[Closed] Hot Cross Fun

Milton Keynes? I don't think that we are going to MK - Herne Hill on sunday.

...... Doh ....

That cx clip you sent me (

was great especially the hair pin bend shenanigans!

I notice they switch bikes at certain points - whats that all about?

This weekend is the first two rounds of the Swedish National Series, 1000km round trip, but well worth it.

I'm as excited as my two sons at Christmas!

Baldock/Herts in the Eastern League for me tomorrow.

Last weekend was a really sweaty one.

Now that I have been moved to the Vets category, it's only a 40 min race, so i've given up taking a bottle in my jersey.

Are we allowed a bottle? I thought someone told me this wasn't allowed?

P.S. this will be my 1st ever cx race.

I have serious CX envy. My bike is on order but hasn't arrived yet. 😥 Hopefully here next week. Will be my first season and I can't wait. 🙂

regarding the bottle - you are allowed to start the race with a bottle. If it is >20degree then you may be allowed to accept drinks in the pit area. If <20degree then you are not allowed to have drinks handed up to you in either the first2 or last2 laps - or depending on the commissaire not at all.

Yes, you are allowed a bottle, but you are not allowed to be handed up a bottle unless the temperature is above 20C at which point the commissaires may allow it - but you will be told this as your race is being gridded.

Jase, not entirely sure on the official rules for this, but here goes....

For the Eastern League, one is able to carry bottles in any race.

However, only in certain races is one allowed to be handed up a bottle from spectators/helpers. One situation in which this is allowed is when the temperature is high, and this happened last week in our race at 23 deg C.

Bike swapping is done if one bike is particularly muddy or there has been a mechanical/puncture. For those lucky enough to have one, the helper will clean or fix the other bike. I have a couple of bikes, but the backup one rides like a dog, so I only swap to that reluctantly.

You lulled me into thinking it was Spring and nearly easter there.

Cheers for the info, I won't remove the bottle cage now then and take a bottle.

Handing up of bottles is banned full stop -

11.5 Riders shall not receive assistance at the start, or during
the event. The handing up of refreshment is forbidden.

But, sensible commissaires can get round this because their first responsibility is the safety of competitors, so you might be allowed to get a drink if you come into the pits or something.

cqed how come your vets only race 40 minutes? I thought we were all one hour - seniors, women and vets.

LS- I think as of last season the UCI changed the rule to commissaires discretion above average 18degress (or other such arbitrary temperature)

yes the UCI regulations state:

5.1.038 A rider may only take the pit lane to change his bicycle or a wheel.
In the event of warm weather conditions (above 20 °C) the commissaires’ panel may decide to
allow feeding in the pit lane. Under those conditions, feeding is not allowed during the first 2 and
the last 2 laps.
(text modified on 1.09.04; 1.07.10).

This rule is implemented in the league that I am asst. commissaire for.

Aye but that's UCI regs, so only applying to UCI-rated races held in this country. BCF regs at cat A B and C. In the same way that we can ignore the 33mm tyre reg at lower levels we also have to go by BCF regs for drinks.

Still, sensible commissaires (and there are some) will find a way round it. 50% rules and 50% common sense should apply 🙂

I'm the organiser for the Herne Hill race and I'll have a chat with the comm about allowing bottle hand-ups. I'm sure they will be allowed and in line with the UCI regs, likely from the pits only.

I didn't glue my file treads on cos the august crap weather but at least it'll be nice to race needing suntan cream! Last year was blinking hot too

Good plan - the bottle rule was only introduced at BCF level to stop numpties having a free-for-all all round the course. Some crashes had been caused by dropped bottles and swerving to grab them. It was easier to ban it than allow pits-only or wherever.

First cx race of the season for me tomorrow (NW league). I'm woefully unfit, my bike isn't ready, and I'm looking like having another midnight finish at work tonight.

Last thing on my mind is file treads or drinks..!

oldgit, for the eastern league it's 40 mins for slower vets and women, and 1 hour for seniors and elite vets.

i'm desperately trying not to get promoted to the longer race...

That was frickin hot 😯

How'd you get on? No ripped off rear mechs like last year?

Okay I think.
My top came undone and I was told to fix it as my numbers couidn't be seen, that cost me a bit, couldn't see the bloody thing without my glasses..
Reckon I missed the bell by seconds, so that extra lap is getting closer.
Don't know if it was a mistake or not, but I decided to ease off only twenty minutes in as it was soooo hot. I was thinking, keep it steady fast rather than cran and burn.

