[Closed] Cross is Coming! CX Season 2021-2022

I love 'cross but I've never been all that serious about it. I don't have a dedicated CX bike this year but will probably do a few of the local rounds on the Stooge, just for a laugh!

My 'training' consists of sickening 40min threshold efforts on an overgeared fixed gear. Nasty session but does the trick!

No dates for the Welsh season yet, although they've said it will provisionally start in October and run through to 2022, so a bit later than normal. I'm waiting until there are dates published before I start wondering what kit I need. (Hopefully only tyres...)

I've entered the first trophy race next month in Derby - us elder gents are not subject to the indignity of the 80% rule, @13thfloormonk.
It is first come first served, with no ranking considerations (outside of UCI peeps) due to the covid disruption, and there looks to be places available in almost all categories. You do need a full race license, though, which just cost me 20 quid.

I've been doing regular TT-ing, and it's been raining PBs on the back of little training (you can do this to an extent with tens) - all aero gains and no power gains I suspect so prob useless for CX, but we shall see. There's a good NW program up, outstanding work given how hard it must be to arrange races at the moment.

Do think that all these VO2 max, sharp sessions you get with stuff like trainerroad cross program is way over-emphasised. Maybe if you're right at the sharp end, but when do you ever get respite in a cross race? You don't - that is its USP. So throwing in big digs is not really what it's about for most riders because there is no recovery. As big an hour power as possible makes way more difference.

Not sure how the season is shaping up through, looks like race organisers have maybe been a bit put off by Covid etc. and the calendar is looking a bit sparse.

Venues has been the issue - a lot of councils and other landowners are not yet in the position of being comfortable granting permissions for events. Without a venue, there's not much organising you can do.

NT at Falkirk will be ace.

I'm going to attempt my first CX races this year.

Mildly terrified.

Will I get smacked, if I ask what tyres?

The South West series has 7 rounds confirmed at the moment - I'm hoping to ride 3 or 4 of the more local ones.

Looks like October 10th for the start of the UCI season in Waterloo - never been that fussed about the US races (often a bit too 'dusty' and not enough 'mud' for my tastes) but looks like we'll get a packed schedule with 5 races in October alone.

@geomickb - if it's your first I'd err on the side of grip! Challenge Grifo are great in my experience and can cope with most conditions.

Will I get smacked, if I ask what tyres?

Tyres will be the least of your problems. Your astonishing lack of fitness will not be affected by anything your bike does or doesn't. 😀 (Joking of course, but you won't be thinking about tyres when you're breathing out of your backside for an hour. Put on anything that you have that are narrow and knobbly and allow mud clearance, do the first race and then revisit..)

@geomickb - depends on conditions where you are racing - I'm in NI and after first 2 races, it's mud tyres for the rest of the season. But you may be somewhere where the ground holds up all season.

For mud, and running tubeless, it's hard to beat Challenge Limus or Specialized Terra Pro

But if conditions good, the as Abingham says - Grifo's are a great all rounder, along with Schwalbe X-one All round

If running any of the above, I'd definitely be going tubeless if you can

NW series is rarely anything but mud tyres all year. Schwalbe X One Bite seem to be the weapon of choice amongst the single bike veteran dad's gang 🙂 (i.e. they don't clog).

Venues has been the issue – a lot of councils and other landowners are not yet in the position of being comfortable granting permissions for events. Without a venue, there’s not much organising you can do.

Ah... I did wonder, that should have been obvious really.

Will I get smacked, if I ask what tyres?

I'll be 'training' on Vittoria Terreno Mix, tubeless, probably 35-40psi as most of my outdoor training will probably be on a mix of tarmac, gravel and occasional mud where I can find it.

Racing on Vittoria Wets. Rode them through the winter last year and they were ace and importantly I seem to get on with setting Vittoria tyres up tubeless so they lend themselves to last minute tyre changes the night before a race! Haven't yet figured out how low I can go without burping or pinching tyre, but I hit the rim a few times when I was racing on latex tubes at 35psi so I don't fancy going much lower than that, boggles the mind how low some people seem to go!

As big an hour power as possible makes way more difference.

I tend to agree, if the events were run as CX TTs I think I would probably place higher than I do otherwise, my undoing is getting swept up in all the excitement in the first couple of laps, usually gaining quite a few places from my respectfully-far-back starting position on the grid, but then collapsing with what feels like an imminent asthma attack come lap 3, dawdling for a lap to recover, then putting down a solid TT for the remaining 4 or 5 laps and regaining some of the positions I lost due to my 3rd lap collapse!

Soo... if I can get my sharp end fitness up a bit (or just learn to pace myself a bit more) then I could eradicate the 3rd lap fall-apart and probably finish a good bit further up! 😎

I’m prepping for this season by gradually getting lazier as the year goes on - seems a solid approach really.

