last few wet ones. It's only 4 and a bit hours 🙂
More worried about my nether bits and the grinding paste that will build up :/ Had issues with it in the past...
My top tip is buy yourself a cheap waterproof top and cut the sleeves off at the elbow, then bin it at the end
Why would you do that?
It acts as an essentially disposable protective layer, because gritty bike carrying tends to destroy your cycling top. Cut the sleeves down to make it far easier to get on while riding along, and to make it pack up smaller if you take it off. Plus cut down sleeves are less boil-in-the-bag.
New pads fitted, brakes adjusted (again), orange bag taped to toptube, all ready.
Last night I thought I'd have a final short shakedown ride. Felt great up the climb, took the descent easy, got on the road and completely wiped out in comedy fashion. Over the bars into a wall.
Bike's fine. I'm less so. Knackered elbow, ribs and knuckles. Chances of miraculous self-healing before Sunday? Slim. I'm gutted.
just can't decide now between landcruisers or mud wrestler raze combo, may go for the lightest as i'll be doing a lot of carrying 😀
I assume with 700 riders unless you are near the front it is going to be deep mud. I imagine carrying will be quicker than riding even with mud tyres for the longer muddy sections?
Also does anyone know if your number has to be visible at all times? Might limit the gillet jacket choice if it does unless I can manufacture an arm band before Sunday.
Edit: You do have to have your number visible, anyone got any top tips for making an armband- don't fancy pinning a number to a widproof or waterproof!
Fangos for me. Pretty much my 'go-to' tyre in these sorta mixed conditions. Spare wheels will have something burly on them, probably Landcruisers or such.
The weather forecast hasn't changed all week for Horton-in-R, heavy rain and 20mph winds!
It's my first time, so I was hoping for some gentle weather. However, it's probably apt for the 50th anniversary of the race!!
Is anyone camping on site, or that a bad idea with the rain that there has been?
Cheers
Fraser
Had a premonition about the weather so decided to book in the Schoolhouse rather than camping...
I'm camping on site but most likely the tent will stay in the car and I'll sleep in the car after a pint or two in the pub.
Well that was suitably epic. Or daft.
Wind up on the tops was mental, could barely stand sometimes. I got blown over once on the climb of Whernside when the wind caught the bike. Had to make a wild dive after the bike to stop it disappearing down the hill.
My slowest time ever, partly cos of the conditions, partly just didn't have anything in the legs.
Huge thanks to all the marshals, helpers & spectators for standing out in gale force winds and rain all day! There were still quite a lot of people coming up PyG as I was going down - I saw Chipps heading up - but by the time I'd got to the bottom I think they were stopping people from going up. The puddle half way along PyG lane went from being 18" deep to being well over 3ft in the time it took me to go from bottom to top and back down again!
So, flippers then?
Was driving back from Mrs ChrisE's mums (in Dent) and saw the misery....
C
Great stuff Mr. Crazy Legs.
Looking forward to hearing tales of epic daring do from the others. Esp. as I've been planning since Spring to enter as a first timer next year.
Nasty or Epic, depending on your point of view. I suffered like a dog today, did a poor time compared to last year and was right at the limit on Pen Y Gent.
That puddle went from knee deep to balls deep in the time it took me to climb and descend.
1st time for me. 4h40 so reasonable given the conditions. I lost my glasses n whernside, last seen disappearing upwards at an incredible speed. The wind and rain was horrendous. At times I was struggling to stay upright. Thoroughly enjoyed it and very different from any thing I've done before. I'll be going back.
I did stop at the top of Whernside to sort out a young lad who had a cracking A-over-T fall, then stoppped again at the bottom to make sure the Marshalls were looking out for him.
From the results he retired at Ribblehead, so hope he was ok.
4:40 is a very good time in those conditions; it's a lot easier in the dry or even the less wet.
Ahhh, so that's what it was. Was doing the tour of Ingleboro and kept crossing your paths. As conditions go it wasn't too bad as it was mild, when it's like that and cold it's truly grim....
