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Last night, in the pub, a mate challenged me to do a CX race with him in 3 weeks. Naturally I accepted this, but now I'm trying to work out how to develop my 1 1/2 hour pottering (twice a week) around the woods on my 5.5 into 45 minutes flat out on a rigid skinny tyred single speed!
Any tips, apart from feigning illness on the day.
To make everything complete, we're doing the race in south Germany with lots of roadies who practice in the Alps, I feel my virgin last place approaching
CX races are good in that they are short laps, so it won't be so obvious that you are last. I think you have to embrace that, ride with tons and tons of style, go belting off the start line at max max pace screaming like a maniac they might let you through !
Stop and get off your bike and kiss all the pretty girls on the way around. Crash spectactularly at the place with maximun spectators etc etc. Just have fun...
Yeah you'll be lost in the mix, don't worry. Though you'll be working so hard you'll be convinced you've earnt a podium place.
And like many things you will come away thinking you could do better next time, but it takes a race or two to find your legs. I missed the first five rounds of my league and finished 59th in my first one back over thirty places down on last year.
Enjoy.
Oldgit - at least you finished and didn't have your rear mech wrapped around itself. BTW next round should be outside Wendover - green Park I think.
do some intervals to get you used to the high intensity.
practise dismounting and get more used t the cx bike
Thanks for the advice, cynic-al, but I'm going with hels' advice.
I can already see all the pretty girls in their Dirndls. Do you get CX groupies?
Aye Green Park, which is just below Aston Hill and the old worlds XC course. Very nice place to make a day of it.
Corner wide and fast, and keep braking to a minimum.
Cynic-al speaks the most sense here - pretty girls don't hang out in the rain and mud and if they did, they certainly wouldn't want to kiss smelly losers.
3 weeks is enough time to get some intervals in. 2 seasons spaced out for 2 weeks and then 1 in the week before the race.
You need to get yourself used to working above threshold, so shortish hard sessions with a short recovery. You'll hate it the first few times but it will be worth it and make the race seem bearable.
It's not taking it too seriously, it's all part of the experience. Taking it too seriously is when you start spending all your wages on tubs... 😉
No need to train, just let most of the air out of your mate's tyres on the day... 🙂
Before the race make sure you write your Last Will and Testament.
HTH 😀
Yay !! Someone on STW likes my advice !!! My life is complete.
Never ever give up.
I practised by getting a heavy cold and doing a couple of 5 mile commutes. Heck, go and have some fun 🙂
To get the complete experience, you then need to strip off in a frozen car park, put ALL of your warmest clothes on, whack the car heating up to full for the 60minute drive home, get under your quilt for the rest of the day and STILL be shivering 4 hours later.....
Ahhh, great memories!
Hopefully this weekend won't involve 2 new rear mechs and a new chaincatcher for less than 20 minutes of riding.