For years I’d wanted to try cyclocross, a bike to work purchase saw me finally getting a bike and two days later I duly stood on the line of my first race. It was terrible or more particularly I was terrible, real back of the pack stuff. Not put off I banked some holidays from work and planned the next years season, much to the same result though I did improve a teeny bit. The reality dawned and I realised I wasn’t really enjoying myself that much/at all and I ended up sacking the rest of that years races and had some very enjoyable days in the hills on my mtb instead. Things did take a turn mind and I entered the 3 peaks the following year which I really liked. Last year saw nowt happening.

Anyway this year somehow most of the races align with my shifts( this is extraordinary!) and I’m for having another go. Now I realised most of my disappointment with CX stemmed from my not being very good , which is most of the point of this thread(how to get better?) but also to see what others who partake get out of it.

So any training tips? Or insights? What is it that makes you turn up at the races?

Did you use clinchers pumped up really high to avoid pinch flats? 😯

i like it because i’m not very good and it’s an absolutely ridiculous thing to do whilst you’re doing it but the best fun in the world when it’s over

isn’t that a triumph of hope over experience, Jo? 🙂

Did you use clinchers pumped up really high to avoid pinch flats?

I did use clinchers but not pumped too hard…am I missing something?

You really should turn up at a race on your fat bike, really! The one at the beach park would be ace, as there’s a 200m section on sand that 90% of CXers canny get through whereas you, fine looking specimen that you are, can just breeze past them, leaving them swooning in awe at your sleeveless denim jacket, leather chaps and perfectly trimmed facial bird nest…..

I’d buy that for a dollar!

If you really want to train you can do intervals, practice dismounts, running with the bike, try different tyre pressures, practice accelerating out of corners…

Or you could ride each race as hard as you can and see what happens, get the heart rate up, try and do better than last week.

For me if I didn’t race cross in the winter I wouldn’t be riding my mtb I’d be on the sofa so I look at it as free riding. Take pleasure in watching the people who are properly good at it be good at it and rock around giving them some pack fill to beat.

sounds like you’re not a newcomer, but what bit is it that you can’t get to like?

is it the fact that you’re not finishing at the same level as many others or that you just dont like slipping around in muddy/wet/cold conditions?

if the latter then there’s not much hope for you, as I’m personally in the JoB camp.. don’t finish very high but love it during and after.

I think I personally like the fact that its a mix of both road and offroad skills. Also in the dry races its cool blatting along the flattish bits much faster off road than you would on a MTB…

beyond fitness its all about tyre pressures and testing those to the limit in my view

I love it – And I loved it from the first time I rode a race. There are some many different way to beat people and working out which one to use is part of the enjoyment for me. You have to love dishing it out, making other people hurt is the only way to stop them hurting you.

All this and Euro sing song

I did use clinchers but not pumped too hard…am I missing something?

beyond fitness its all about tyre pressures and testing those to the limit in my view

tubs or tubeless if you want grip and less rolling resistance = faster/less hard work

Interval sprints.
Start/stop’s.
Mount/Dismounts.

Interval and sprints, lots of CX races are short hard digs, then turn then hard dig, turn, hard dig, climb, hard dig, dimount, mount, hard dig… fall off. Get the picture? So, start with short max sprints, 20mtrs relax 20mtrs, spint again and so on.. repeat for about an hour.
Start/stops.. following above, courses tend to have obsticles, practice sprint to dead stop on grass/mud/gravel in sucession, repeat for about an hour.
Mount/dissmounts, again courses will have barriers/blocks/tree logs/steps so go from a sprint to stop and dissmount, then run with your bike (carry or drag) for 50mtrs, mount at running pace and repeat for about an nour.

I’d start with the sprints in training first couple of weeks, then start/stops for a couple of weeks then mount/dissmount for a couple of weeks. Then repeat.

HTH

the best fun in the world when it’s over

you should work in marketing

I must try harder to have a go at racing this winter, this’ll be the 3rd winter of owning a cx bike and I still haven’t ridden “cross”.

If you really want to train you can do intervals, practice dismounts, running with the bike, try different tyre pressures, practice accelerating out of corners..

this sounds sensible.

I utterly love CX racing. Last season was the first year I concentrated on it properly and tried to make it to most of the Scottish series races rather than just the odd one here and there, this year I’m doing the 3Peaks for the first time.

I coach young riders and CX is brilliant for coaching for a number of reasons – you can do it pretty much anywhere, kids can ride pretty much any bike and nearly all the core skills are there.