My mate did his 3rd tour today.
He came 21st!!
My hands look like I've been in the bath for a day and a half! And I overheard a guy on the phone this morning saying to someone back home 'It's the kind of weather where you look out the window and say 'Well, I won't be doing any outdoor activities today!''
Suitably epic I think - and mostly on the side of comedically bad rather than bad bad. Did see a few people suffer though - a suspected collarbone on the way down PyG (London Dynamo rider perhaps?) and a friend who double flatted on Whernside descent and was politely steered into getting a van ride home as he couldn't string a sentence together in his cold state.
The pub last night seemed rather quieter than last year. Wonder if it was people either not wanting to camp, or just looking at the weather and bailing.
Great event as always and fun to ride around the Dales with some equally mental folk. And props to the Mountain Rescue guys who had to get to the top of each mountain, then stay there for several hours while us lot filed past, then get themselves back down before they could go to the pub.
I was bike and wheel dude for the lad that came in 25th today never seen him go so deep for a result as that.
crikey chipps jonba and anyone else that got round fair play to you all it was a fek of a nasty day.
I did stop at the top of Whernside to sort out a young lad who had a cracking A-over-T fall, then stoppped again at the bottom to make sure the Marshalls were looking out for him.
Think I was just in front of him. Was it you that said he had a 'skill failure" or something like that? Great comment but hope he was ok.
Struggled all day, bad pains in achillies / calves on Simon Fell, felt like jacking there.
Whernside was brutal and brought on knee pain trying to run instead of riding, crossing the 2nd stream at the bottom when the rear mech took a dive into the spokes, luckily going slowly enough not to break any pulled it free but that only left me 2 gears luckily easy ones.
P-Y-G was orrible saw a young lad coming down at breakneck speed when he lost it big style...looked like a Moto GP riding going high side I though he was going to clear the stone wall!
Top of P-Y-G was hideous weather stinging rain and very high winds, the puddle at the bottom covered my wheels completely then submerged the bottom bearing of the headset before washing my top tube, more a drowning hazard than a puddle.
5hr 11mins 310th
Should've done better 1st time though.
s'posed to be cross racing in S****horpe this Thursday...
Oh and people with 80mm deep section wheels what were you thinking, it must have been like carrying a kite up there?
I said he'd run out of talent, and he said he'd run out of brakes!
I was being a bit hard on him, trying to get him on his feet while he was still full of adrenaline because I thought the conditions were so bad that if he sat there for 5 minutes he'd be hypothermic.
Looking at his results he got pulled at Ribblehead.
well done all, wow how bad was the weather! can still feel the rain stinging my face! bloody glad to see the marshals on PYG! was hard, completely crazy winds on the peaks. 5h24 so happish with that. the Ingleborough decent was ace tho!
well done all - nad massive thanks to the marshals, MTR & organisers!
http://www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2012/09/30/ninth-three-peaks-cyclo-cross-race-win-for-rob-jebb
50 mph winds on P-y-G!
4:03 for me, the same time as last year in fact. 54th place, which I'm dead chuffed with.
I loved every second of it, but then I always do love this race.
Need to recover now as I'm solo-ing Relentless 24 next weekend....
Bloody hell Jase! 4.03 is the best time I've ever managed and that was in good conditions. I did a dreadful 4.45 today, not all of it can be blamed on the conditions. I should have been a good 20 mins quicker, even in that weather. Felt like I was just out for a Sunday social, just couldn't get the legs to turn.
it wasn't a day for a PB. the conditions on the tops must have added 10 or 15 mins to everyone's time.
My PB is 3:09, the same as the winning time from today. I had a few issues but could still only muster 3:40.
Was a hard day indeed, respect to anyone that finished and even more respect to all the marshals, helpers and timing guys. a truly memorable 50th Anniversary!
