I’d like to try either the Pembrey or York trophy event.

Well give me a shout if you’re there – I’m lead commissaire on the Saturday and second-in-command on the Sunday.

seniors? vets?

Veteran men. Thanks for the info, do you think I’ll be ok on 700c / 35 Smart Sams?

yer, sam’s will be fine, like i said its flat, non technical wooded singletrack that drains well, even with the predicted rain in sunday lunchtime you’ll be fine, vets is full as well, so get to the start early, the start line on the same double track to the entrance off of the main road (if they keep it the same)

if you need to warm up away from the race area, if you go out the entrance, straight across the road and right into the small car park, you have like a 1 mile straight flat, its in the arse end of nowhere so very few dog walkers unless they’ve drove to walk the dog (first yellow dotted to the right of the B1207 on my pic)

if you go straight across the road and follow it, its just a gravely road for a couple of miles

Thanks, that’s really great info. Can I ask a newbie question? I’ll be on my own, and plan to bring a small amount of tools / spare cables (only what you can fit in a under saddle bag). Am I best keeping that on my bike or in the pits or somewhere, as I won’t have a mechanic or any support? Also, do CX racers usually carry water bottles in their cages?

CX racers do not carry water bottles, or cages, on their bikes, no.

Bring tools with you to the event in case you need to change anything after practice, but there’s little point doing the race with them. Of course it’s no harm to run a saddle bag but what really would be the point of this? Just make sure your bike is in good order the night before, everything moving as it should and all bolts tight. You’ll be fine – it’s normal to think that stuff might go wrong with your bike but mechanicals are actually rare, and the one’s that do happen usually mean race over anyhow.

Nice one, some final bike checking / tinkering tonight and I think I’m ready to embarrass myself then!

@shedbrewed I’ll be interested to see how you go wit the mix. I do love how easy vittoria tyres seem to be to put on tubeless, I switch to the terreno dries last night ready for Pembrey and it took 15 minutes to do both wheels, I tihnk I used to be slower than that wen using tubes!

@superjohn71, if using tubes in your tyres, I’d put a bag with tyre leavers, tubes and a track pump in the ptis. otherwise I wouldnt both with anything.

Am living vicariously through this thread at the moment, no racing for me in the near future although hoping I can limp along to spectate Round 2 of the Scottish Series at Callander Park, always a great course. Managed to talk three pals into entering after enthusing about CX to them, so at least I’ll have someone to cheer/heckle.

Just out of curiosity, what is everybody’s normal warm up drill? I tried various things last season but always ended up having to stop after the first couple of laps until my airways opened up again! Bit of exercise induced asthma I guess. Feels like I need to do some proper balls-out intervals as a warm up to try and get the airways used to the effort and air temps, is that what everybody else is doing?

You might see me at Cally Park then, but its touch and go at the moment as I’ve got some kind of (toddler related) lurgy at and barely ridden in weeks as a result. At least the conditions are likely to be very similar to the last 2 years, so I know what I’ll be missing out on! Still frustrating to miss out on my (joint) favourite race though.

My warm ups are just sprints somewhere as near the start as practical. Usually for around 20mins, purely because that’s how long I read Chris Boardman used to warm up for (with no link to CX at all)

I used to have a structued warm up of 5mins easy, 5 mins tempo, a couple of minutes easy, 3 minutes just suprathreshold, a couple of minutes easy anf then 3 all out sprints and recover, followed b more easy spinning.

However…

My understanding of warmup are that they have a threefold purpose.

1) pschologically to remind you what a super high intensity effort feels like
2) To do something to your muscles which accelerates the speed that lactate is moved away from the musles
3) To warm up the body because warm blood transports oxygen more effectively (or maybe can transport greater quantities.

Given that we typically have to stand around for 10-15 minutes shivering to be gridded and I don’t have anyone waiting to take my clothes, I think 3 is pretty much negated.

I think I get 1 during my practise laps.

I don’t really understnad 2.

So these days I’m pretty ambivalent about warm ups and don’t really bother, just spin around a bit to stay loose and do an effort or two if i cna find useful terrain to enable that.

I like to do a couple of laps just to see what’s up with the course, then 20 mins (easy with a few big spin ups) on the turbo before the race. I think the turbo is more a mental help than physiological – feels controlled and calming, don’t build up nervous energy.