I think it really works as a racing discipline as just about every rider is in a race with those around them, not like in a road race where a handful of Elites disappear up the road within 10 miles and everyone else is out for a training run. With cross its a ferocious battle all the way! I love the cutting up going into corners, the cheeky passes where there’s not really enough room, and the fact that skills matter. I race singlespeed and love the way you have to try different approaches as the laps tick by and conditions change and your legs start refusing things they could do five laps previously. The sheer ridiculousness of it all!

Its also by far the friendliest racing scene IME and generally makes for a grand day out. Until you get home and have to unload the car and wash the bikes and clothing. That bit sucks.

Hup hup!

With cross its a ferocious battle all the way!

what’s the etiquette? no holds barred, pointy elbows all the way but laugh about it afterwards?

Not sure I’ve ever done “proper” racing, they mostly seem to be good natured events that happen to have some people racing in them.

what’s the etiquette? no holds barred, pointy elbows all the way but laugh about it afterwards?

Pretty much – you’re not really moving fast enough most of the time that a crash would be that dangerous (crashes are generally more comical in nature) so its a rare chance to indulge in some naked aggression!

Everyone’s racing, right through the field, even if they’re not going terribly fast. You’re always trying to get ahead of the riders ahead of you and hold off the ones behind. That’s what’s so great, everyone’s competing, even as the leaders are lapping people.

TrainerRoad has a CX workout plan for turbo or rollers. It looks brutal, so I suspect it may well be v.effective in terms of time vs benefit.

Is there perhaps just an issue of excessive expectations OP?

Have you spent the money on a Nice CX bike, read all the glowing praise for CX racing on here and elsewhere and sort of assumed you’d be alright at it, only to find truth a bit harsher than you’d expected?

I’ve got an ancient Specialized “Sportrock” frame (very early 90s or late 80s I think), 1″ head tube, narrow Dropout spacing (130mm?) for which I have no real use at present but the idea of bodging 700C wheels and canti brakes, some cheap forks and a 1×9/2×9 drivetrain onto it just to try out my local CX races this winter is starting to appeal to me again, I think I have about 70% of the parts in my spares tub and the rest in a ‘CX” watch list on ebay…

But I think along with the spend, I’d need to keep my expectations as low as reasonable… Aiming just to finish would be enough I reckon, otherwise I can see myself falling into the same trap of expecting too much and being a bit disappointed by my performance and the grim reality of riding around a muddy field…

While tyres and bikes makes a difference it doesn’t make that much of a difference that you will suddenly be challenging for positions. Personally I would avoid spending money and focus on riding.

There is a huge fitness element to it. A lot of the top guys I race against are the same ones you see in the top level road races. It is 60 minutes of fast riding on difficult terrain. In general the way to tackle the sand, mud, hill etc. is just through power – control and skill helps but it won’t compensate.

I turn up to races to win – I’ve not managed it yet but I got back more in prize money than I spent on entries last year. I was definitely mid table when I started and have gradually worked on it over 4 seasons.

If you want to train you need to get used to riding for 60 minutes on your limit. You need to work out how hard you can go without cracking. For me this is often harder than I initially think it should be. just because your legs are burning does not mean it is not sustainable. The riding is punchy, it isn’t a timetrial, normally there are bits that interupt rhythm like hurdles, steps, mud etc. You need to get used to this.

Etiquette is there but this is not road racing. Provided you are competitive then blocking, leaning and a bit of tactical riding are fine as long as they are not dangerous. Don’t do it on the first and only do it to those of the same standard. If you are being lapped, move over. The balance needs to be strongly weighted towards letting the strongest/best rider win. And remember, it is a bit of fun so shake hands and congratulate the winner and acknowledge others efforts.

In the leagues I do the start is critical. You need to get to the front before the first corner as after that overtaking is tough. Work on your start ensuring you can get your second foot clipped in and then hammer it into the first corner before settling down for the hour.

Work on technique for mud and low grip conditions. No good having power and fitness if you can’t transfer it to forward speed.

Race those around you. Don’t worry about the guy who lapped you, work out who rides at your level and try to beat them.

If you want some inspirational training videos the Sven ness series are very good.

The fitness thing was the most disheartening I guess, not that I was finishing near the back of the pack but I never felt I had the gear(physical) to feel like I was racing. I tended to feel I was plodding along, this was probably the crux.

You really should turn up at a race on your fat bike, really!

Ha….naw.

is it the fact that you’re not finishing at the same level as many others or that you just dont like slipping around in muddy/wet/cold conditions?

