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[Closed] The Cyclocross season is upon us. Yay!

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Kemble Airport in the Wessex League on a very tough course which was flat and relentless with loads of switchbacks and wooded single track sections.

That was our event [url= http://www.laatste-ronde.cx ](Cotswold Veldrijdren[/url], I was on results duty and had the added stress of only 8% laptop battery left as the Seniors race came to a close. Hope you enjoyed it, we are getting lots of good feedback from Kemble as a course/location.


 
Posted : 23/09/2013 8:20 am
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Was a good course but bloody hard as there was nowhere for any slight recovery. Looked at my heart rate on lap two and I was 97% max and that pretty much continued for the rest of the race ๐Ÿ˜ฏ

Only downside was I always seem to be surrounded and mobed my your riders throughout the race! ๐Ÿ˜‰


 
Posted : 23/09/2013 8:25 pm
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have my first race tomorrow at round 2 of western league quite looking forward to it tbh


 
Posted : 28/09/2013 10:06 pm
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Loved Hog Hill today, pretty technical but faaast! The walnut whip of doom was a laugh.


 
Posted : 28/09/2013 10:25 pm
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will be racing in the midlands today (no northwest or yorkshire races today)


 
Posted : 29/09/2013 6:56 am
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First round of the central league today. Over 50's are just racing 40 minutes, not sure how that's going to go? always put my fastest laps in the last 20 mintutes of the hour.


 
Posted : 29/09/2013 8:40 am
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First round of the central league today. Over 50's are just racing 40 minutes, not sure how that's going to go? always put my fastest laps in the last 20 mintutes of the hour.

Go for a 20 min ride first ???? ๐Ÿ˜‰


 
Posted : 29/09/2013 8:55 am
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Cunning 8)


 
Posted : 29/09/2013 9:04 am
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well thats my first race and im nackerd aparentley the hardest bristol course i took a pasting,probably came dead last BUT i had a really good time and will deffinatley be doing more
note to self-- change road gearing as its just to hard on a cx course


 
Posted : 29/09/2013 4:39 pm
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Go for a 20 min ride first ????

Cheers, I was one place from the prize money...which I would have shared with you ๐Ÿ˜‰


 
Posted : 29/09/2013 4:46 pm
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Nice fast conditions today, and team manager did a spot of videoing ๐Ÿ™‚


 
Posted : 29/09/2013 6:03 pm
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Cheers, I was one place from the prize money...which I would have shared with you

Lol good skills ๐Ÿ˜€


 
Posted : 29/09/2013 6:52 pm
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[IMG] [/IMG]

great technical course at Tackerro!!!


 
Posted : 30/09/2013 8:54 am
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First race of the season for me at the 2nd round of the Western League in Bristol. In attendance was non other than olympic rider and ex pro oli beckingsale.

Tough, tough race for me. Have done no proper riding/training since the end of the summer series where I finished 6th in the league. Started right near the back and took me 10-15 minutes to get my brain, lungs and legs opened up that I'm racing cross again. Made a schoolboy error by not taking my gloves with me and i'm sitting here with skin missing from the inside of my thumbs!

Think i finished in the top 20 although not sure. Disappointing that I was well back from riders that I was easily over taking in the summer season but that's my own fault.

Thoroughly enjoyable still and definite need for improvement.


 
Posted : 30/09/2013 2:02 pm
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well thats my first race and im nackerd aparentley the hardest bristol course i took a pasting,probably came dead last BUT i had a really good time and will deffinatley be doing more
note to self-- change road gearing as its just to hard on a cx course

What kit were you wearing?


 
Posted : 30/09/2013 2:04 pm
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53 years old, racing with a number on my back since 1975. And I'm like a kid at Christmas because I'm racing Saturday.
MK Bowl, which is a corker.


 
Posted : 04/10/2013 9:15 pm
 dobo
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Wessex eastleigh for me on sunday. not done much cycling in the last month and have a 10k run saturday so not exactly well prepared for it but looking forward to it.