Last race I did, though, I’d done a 25 TT the day before which was new territory for me – legs were sore so I tried a pretty focussed turbo warm up for 30 mins (bloke parked next to me commented that it looked well OTT). Seemed to work well as I was fine in the race – as slow as normal, anyhow.
Learning experience as I know some strongmen like to race Sat and Sun which always sounded way too intense to me, but it’s probably a lot more doable than I thought. Bet it sharpens you right up – deletes your weekend, though.

@ferrals – thanks, I’ll do exactly that.

@ferrals I’ll not have a chance to do much practice with the Mix pre-race as I’m on holibobs.
My warm up is to get a good ride of about 90 minutes in the day before. On race day I like to sight the course as late as possible, then get about 5 miles in on mixed surfaces.
Then hang around waiting for the start. It’s mostly psychological.
Also I know when I finish I can have a beer.

Looking forward to a double header weekend with the national trophy on Saturday then a Scottish round on Sunday. Moving the youths to Saturday at NT means its a single day affair in our house now, which is welcome!

For warm-up I go for the BC 20 minute on the rollers, timed to end a few mins before gridding. Limits the fannying-around time and means I don’t have to think about what I’m doing. Legs woken up, HR moved up and down, ready to go after that. Same warm-up for everything!

I’ve been trying to do as structured warm up as possible but last weekend I failed miserably at this – I was enjoying watching the race before too much and ended up realising my race was about to start with 15 mins to go, so grabbed the bike as sprinted to the start line (~300m). Wasn’t a great feeling sitting on the start line completely cold and think suffered on the first lap because of it – it did mean though that I was able to finish much stronger than I have in previous races!

So, sat in the turbo room and my just fitted challenge baby limus blew off my carbon rim, so in need of some last minute replacements

Ideas? Not an open tubular

The challenge baby limus was tubeless? how did it blow off on a turbo? Front wheel I assume? so just excessive side to side motion on the turbo?

No open tubular, wasn’t on the bike, was just sat newly fitted, i know there is a problem with enve rims (ive had the problem before with enve and strada biancas, didnt know it extended to others

so

x-one all round or Michelin Jet

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/schwalbe-x-one-allround-microskin-folding-tyre/

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/michelin-power-cyclocross-jet-tlr-ts-tyre/

Where are you based? Paul Milnes is in Bradford and Empella bikes is in Derbyshire somewhere if you want to try and get something good from a cross shop short notice. Otherwise prob have to settle for any cross tyre the LBS has in.

Not really understanding the cause of the problem, mind – clincher tyre blown off rim at cx pressures? Is the bead damaged or something that you can’t just stick it back on?

I know a lot of people use and like the schwalbe tyres.

I have no experiance of either.

Will you be setting them up tubeless or tubed?

EDIT. I do agree with GL though, seems a bit odd.

info here

https://www.challengetires.com/news/consumer-product-safety-bulletin

Did Scunthorpe today in the Trophy Day Series. Wobbled around, hopefully not getting in people’s way, and didn’t fall off. Came almost last; would have placed a little bit higher if I hadn’t had to stop with cramps in my calves on the last lap. Loved it.

same here, frustrating day, power was there (to start with) i just didn’t seem to get any rhythm or flow, cadence was well down, usually race mtb on that course in the summer, bit like bambi on ice in the corners today which meant i didn’t carry any speed, need to have a bit of faith in the tyres/grip

It was different for me. I was slow because basically, I’m clueless and don’t know what I’m doing. 😀

I’m also not as fit as I thought, and accidentally had several pints last night!

Wessex CX at foxhill today – that hurt. Was way to conservative at the start and ended up 30s behind the guys I was targeting to be racing and spent the rest of the race trying to pull them back. Did beat someone on the line that I’d been racing for a few laps as a minor victory!

Who’s racing this weekend? Can’t decide on whether to give the west midlands series a go this weekend(Heart of England Conference Centre) or have a weekend off? What’s the back of the pack racing like with this series?

have a weekend off?

Not a chance! Sunny Beacon Hill near Ormskirk this weekend. (Although away next week so I miss the Manchester Race 🙁 )

Pembrey Sunday for us Welsh League riders. Am being optimistic and going with an intermediate/dry tyre mix as the area drains well and is usually firm. Muds will of course be taken for when my optimism fails.