Slowest time so far for me 4:39. Absolutely loved it! What an epic day! ;0)
That was it crikey. I could see what you were doing, just thought it was a classic comment and I'll try and remember it! That was me on the black Vapour who was just below him when he fell. Would have stopped longer but you seemed to have it under control.
Oh and people with 80mm deep section wheels what were you thinking, it must have been like carrying a kite up there?Yup that was me ! No problems to report here, rode all the descents no dabs.
Fair play to you Wool but it just seemed so windy that it would only add to the problems that I was suffering with the bike blowing all over the place.
Chipps, that wasn't Si Pato that flatted and got the van ride was it?
It was Si P that got the ride yes. Stanny offered him a wheel but then changed his mind and went into rescue mode as he wasn't really with it...
Deep section rims here. Silly idea as I got blown sideways - mostly when carrying, but they were the only wheels that fit the bike...
Ah I was rolling along the ground most of the time rather than carrying (my preferred style)
My life, some of the times mentioned above!
Third time and third finish for me and steadily slower each year until I achieved my natural level - DFL in 6 hours 55. A few minor offs but no mechanicals or major issues, just slow - I'd prefer not to relate how deep the pond was at the bottom of PYG lane by the time I got there though.
Tricky part was getting to Ribblehead with 15 minutes to the 2 p.m. cutoff at the bottom of PYG and realising that I had a chance of making it then regretting doing so for the next few hours!
That really was the hardest thing I've ever done.
The fabulous ease of carrying the superlight bike I borrowed was somewhat offset by deep rims and the 'windsurfer effect'. I was scared to carry at some points in case it took me over the edge.
Thanks to the people who picked me up after the comedic 'I can't stop moment' which took me otb on Whernside. Loved Ingleborough and the Pen y Ghent pond though. It's really weird how you don't feel the wet and the pain until it's over. It's really quite hard to move now though!
Some photos [url=
via the 3PCX forum, of the summit of INgleborough. Anybody else got any yet? There must be some good ones from the sheep dipping tank on Horton Scar Lane...!
Cracking shots on the Cold Cotes descent : http://www.northloop.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?43725-The-Black-and-White-Minstrel-Show...&p=784648
Welcome to England !
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/galleries/photos/34680/3/2/three-peaks-cyclo-cross-2012.html
Congrats to everyone who did it and survived 🙂
Was I not "still" off the bike I had planned to try to get an entry this year (with it being the 50th and John's last and all that). Looks proper 'epic' this year. Hope no-one ended up using their 'survival bag'!
Just realised that I was next to Frischy on the way up Inglebugger!
Funniest moment for me was coming down Pen y Ghent. It's apparent that no matter how rubbish I am as a descender (very...) that there were plenty of people worse than me so I was passing quite a few folk. Problem is, PyG is a two-way track so it's quite difficult in places to avoid everyone.
So I'm heading down and I can see a rider in front weaving and mincing a bit so I yelled out "PASSING RIGHT!" which was met almost instantly by a mate on the climbing side of the track (who I hadn't seen until then) responding with "STRAVA!!" 😆
That kept me smiling all the way to the finish, even if I did nearly fall off laughing at the time.
Slowest time so far for me 4:39. Absolutely loved it! What an epic day! ;0)
I did 4:38, so we must have been battling it out towards the end.
What a day!! First attempt and I'll be back for more. Now I know what to expect, I'll be a little more prepared for next time. I was on a Planet X Uncle John that had hastily been converted from commuter duties to a 'crosser. Old disc pads went on the final part of the descent to the turn up Pen Y Ghent lane (interesting descent...). I had to brake with my heels when nearing the finish. Still surprised I made the turn into the funnel!
I ran tubeless; no issues at all. Mates told me it was wel dodgy - nah! Mavic A119, Vitorria XM? Some ghetto rims strips and 80ml of Joe's latex stuff - brilliant!
Welcome to England !
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/galleries/photos/34680/3/2/three-peaks-cyclo-cross-2012.html
Those tyres ain't 35c Tommy!! Obviously didn't read the rules...