CX racers – How do you like your courses?

Which features do you like/dislike?

One for Grit.cx forum then!

I hate off camber climbs, because I fall off on them a lot.
I like short, steep, twisty descents – they are fun.

LIKE: singletrack, steep up/down bits, off camber, rocky/rooty bits

DISLIKE: wide fast fieldy bits, mud, rain (not really relevant but don’t like it)

Tell us why you want to know Tang!! 8)

Dislike sticky mud that feels like riding through treacle. Like pretty much everything else. Actually like the wide fast fieldy bits for passing (not so much for being passed.)

I know I can keep up with faster people (roadies) on the techy bits, but then get dropped on the fields 😥

Extreme mud with off camber and hills. Makes it worth having tubs then 😉

Like: Anything you can pedal up/on/down.
Dislike: Anything its easier to pick bike up and run up/over/down. And that sticky mud that clogs wheels/tyres/chainsets/rear derailers.

Ok Pete I’ll come clean! Going for putting on a cx endurance event in early October. We have a fantastic venue and can stretch the course as it’s not trad cx. I have a whole private valley with woods loaded with singletrack, gravel roads, pasture, climbs, hairy descents, full gas flats and an old airfield at the top for all the other stuff like food and beer. It’s come about quite by serendipity. My friend who is a pro roadie with NFTO owns the land and I work for Pat Adams on Mayhem and he’s lending support. I also work for the bespoked show so a makers team could be in. Between us we can rustle up some prizes. A good fun (but tough riding) day out before league racing starts.
Everyone riding together and a bit of a evening after. 15 mins from Bath junction on the M4.
Anyone interested?

I hate courses that go over freshly ploughed fields when it’s raining heavily like the last one I did in December where the mud was so claggy that it stuck around the bottom bracket area resulting in this………..

I wasn’t the only one abandoning the race with a F***d bike either! 👿

Don’t like claggy mud as I have one bike and no pit crew – it also eats mechs and hangers (as above) and gets expensive.

What I like is long, draggy, sloppy climbs into the wind because I am a strong climber and can normally drop people on the ups. Dismounts and technical bits are good too so it isn’t a crit race on grass. I also like stuff that is only just ride able so you have to judge whether it would be quicker to ride or run better still if these can change throughout the race.

Ohh no to ploughed fields!

Currently I already have big climbs, shouldering inclines, tech steep and contouring singletrack and fast flats, want to incorporate as much variety as poss.

yes 100% interested (and not too far from me either)- this sounds like what cross should be! It would be an XC course on a cross bike if I had my say,I’m not a fan of 7 laps around a muddy field!

Tang is it the same place that holds an mtb event currently that claims you can not ride the venue apart from in that mtb event?

Things that I don’t like about CX races is that the bends are either slow 180’s or slow 90’s. Why not some high speed sweeping corners ??

No not that place! Although I am involved there atm. Pat is partly to blame as he’s been encouraging me to do it! Great person to have as a mentor. This is looking like a team/pair/solo event 4 or 6 daylight hours, longer course (10/12k), bits verging on tough xc but all the bits that are advantageous to cx! Plus a bit of a party(my gran is from Flanders so any cycling must have a party).

Like all traditional cross features. Dislike anything that would be better tackled on a mountain bike.
I like the idea of a endurance cross race, but not one held on a course more suited to mountainbikes.
Don’t see the point of making cyclocross like XC racing, otherwise what’s the point of Xc racing?
A physically grueling Cx race sounds ‘fun’

The field of despair from multiple Hit the Norths….I love and loathe it in equal amounts 😀

Fast, hilly, skippy, heart pumping, short drags, twisty woods, dry. 😀

I would be so game for an endurance CX, like the three peaks but with less hike a bike would be perfect, and less steps for me to get rattled apart down.

I love a huge variety of surfaces, makes for interesting riding when you are going grass>tarmac in the wet, makes it lovely and sketchy!

Oldgit you have it! There is a tipping point for sure. We’re not all Chris Akrigg! The design has to overall favour the cx. Bikebouy that’s it! In fact I ride the wood sections yesterday and even after the winter we have had it’s bone dry.

Can fat northeners on mtb’s join in?

Not been to Baff for years.

Put me down for sure.

Plus 49 years category please. 8)

Dry. Dry. Dry.

I hate mud. And rain

I should emigrate really.

Hate mud, hate carrying the bike, if it’s cycling then you should be cycling, hate long draggy climbs, I’m no good at them.

Love flowy single track, open bits so the quick racers can pass the slow fat blokes like me. Really, I like mild XC on a cross bike. So not really CX then. 😕

Thanks guys! I’m on it. Few bits to sort out but it’s looking good!

Bit of everything, every course should be different, different bits favour different people, I’m a reasonable climber but not so good on the technical bits, would hate to see all the technical bits ripped out, as they are enjoyable. Couple of standout courses Tong in Yorkshire, Kenilworth Boxing Day, Ripley Castle, Otley for Yorkshire summer series, and Todmorden as it’s again totally different feel to anywhere else. Variety is great, the sport is vastly sanitized to what was raced in the late 80’s and 90’s when I started.

Your course venue sounds good, with plenty of variety so don’t hold back on the technical man made CX features that’ll make it CX. If it were me I’d add a proper bastid CX feature every km, pre sand pit water sprinkler, water crossing, mud bog, up steps, 18″ boards, hairpin on uphill off camber singletrack, plenty of time for riding on a course so make em get off as well. With no disrespect intended, NOT, like the Stroud CX race around Stratford Pk. Oh, and I’d put the 18″ boards for riding / running in the centre of the beer tent selling Stroud Brewery ales supplied by Greg, with Velo Pizza knocking out organic nosh as well.

Well if the course ran through the beer tent then I’ll only manage half a lap. That’s the SSer in me coming out. 😀

Not far off there querty! Got all the features there! Plus a few surprises…still want to help out?

I love sweepy berms but also big ruts,pumpy hills most of my non race cxing is local fast MTB singletrack its actually more fun so that mixed with a pump track would be ideal for me…anything that would give me help loosing out on the open section sprints.

The event sounds great but without wanting to hijack the thread. Anyone know if there will be a summer evening cyclocross series again this year?

Cheer

I’ll come Tang.

All sounds spot on to me I’d be interested in a play nice and local as well(Bristol based)

Riding through muddy fallen leaves as it clogs everything up and riding becomes impossible

Definitely up for it

Makes me laugh reading the comments about hating mud & rain-you don’t actually like CX racing then do you!

Sounds great though, just please don’t make it clash with Hell of the West if you’re thinking early October?

Lots of challenging, high speed turns on wet slippy grass with plenty of off camber sections and space to get past if you have the skill / balls please 🙂

Darn I always remembered hell of the west as a late September event. Date I’m working on is 6th of October. I might have to look at mid September also as a back up. Details shouldn’t be long now folks.