What’s the back of the pack racing like with this series?

In my opinion there is a really good spread, some very fast (but polite) riders lap me at least once or twice a race, but I am still racing quite a few people with similarish fitness and ability. The course at fillongley is fast but with a mix of surfaces including a nice big sandpit.

@shedbrewed – it was still bone dry yesterday according to some GR folk who rode there. I’m sticking with full file treads. With only one wheelset I’m going for the all or nothing approach! Though pit bike has muds on so worst comes to the worse I can switch.

How are field sizes in other leagues this year? I’ve noticed the senior cat in the Welsh league seems down a fair bit; with around 20 entrants for the last few races rather than 30 – 40 for the last couple of years. Particularly suprised about Pembrey which is normally very popular.

WTF is a “file tread”?!

In the NW league we get a choice between full muds or flippers 😂

Ha ha, This year its been full muds or full files for us. We ahve a real range of terrains in our league which is nice. Only problem with the sand is the drivetrain abrasion!

Yup it’s the delightful (in summer) Beacon Park this weekend, almost guaranteed to remove a rear mech or two if this weather continues – just hope it’s not mine this time.

I’ll be there along with the rest of the tribe with Son No.1 looking to continue his strong start in the U8 with 3 from 3 so far and Son No.2 hopefully not having to take his bike for too much of a walk and maybe nab another top 10 in the same cat 🙂

Another normal day in the North West

Good racing battling the normal faces. Legs fell off on the last half lap. Assume TD was somewhere at the front.

And just realised I was marshalling all day last Sunday with BenjiM 🙂

Good racing today Mick – can’t beat a bit of running the bike over flat ground because it’s too much of a quagmire to ride. First lap shocked the legs as it’s a few weeks for me since the last race, but settled ok.
Have to say I was proud of my 8yo kid who manned the pits solo – gave me two bike changes. Was sort of expecting her to give me the bike back as I’d left it, but got a clean bike for the last lap.

Thought Leverhulme was harder on the bike, paradoxically – like today was a lot heavier conditions but that wetness clears the drivetrain somewhat. Whereas Leverhulme you wouldn’t have said was particularly hard conditions at all, but it was in that zone of a load of grassy mud that clogs like a bstard, but not enough rain to clear it off.

Yeah I noticed the bike change hardly lost you any time – efficient kid you’ve got there (mine was sat in the van). Think the big puddles after mud soup corner really helped wash the lumps off each lap. Also didn’t see the normal amount of Beacon snapped hangers.

West Midlands CX was bloody muddy. What didn’t help is my brakes gave up while riding to the grid. Not just low brake power, completely have up spin the wheel freely gave up. Had a couple of tree interactions and one very loud “brakes failed, get out of the way” as I flew through the tape into the crowd watching as I forgot I was without brakes.

Did have fun but was horrendously slow though some sections although I did find out the high speed left at the bottom of the hill was possible without brakes. Effing scary and had to use all the road but doable. The tight right shortly after needed a lot of feet rubbing the ground to do though!

And just realised I was marshalling all day last Sunday with BenjiM

Yep! I had an idea it was you but didn’t like to say “Are you mick who posts on STW, in case it wasn’t and got a blank look!

Good fun yesterday my littlun was to busy chatting on the start line to make a decent go of it in the Under 8’s hopefully she might learn not to answer back to the commisairre She does struggle with the CX version of the frog so I might just put some flat bars. Anyway she was happy with getting a medal and a Mars Bar. Steve your lads do really well, so my question is how often are they riding. We struggle to get riding time in with work, other clubs etc., although Gymnastics on a Saturday morning might be getting knocked on the head!

Tough conditions and I had a great battle with Adrian Dalgleish although I overtook him on the last climb only to blow away my lead by making the mistake of running with the bike after the Belgian corner, which he took advantage of.

Intermediate front and file tread rear worked well at Pembrey yesterday. What clearly didn’t work were the ears of the back-marker; who after I called ‘passing on your right’, turned his head right to look at me and rode right as he did so. This resulted in me t-boning him and a rather unpleasant tangle of bikes and over the bars.
I lost 4-5 places too as we got untangled and I straightened my bike out which added insult to the injury.
Yours grumpily.