Good one. Maybe at the next one - depends if I've got a broken scaphoid or not.
A slightly loaded question - was there an assistant commissaire?

Anyone at Risca in the morning for the Welsh league?

Not sure. I said I normally give the cash to you, but they just looked at me odd?

No, no idea sorry.

Yep, way too hot for me. Lost my drink bottle after 1st lap. Got someone to give me another which probably was against the rules but there was no way I could have carried on for 50 mins with no fluid.

Anyone at Risca in the morning for the Welsh league?

See you there Dan, Its one of my favourite courses.

 

Wow! That were hot hot hot. Top marks to commissaires- bottles allowed today.
Big field aswell... 200+ starters for the seniors, but the course handled it well.

a killer today. took a small camelbak, for the first time ever.

Wow that was hot!!Still a bit greasy in the shade.Forgetting my race number and my HELMET!!! did'nt help matters.Rescued by one of the photographers lending me his lid.Actually felt pretty good this time,was a bit too relaxed off the start and wasted 2 laps getting past people.Was picking off people at will until my chainguide Sh1t the bed and ate the chain.....on lap 8!! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR 👿

18th day 1, 17th day 2. Now placed 13th overall in the Swedish series.

Two completely different courses, one long and fast the other tight and twisty. Even found some snow to use insteasd of a sand pit!

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And a nice little film from Saturday. Yes they are two huge ski jumping towers in the background

Baptism of fire for me in the Velocity Cross (NW league). I haven't ridden any bike in anger since February, and only got back on properly a couple of weeks go.

20 mins in had to sit up to avoid puking. Took until 10 minutes after the race for the tunnel vision to lift. Still, I finished it and I didn't come last. 🙂

Blimey, that was hot!!

I was lucky enough to get lapped about 1/3 lap from the end so finished with a race time only 30 seconds or so behind the leader (and 2 laps). Started to take a drink for the last lap or two and lob it back off the course, the OH had told me plenty of others were doing it.

I set off fast but eased up in the second half as I had no one to battle with around me, and it was just too hot!

Think it was my highest finish in a league race, dunno whether I've improved, or whether the fast boys were at home.

Nice to meet Oldgit too.

Jase, Hammerite are you both racing at Hitchin on Sunday? I;m hoping to have a team mate for the first time ever.

Reckon I missed the bell by seconds, so that extra lap is getting closer

Yep, been to the bowl this afternoon and certainly cooler than last week!

Great racing today Jase. Think I got my extra lap (fingers crossed until the results) everything went perfectly, hurdles, sand pit, hairpins, fallen riders in the way.

I agree, a world away from last week.

[Aussie accent on] Looking like another warm one mate [Aussie accent off]

Rapha booked sunshine. It's amazing, the power of sponsorship these days...

Are Rapha catering for us plebs now then?

Apple 'o' gees if your not a pleb.

Rapha supercross next Sunday at AllyPally. Support races for mortals, invitational for main race.
Hopefully my thumb will have improved, and Muddy Hell won't have been too complicated - the journey through south London after 8 hours at Herne Hill means getting home about midnight.

There's a Rapha supercross at Huddersfield today too (vets/women just started, seniors 1.45).

Am working though and trying not to think envious thoughts. 👿

Oh yes and they have elite racers after the seniors.

(Back to work, muttering darkly... everyone in the valley is out riding today... and tomorrow the Met Office promises rain :?)

London X league was hot today and super sunny...

Really dusty to!

NW league was sunny and warm......with lashings of mud 😀

Was on slicks... Novel in October!! 😯

Flippin hard going today....don't like that course 👿

I don't mind it, lots of potential for falls though with off camber turns - I fell off 5 times on that course last year, my only falls of the season.

My race didn't go great, got held up on the singletrack section on the first lap, so went hard to try to make up some ground, then suffered for the middle third. Finished strong though. Should have paced myself a bit better early on.

You had another team mate today I saw, he was next to me on the start line.

Actually, how much more technical was the course you had planned that didn't go ahead than yesterday's?

Had my first ever race today after collecting my new bike on Saturday.

Raced in the Wessex League and Basingstoke and it was very warm and sunny.

1st impressions of cyclocross is that you're all right, it's bloody hard work! 😀 I've never done anything that is so hard yet so enjoyable ever in my life.

Racing again tomorrow night and in the GWR league in Swindon and I can't wait. Love it.

