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anyone ride CX ? ( non competitively ).
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tonFull Member
been toying with riding a few local cross races.
obviously just for the pleasure of suffering for a hours or so. obviously not to compete.anyone do it ?
what kind of distance are you riding in a hour plus a lap ?
oliverracingFull MemberYep (not yet this season though)
Great horrible fun. Love it when it’s extra wet/muddy etc and condition dependant you do anything from 8 to 25km in that time.
One of my most favourite memorable races was end of 2019 – grim muddy course with lots of slogging through 10cm sloppy mud, quicker to run in lots of points, but had a short gravel climb, decent and 90deg corner at the bottom and my brakes both decided to fail (one was a leak, other was a pad failure off backing) so literally had to go flat-out around the 90deg corner hanging on for dear life.
Good times
BenjiMFull Member@oliverracing Sounds like Burnley?
@ton To add it can be as competitive as you like, it’s hard not to be, even if just against yourself. Just get entered and go for it. No one judges you, everyone’s there to race, ride or whatever. The amount of distance you cover can vary massively depending on how much mud there is, how well you’ve chosen your tyres, how many technical features and corners there are. Best bet is to just try it and get dirty! 🙂Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition
Latest Singletrack VideosFresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...MrPottatoHeadFull MemberI mean, I’ve been trying to be competitive but reality is I’m so far off the pace I’m in a race of my own. And honestly it’s been great fun as a form of racing but not so much fun as a form of leisurely riding. Not sure about other leagues but Wessex is only a 40min race apart from snr men. Which is about enough!
oliverracingFull Member@oliverracing Sounds like Burnley?
Nah, pretty sure it was the 2019 West Midlands round at Coventry Conference Center
dovebikerFull MemberI’ve ridden CX for over 15 years. I hadn’t raced for a few years, but raced the Isle of Mull CX last winter on a SSCX just for a laugh.
The great thing about CX is that after a lap, apart from those at the pointy-end, few know where they are anyway, so you just have to crack-on.
In my more competitive days, I’d get top-10s in my local league and it really helps if you get gridded. But most of the time I wasn’t gridded, so me and my mate would go to the back of the field and see how far we could get up the field during the race – I even managed a top-10 once.qwertyFree MemberI’ve done a few, my race strategy was to start at the back on a SSCX bike, set off last, and then it can’t get any worse. I’d usually finish around mid pack, most of that was places made up in a frantic sprint right at the start. It’s kinda addictive in a love / hate way. A one hour race takes up most of your day from sorting kit in the morning to washing bike and kit at night.
qwertyFree MemberOh, and then there’s The Three Peaks, it’s a wormhole of crazy “racing”.
ferralsFree MemberI used to pretty regularly get top 10 positions in senior cat at a few of the nearby regional leagues; but I used to train to do so.
I barely ride my bike now but still entered a nearby race last weekend, coming in the bottom quarter.
The difference in competitiveness made no difference in enjoyment level. Give it a crack 👍
bigblackshedFull MemberI did a couple of local races a few years ago. First one was bone dry, which turned out to be 45 minutes of fast paced suffering. I finished in the bottom third of the field which I was more than happy with.
The second one was an absolute mud fest. I didn’t finish, too much mud snapped my chain and I’d had more than enough suffering for one day.
How ever fit you think you, are you aren’t. But it’s good fun if you like the suffering.
Did I mention the suffering?
clubbyFull MemberGreat thing about short laps and fixed time is you’re always around other riders and you know how long you’re out there for. No wondering whether it’ll be two or three hours and how hard to go. Even if the conditions are grim, you know it’s only about an hour. Climbs are short and sharp rather than long and draggy. Only ever finished near the back but still enjoyed every “race”.
scaredypantsFull MemberMid-pack duffer here. It’s still racing, just at my pace (plus 10% or so – because racing). As said up there, vet races are 40 min (wessex and our regional champs (why yes, I did ride that 🤡 )
cookeaaFull MemberI’ve done a wee bit this season, I’d certainly not consider my efforts competitive, I’d like to improve for next season. So summer may well be spent “training” for winter…
w00dsterFull MemberRidde/raced loads. We always saw it like a Mullet hair cut. A party at the back and all serious at the front. And I was always at the back.
For us back markers it was great fun. May have included drinking the night before and post race.
I was a crit racer (reasonable one) but a very poor CX racer. Friends were/are podium dwellers at very high level comps.
It was all fun. And being brutally honest, it’s the most welcoming form of cycling racing I’ve encountered
in over 20 years of competitive racing.TiRedFull MemberUnless you are at the pointy end (and that’s all over by the end of lap 1), a cross race soon becomes a technical ride on the wrong bike around a field. Type 2 fun in my experience, but very accessible. Try it and you might like it. I just put road tyres on my cross bike 😉
tthewFull MemberA one hour race takes up most of your day from sorting kit in the morning to washing bike and kit at night.
Love riding them, but this is the issue for me, especially if you have to drive there and back too. I’ll ride a local one though.
13thfloormonkFull MemberLove riding them, but this is the issue for me, especially if you have to drive there and back too. I’ll ride a local one though.
Yeah… this is starting to put me off, it’s not great value-per-hour of faff etc. Beginning to realise it would be better for me to get a short hard workout or muddy night ride during the week, and use the 4-5hrs at the weekend for a longer ride, rather than a 1hr race with 2hrs faff and driving either side.