 
Posted : 04/10/2013 9:22 pm
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6th place yet again.
[img] [/img]
Love an image that flatters one. ๐Ÿ™‚


 
Posted : 07/10/2013 7:04 pm
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Sefton. Nice shot of my team mate behind you there. Can I pinch your image for our blog please?

Ta

Rich


 
Posted : 07/10/2013 7:17 pm
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tricky- i was just in a ss jersy 3/4 bottoms old spesh tricross with mini v's and huge road chainset lol

cx50 arived friday all bolted up and now running a mtb rear mech for the ratios should help me allot


 
Posted : 07/10/2013 8:16 pm
 dobo
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nice pic.

i dont recall that sand trap at eastleigh being an issue last year..
anyway i was way slower than last year but still fast and fun, downhill at least ๐Ÿ™‚ not that eastleigh is hilly..
roll on newbury saturday!


 
Posted : 07/10/2013 8:17 pm
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tricky- i was just in a ss jersy 3/4 bottoms old spesh tricross with mini v's and huge road chainset lol

cx50 arived friday all bolted up and now running a mtb rear mech for the ratios should help me allot

Did you do rd 3 at cheltneham?

http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/cyclocross/article/cyx20131006-cycle-cross-Cross--Junior-Fox-scores-solo-Cheltenham-win-0

I had a much better race. Terrible start (someone went over the bars at the start) and i watched on in dismay as the whole field rode away from me. Spent the whole race battling trying to overtake

Ended up 12th in the senior race.. 8 places higher than a week ago. Just need to get top 10 to get some points


 
Posted : 08/10/2013 5:23 pm
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CX curious.

Never been to one, so no real world experience.

From watching the youtube links.... you don't need a CX bike to race CX then ?
Is this at local level races.

I understood the debate ages ago about the 3 peaks CX race being for CX bikes only and some strict rules on bike set up, but a unique event.
Are the rules of racing more enforced at national level races with the licence and point chasing ?

In theory, could one rock up to a local level race on any bike, looking like a hooligan from downhill racing with no licence and have a stab at it ๐Ÿ™‚

Friendly racing or very intense serious roadie-esq attitudes ?

Most likely candidate would be a flat pedaled/flat barred SS karate Monkey on CX tyres, could get some drop bars and levers fairly cheaply if required.

Tempted to have a go one day.


 
Posted : 08/10/2013 5:55 pm
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Friendly racing or very intense serious roadie-esq attitudes ?

Friendly. The good guys are never asshats, the rubbish ones have nothing to worry about. I see loads of MTB's and sometimes they have their day. One race where the course was changed at the 11th hour, it fell into the hands of those that had turned up with MTB's. After the race the commissaire rounded us all up to give them three boo's. It's 'serious fun'.


 
Posted : 08/10/2013 9:21 pm
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๐Ÿ™‚ Ta oldgit.

It's getting harder to get out to DH races, so looking for something else for amusement.
Not sure i can last an hour without throwing up ๐Ÿ™‚ i guess no beer tent halfway round. Done some SS events and quite enjoyed chucking a flat barred flat pedaled road bike around the woods, trying to bottom out the twangy fork and slow down on barely working brakes.

Figured CX might suit me, monster cross Karate Monkey methinks.


 
Posted : 08/10/2013 9:34 pm
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dident manage to get up to the chelt race looking forward to hengrove as its just over the road from me


 
Posted : 08/10/2013 9:44 pm
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Took the day off work and spent it building the course for this weekends first national series race in Gothenburg. Still a little too do, but bring on the racing tomorrow.

New tubs, new skinsuit 8)

[img] [/img]
[img] [/img]
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[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 11/10/2013 9:04 pm
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Euro ^^^^


 
Posted : 11/10/2013 9:30 pm
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Getting to grips with CX rules.

You run up steps....

I could ride down that without puking up ๐Ÿ™‚


 
Posted : 11/10/2013 9:41 pm
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Ooh double picture post, sorry about that.

There is a ton of grass if that makes it more UK style?


 
Posted : 11/10/2013 9:49 pm
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vdub - yeah go for it...more pics on the midlands cyclocross website. (I nicked it off there or facebook)

oldgit...didn't know you are a Belgium...you a Northerner? yorkshire league?