Didn’t click what the venue was when I read “Falkirk”, they should be able to make a particularly interesting course for a National round there. Might have to go over for a watch of that one.

If I start hearing murmurs of Super Quaich getting organised then that “should” help with the motivation. Luckily I now only need to worry about 45min power now 😉

There’s a good NW program up,

Do you have a link handy please. Ought to do something to vary my rides.

Looking like a pretty full, 10 round, calendar for the London/Sussex League - starting at Stanmer (as is traditional) on Sept 5th.

but then collapsing with what feels like an imminent asthma attack come lap 3, dawdling for a lap to recover, then putting down a solid TT for the remaining 4 or 5 laps and regaining some of the positions I lost due to my 3rd lap collapse!

Teaching grandmothers to suck eggs here, but are you warming up properly? (I have problems with doing full warm-ups in venues that I don't know. I need about 25 minutes of riding, timed so that I don't cool down. I can only do this at local locations where I can get out on a decent loop(s) and not worry about getting lost.)

I've pulled myself together, got a CX bike and signed up for the NWCCA league this year, if I do as well as my last effort in 2019/20 I'll be amazed as this year my riding has involved just that, absolutely no training whatsoever.

The race calendar looks like it could be a good one, if they actually manage to get some venues sorted, I've put my name down to marshal at the North Cheshire one as from memory the course / venue is literally a flat field and dull as dish water.

I've fitted a set of Terreno Mix to my bike in the vain hope that it'll be dry'ish, but in no doubt the Terreno Wets will be on before the first race.

The eldest will be in the U10 with his eye on the league after a half decent summer of crit racing - which he doesn't really like, but does for keeping fit.

Middle one will be in U8, we'll see if he does more than just takes his bike for a wander round a random field in the NW as he's actually pretty quick when he doesn't get distracted by birds, trees, people waving at him and the sky 😀

The youngest keeps saying he wants to give it a go, he's not quite even 5 yet so we'll see, although he was riding his bike round the garden in the rain yesterday.

I’m going to attempt my first CX races this year - Will I get smacked, if I ask what tyres?

As @mick_r said them Schwalbe's are popular as are Terreno Wets, or at the moment the knobbliest 33mm tubeless tyre you can actually find due to Brexit, Covid 'n all that shiz.

Ironically CX seems to be the more tyre focused form of racing I've come across if I'm honest, just don't ask "What pressures?"

I need about 25 minutes of riding, timed so that I don’t cool down. I can only do this at local locations where I can get out on a decent loop(s) and not worry about getting lost.)

Get some rollers, way easier than getting your bike all shitty before a race #protips

@thegeneralist

https://nwcca.org.uk/calendar

https://yorkshirecyclocross.com/

There is also a North Wales league that has some great courses, but I'm not sure what the score is there for the coming winter - it's tough to get events on.

I bought a tub wheelset of a guy with new terreno wets on - tyres are great but glueing is a personal matter. Think I need to take them off and glue them back on again.

There is also a North Wales league that has some great courses, but I’m not sure what the score is there for the coming winter – it’s tough to get events on

I've heard that they're struggling to get event permissions due to the Welsh Assembly and their guide lines, nothing has cropped up on FaceBook yet.

Schwalbe X One Bite available pretty cheaply at St Johns Street cycles at the moment

Yes, I'm tubeless.

I do a lot of road so want something that will work ok on Tarmac and also stop me from losing it (as much) in mud.

I was just thinking CrossBoss.

I know, I know, I need another set of wheels.....

Get some rollers, way easier than getting your bike all shitty before a race #protips

Yeah I know. I used to use them but sold them years ago when I did very little CX. Not sure I do enough these days to justify them..

geomickb
Free Member

I know, I know, I need another set of wheels…..

Yes you do, for all the reasons you're thinking. No CrossBoss will not be fun at a muddy race, you could spend more time on foot than the bike

Our club is hosting the first round of the NDCXL, but sadly running it the last weekend of the school holidays has rather decimated the volunteers that are needed. Feel slightly guilty that we're in Wales.

Didn’t click what the venue was when I read “Falkirk”, they should be able to make a particularly interesting course for a National round there. Might have to go over for a watch of that one.

mashr
If you are going to come along and watch they were looking for marshals .
High Viz action

Will likely have a 4 and 2 year old with me unfortunately. Probably frowned upon to leave my post to go play in the park for a while

Yeah,2 is a bit young to marshal,think the 4yr old might manage though 😉😂

Teaching grandmothers to suck eggs here, but are you warming up properly? (I have problems with doing full warm-ups in venues that I don’t know. I need about 25 minutes of riding, timed so that I don’t cool down. I can only do this at local locations where I can get out on a decent loop(s) and not worry about getting lost.)