2 days of Raphas over the weekend. Dead on my feet today 🙁

hammerite. Hemels very techy, the singletrack reminds me more of XC than CX.
Our race would have been just like the Hitchin round, very fast like an off road Crit?

I had a bad day there as well, and I also got badly held up on the first lap. I got beaten to the first bit of singletrack only to find a whole bunch of riders ****ing themselves. And it's so hard to claw it back.

I'd criticise some of the riders in our race, they perhaps should be in the novices. There were too many stopping and needing a full written report handing in on about how you were just about to overtake them?

It looks like RAF Halton might host the next round.

RAF base sounds like a cool place for Molli to play whilst I bust my lungs for an hour.

Ah OK. I got the impression that your course was more of a CX course, must've got mixed up.

I wasn't the fastest mover on the singletrack section, but coped fine. The hold ups were from people getting off and pushing/carrying their bikes - it wasn't that tricky! I found that section an opportunity for a short recovery, running through it would've just tired me out more.

Change of venue for Central league, this coming weekend.

Westminster Sports Centre
Oxford Brookes University
Harcourt Hill Campus
Botley
Oxford
OX2 9A

Raced there earlier in the year, part of the course was fine round a sports field, the other half was through a ditch and in/around some wooded trails (but wider than Hemel). The wooded section was ridiculously muddy then, I don't expect it to be as bad this weekend.

Should be there.
Coughing up human ears at the mo though.
Still it's a shame it's not at Green Park, I liked that course.

I won't be.

Jase, Hillingdon is further away and we race there twice.

Yeah, not going there either 🙂

I'll only end up with 5 rounds now.

I was banking on not racing in Reading and one at Hillingdon, but Jnr missed the first race then DNF'd at Hemel so for him to get enough rounds in I think we'll need to do all that's left.

Hillingdon seemed like a bike killer last year. I was one of many who lost a rear mech due to long grass clogging everything up - I only lasted half a lap at the 2nd race.

Doesn't sound like I'll be missing much then!

My daughter's not too impressed about missing this week.

I think that this year I shall manage to not ride any central league races.
Ho hum.

Looks like it's going to be another warm and sunny round. I knew those Mud2's would be worth every penny 🙄

Fast race yesterday. Not techie at all as they didn't take us into the woods, so it was pretty much full on the whole way.

I didn't go, set off but I was sweating in my car. Now I have man flu, not helped by driving a diesel all day that was exhausting straight into the cab 👿

Anyone at Hillingdon for the London/Central league race?

Big contrast to the mudfest of the corresponding fixture last year, bumpy would be an understatement. Thought my race went ok, good start, but then I think some quicker riders came through who had been held up on the first lap as I lost quite a few places on my 2nd lap. After that I seemed to pretty much hold my own.

Yet another mechanical at Hillingdon. This time I snapped a chain, but luckily it wasn't until I was crossing the finish line (while sprinting to try and beat a clubmate 🙄 🙂 )

Jase Hammerite you both racing at Ickneild this weekend?

Coughs finally gone after two weeks, so time to resume.

I may be there, depends if I can be arsed to put up with Kel though, and it would appear that I have an ulnar collateral ligament injury.

Collateral damage?

Team of three today. Who'd have thunk it, the clubs only five months old.

Hammerite were you racing? We had two of the three racing. And Jase was hungover.

Yep I raced. Went reasonably well, I lose to much ground on corners though, I try to stay off the churned racing line thinking I'll handle better yet everyone else seemed to cope fine.

Those little mounds were quite tricky weren't they?

Thinking about it I gave you a shout, you were coming up to the start/finish line and I was heading in the other direction.

Decided to put some gears back on my bike and do the western league cyclo cross race in Bristol Yesterday. God that was hard!

Need to get some cx tyres on the mountain bike. Was losing ground on the muddy flat sections. Got used to dismounting after a few laps. Came 15th I think

A pro called Simon richardson won it who rode the tour of britain (and he was on a mountain bike)

This chap.... [url= http://www.teamsigmasport.co.uk/sigma/?page_id=225 ]Simon Richardson[/url] he's a bit useful!

Those little mounds were quite tricky weren't they?

The old air raid shelters, I opted to ride them every lap then suffered with core problems and went backwards on the last lap.

Simon Richardson....who did he ride for, know the name?

Simon Richardson....who did he ride for, know the name?

Sigma specialized.

Can't wait for the ashton court one where it will be more suited to mountain bikes