 
Posted : 11/10/2013 10:06 pm
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Nah I'm one of the two? southern Belgians. I feel a bit like a privateer, but I know most of the club riders very well so I can jump in any outfit that's going well, naughty really ๐Ÿ™‚


 
Posted : 11/10/2013 10:19 pm
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Proper cross weather today, should be a mudfest tomorrow ๐Ÿ™‚


 
Posted : 12/10/2013 4:07 pm
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First race for me tomorrow, Happy Valley round of the London X league just outside Brighton. Excited/Nervous


 
Posted : 12/10/2013 4:30 pm
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National cup, round one, home pitch.

10th place for me, despite getting seeded in the last row via the lottery, (stitched up by my own club!). Came past 40 odd people, but finished 1:50 off the lead and 40 seconds behind where I'd have liked to have been.

Still, tubs held, always a relief first time out, big thumbs up to the new Vittoria Evo XN as front tub, really flexible sidewalls that I could feel squishing nicely around corners, ran at 24psi. Tufo Cubus Flexus on the rear at 26psi.

More importantly the boys raced and enjoyed themselves.

Same again tomorrow.
[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 12/10/2013 6:28 pm
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Still pouring down here. And remembering how difficult the course is in the dry.


 
Posted : 13/10/2013 9:09 am
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Looking forward to more piccys.

Curious on tyre pressure..... i know i know...what tyres what pressure...save starting a thread when CX'ers are all here.

In my limited experince of using conti cx race 35mm clinchers, the really cheap ones, which have been really good.
Still swotting up on CX racing....but 24-26psi seems very low. Was the course just grass and mud, a soft track so allowing lower PSI ?

I run my conti clinchers at 45 front and 55 rear, and still rim the rear, but haven't pinch flatted yet. Did pick up 2 thorns, but i do ride rocky tracks and chuck the bike about on downhills.
If i go too low they just squirm and roll.

Do tubs perform better at lower PSI than clinchers ? i know tubs are more supple so more grip than clinchers for serious racing, so the ability to run lower PSI another advantage to tubs ?

Please excuse the questions, i don't know anyone that races CX and this seems to be a good place to ask.
Eyeing up the south west series race in November at Chard as a possible to at least go and watch.....or get dirty tyres ๐Ÿ™‚


 
Posted : 13/10/2013 12:04 pm
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acehtn. I'm a bit tired but yes tubs run better at lower pressures. I run clinchers and only go down to about 35/40.

There isn't usually any rock or such on CX courses, it's more about sprints and turns and a hell of a lot of wet slippy off camber, oh and dismounts for hurdles and ditches.


 
Posted : 13/10/2013 3:49 pm
 tang
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Chef did Nik Gustavsson race today?(he used to live up the road with my friends).


 
Posted : 13/10/2013 4:01 pm
 aP
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Plumstead next Saturday, first race this season, hopefully I'll be over my cold... and I've got shiny news tires to blame when I fail to set the race alight.


 
Posted : 13/10/2013 4:19 pm
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7th place today, bloody fantastic racing the whole way 8)

Nik Gustavsson race today?

DNF Sat, 8th in Prestige, (Elite), today, impressive.


 
Posted : 13/10/2013 4:56 pm
 tang
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Nice work chef!


 
Posted : 13/10/2013 5:03 pm
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Happy Valley today, wet & horrible. Lovely ๐Ÿ™‚

No idea on position, but definitely 1st singlespeed ;o)

Kinchy - vets or seniors?


 
Posted : 13/10/2013 5:17 pm
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Found it really hard today, must have fallen way back on my previous weeks results. Had to ride it for the 'long run' steady smooth and upright.


 
Posted : 13/10/2013 5:22 pm
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Happy Valley was pretty hard today. The head wind from the finish line onwards was demoralising. Was pretty pleased to get up to 4th in the V/J/W but faded to 6th.
Was running about 15 psi in my tubs to help get me out of the dip at the bottom of the circuit and certainly made a big difference on the wet corners. Just glad they stayed on!


 
Posted : 13/10/2013 6:18 pm
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