That said, non-competitive but hard local CX rides seeking out flat muddy trails and giving it beans when you find them is a great form of winter riding if you’ve got the bike for it.
scaredypantsFull MemberThere was a guy who used to ride 2 races every round in the Wessex league – v40 and then seniors a couple of hours later
Must be knackering (and fairly expensive) but getting a bit more return on his time investment
(I assume he’s a v50 by now and so that’d be consecutive races and not likely such an attractive proposition)
theotherjonvFull MemberI did a few races a LONG time ago, and as family were out I went out of interest to the London League race at Gatwick today. Literally a load of wiggly tape around a flat field. As the organisers said, if you put the bike down again between the two barriers that would double the climbing per lap from 35 to 70cm. OTOH with no elevation there’s nowhere to freewheel; stop pedalling and you just stop. It doesn’t seem any less effort was expended looking at the sufferfaces on display.
There was a guy who used to ride 2 races every round in the Wessex league – v40 and then seniors a couple of hours later
There was a guy in the seniors who’d apparently done a long training ride yesterday, then ridden 2.5 hours to the event, then because of not having ridden in the series this year started at the back. He blew up at the end (OK, relative) but still won by a country mile – but given that he came 3rd in the nationals despite only being 19, and also came 5th in the CW Games MTB that’s probably not that surprising. But fabulous to watch, so much ability keeping power on in the corners and just eating riders up on the straights. And hopping the barriers a couple of times for good measure when the way through was clear.
stanfreeFree MemberI did a half dozen races about 5 years ago , I was probably a couple of stone overweight and at the time 46. Totally loved it and I think I once came 25th in an open race 😀 Was 3 rd from last first race but as others have said its a race against yourself It is great fun. I dont have a cx bike anymore but would be tempted to do one on a gravel bike or even my hardtail.
In my experience the scene is very freindly and like enduro people are happy to chat and help out when needed. I’d say give it a go Ton , you will get a real sense of satisfaction even finishing a race as its full pelt all the way.Garry_LagerFull MemberThis guy gives a nice flavour of CX racing (gopro on a BC race is a new thing afaik so not many examples out there yet). Funny commentary on the trophy race at Falkirk recently – he rides the Wessex league.
whytetrashFull MemberYep and love it!done the last 8 years of NWCX North Wales league it’s brilliant tough racing (non BC) so more interesting courses and we race for just over an hour usually 😀 whatever level you’re at you’ll end up battling someone…. super motivation to keep the fitness up over the winter and cheap as chips (60 quid to enter series) JUST DO IT!
captain_bastardFree MemberDone a few many years ago, great fun, if your idea of fun is suffering for an hour.
Tactics are easy, try and catch the person in front, try not to let the person behind overtake. keep doing this until someone tells you to stop
john_lFree Member@theotherjonv I raced at Gatwick yesterday in the V50s on SS. Absolutely hated the course on pre-ride, but by the 2nd or 3rd lap of racing was absolutely loving it! Riding flat out brings a whole different perspective.
@ton find a local series and crack on. If you’ve got the time to hang around and watch other races too, then even better – the social tends to be really good IME.13thfloormonkFull Membergopro on a BC race is a new thing afaik
Yep, I got laughed off the Scottish CX FB page for even asking the question! 🙄
smiffyFull MemberWhen there used to be rounds at Abergavenny, Bryn Bach Park, Crickhowel, Risca I’d ride out to them. I live pretty much in the middle of that lot. Driving is a faff. My best ever placing in the Welsh League was last.
IdleJonFull MemberWhen there used to be rounds at Abergavenny, Bryn Bach Park, Crickhowel, Risca I’d ride out to them. I live pretty much in the middle of that lot. Driving is a faff. My best ever placing in the Welsh League was last.
The first round this season was at Risca. There’s a round at Parc Cwm Darran in a few weeks.
qwertyFree MemberPopped down to spectate at my local CX race today, Stroud, Glos. of the Western League, got treated to watching Evie Richards powering round the course in style. Fantastic 🤩
unsponsoredFree MemberWatched the National Trophy Series last week in South Shields. Looked great fun and pretty accessible. Was feeling tempted to give it a try. Would never be competitive but looks like a great way to spend some time.
I took a load of images and have put them on https://www.rootsandrain.com/event10664/2022-oct-30-hsbc-uk-cx-national-trophy-series-3-gypsies-green/photos/filters/photogs2589/ Totally different to shooting Enduros.
13thfloormonkFull MemberHow has the ‘non-competitive’ experiment been going?
Now clear of 3 weeks illness and enjoyed a good 4hrs on the road bike today but have a race next weekend with no intensity ridden in a month 🙄
Wondering how to take it, need some sort of psychological trick not to get drawn in to a full on effort and just end up sacking it in after three laps!
jezzasnrFull Member100% do it!
Once I came to terms that at 40 + years old, overweight and frankly, a bit shit, i realised that wining was quite unlikely, it gives you license to just give it your best and have fun.
That’s not to say that as you’re getting lapped you don’t try and hang on to a wheel for 1/2 a lap (or 20 seconds!)
After washing out the front wheel and ending up on my arse in the same place I a h lap on 3 consecutive occasions, the joy of making it through on two wheels was great, and the spectators will see that and encourage you too.
Absolutely nothing to lose.
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