I thought I was but I think I've always held back too much on warm ups partly for the reasons you've stated but also because I was still worried about conserving energy!

I hate the thought of using rollers with nobbly mud tyres though! I've taken my road bike along in the past for that purpose...

If you are going to come along and watch they were looking for marshals .

I just need to get clearance from wife but think I'll volunteer for one of those days, although it might jeopardise my attendance of one or both of the preceding SCX rounds if they find venues! Tough choices...

Right! So I'm going to do my first CX race at Shrewsbury in 2 weeks.

I need to swap my tyres.

Am I allowed to ride with 35mm?

Should I just get two of these:?

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/wtb-cross-boss-35c-tcs-light-fast-rolling-tyre

Just home and washed the dog poop off my shoes (the joy of public parks). Pretty rubbish - dropped my chain on the bumpy start straight, then about 4 more times after that. Somehow didn't get lapped and in the last minute made up a place then had a sprint with another guy so slight bit of excitement to finish.

Think the flying timetrialist Garry_Lager shot off into the distance 🙂

Nice to see everyone and get back to sort-of normality.

I’m racing SW league starting November. Last CX race was 3 peaks about 10 years ago so looking forward to some serious humiliation.

Did my 1st race of the wessex season today - not bad result for me, given a team-mate had a near-fall in front of me shortly after the start and so losing lots of places. It's quite nice to gradually catch & pass people but a bit frustrating as it might've been a great result for me (top 25 in a field of 75 would've been ace - low 30s was nice enough, especially on a power course)

Bugger me, it's hot darn sarf at the moment !

@geomickb - in my view that is a DRY cross tyre at best
(unlikely that your league will be full-on UCI compliant so any width is allowed but 32-35 and KNOBBY if you're planning a whole season on 1 pair)

I could be tempted to come out of ‘retirement’ to do one race, seeing as the Isle of Mull CX at Glengorm Castle is running this year just up the road. I notice it is also the World Santa CX as well as the Scottish SSCC champs - maybe there’s a Santa SSCX champs category? 🤣 does the winner get to wear a rainbow stripe Santa outfit?

@scaredypants can you suggest something else then? Yeah I will probably only manage to do a couple of races to only want 1 set.

This is the league https://wmccl.co.uk/ it doesn't mention UCI?

the terreno wet, linked by somebody above are good - not massively knobby but actually quite grippy in a lot of conditions
(edit weren't actually linked: https://www.wiggle.co.uk/vittoria-terreno-wet-g20-cx-tyre )

They seem like they'd wear quite fast but are "cheap" in comparison to lots of others

(you won't be under full UCI regs, ignore that - was a sort of joke, sorry)

Ha, no worries, thanks for your help.

They are 33, is it worth trying to find something 35mm or will there not be much difference?

Run whatever bike and tyres you like (apart from fixed wheel) at any race up to National Trophy level, and even then on the Saturday no one will be checking tyre widths.

Really did feel great to get a cross race under the belt today - at Beacon park in the NW series. Felt hard AF tbh - aero gains proved untranslatable, regrettably, but it was pretty smooth racing, bike worked and the terreno wets seemed to roll Ok on a non-muddy course.

You running a new drivetrain @mick_r to be dropping the chain like that? Course had a few bumps in it right enough - Type of early season course where I never know how much pressure to run as it's dry-ish with some hard-pack but still loads of grassy turns - harder tyres feel awful through the twisty tape to me, but I suppose it's what you prioritise.

OTOH My clubmate beat me by a decent bit on 40 psi at around 10 stone - should prob stop thinking about tyre pressures too much.

So does that mean nobody will mind if I go to 38mm?

At local league races you can run 38mm and nobody will care. You can ride pretty much anything (will be a few mtbs). I've ridden a singlespeed radiator on a couple of occasions without complaint!

G_L - same drive train as previous and not worn out. Mrs had the same problem but needs the clutch tightening and a new ring - the wide is narrow and the narrow is like a knife blade!

I enjoyed today, great to be back, sorry I didn't get time to stop and chat, had to dash of to Waddow Hall for my wifes 20 year service medal presentation for Girlguiding. Ran a 33 mm Schwalbe bite on the front which helped on the off cambers and an schwalbe intermediate on the back. Not sure where I finished but by christ I'm glad they changed what was a run up to drop down and ride up! Great course and good bants too! 🙂

So does that mean nobody will mind if I go to 38mm

Honestly, you can ride whatever you want bar fixed wheel. No one will notice or care.

Right will order the 38mm Vittoria Wet. Will I need an airshot to get them on?