Not bothered about the conditions, mountain biking in Scotland would be fairly limited if that was the case and not the positioning either though praying your not last does add a bit of tension 🙂 More for the reasons above.

Is there perhaps just an issue of excessive expectations OP?

Have you spent the money on a Nice CX bike, read all the glowing praise for CX racing on here and elsewhere and sort of assumed you’d be alright at it, only to find truth a bit harsher than you’d expected?

Yes maybe a bit,I don’t think there was any personal expectations(i.e. positioning) though I didn’t think it would have been as hard as it was. I’d first came across CX in Cycling Plus in the 90’s and it was painted as a keep fit over the winter type of thing/turn up with a mountain bike and have a go.

Thanks for all the training tips so far, it certainly was a factor that was lacking, I’d came from long distance triathlon where paddle,bimble and plod were the order of the day.

I don’t particularly remember playing around with tyre pressures I’ll bear it in mind and keep an eye on it. Funnily enough IIRC the best finish I had was on a singlespeed mountain bike with conti 1.5’s, the previous week my rear deraileur had been ripped of the cx bike during a clogfest. And alas my biking budget in spread thin enough, no tubs for me I’m afraid.

Cheers jonba, very good post, I’d been typing mine so long that I missed yours.

I would recommend trying out some of your local clubs and joining one you like. You should be able to get lots of good advice on racing and training. If it is a reasonably big club you should be able to find people of similar ability to ride and train with.

kcr, that is probably a pretty good idea, I can’t seem to get anyone I ride with interested and I was often there on my tod which made the days out mountain biking that bit more appealing. One of the local clubs organises one of the races and I’m pretty certain has weekly training.

Aye, they train on a thu night, from about the end of august.

You coming along then?

I’d say don’t expect too much. As you know its the hardest hour plus a lap you’ll experience so use it as a training tool.

Its a bit like TTing for me, measuring the output so your not crawling over the line. I’m pragmatic enough to realise I’m not going to win so consistent lap tomes is my aim.

Relax, and enjoy it.

There’s no better sound than the bell for the last lap. 🙂

I absolutely love cross. Thurman merman of the STW parish talked me into turning up at ashton court in Bristol once. It was 0 degrees with snow and ice on the ground. I turned up on my mountain bike and had a bash.

It was of course brutal.. I loved streaming past a few riders on the technical bits (only to be over taken again on the flats)

Now ride a proper cross bike. I don’t find the time (or inclination) to train properly but I do hammer it on my commute. Takes a me a few races to get into some race fitness.

The western league in Bristol is really popular now. We had a 100 riders turn up at 1 race (speaking to the elders who mentioned back in the day it was 7 or 8!)

Aspects i love about cross

* Variation of courses _ some are more suited to me (long straights where i can put it down.. some are not (loads of corners, lots of sprinting)

* League – Racing with the same guys week in week out you get to know how they ride, which courses they’re good/bad at and also you know how you compare. You get some good friendly rivalry each week

* social – I’ve become good friends with a lot of the riders now to the point a load of us went to see some cross action in Belgium back in February.. I used to do some road racing a few years back and i would have never of dreamed of that! I’ve known riders to lend out tubs, spare wheels, spare bikes, split links just so someone can race. It’s all very friendly.

* Short – I like the fact it’s short. It’s suits me better. I don’t have to do loads of training.. it’s 50mins plus a lap and i can turn up to a race with come commuting miles under my belt and have a great race

* Technical – If you’re good technically it can make quite a difference. It’s not all about power/fitess

The only hard bit is racing with elites/pros (oli beckingsale for example) and make you look bad

Naw, I’ll come out with you YK, but no with that bunch.

Race those around you. Don’t worry about the guy who lapped you, work out who rides at your level and try to beat them.

That sums up cross racing and why it’s so addictive, made more friends with cross than other branch of racing.

Jonba & 2Tyred offering good advise.

Its 90% down to fitness. The other 10% is where tyre pressure and the dismounts come in.

Its a real shock to the system if you have never raced before. Starting off at a sprint .. and trying to maintain it for as long as the race lasts.
20 mins in to every cx race my legs and lungs are screaming they need to stop … but you push yourself that little longer and before you know it your on the last lap.

I run clinchers. Tyre pressure will be right for some of the course and wrong for other parts. Lowish pressure if its wet/muddy .. bit more if its a dry/bumpy. Lots can go wrong with clinchers as well as tubs.

Fitness is going to get you further to the front than anything else.

Fitness is going to get you further to the front than anything else.

It does but I was surprised how much of a difference lighter wheels and tyre pressures make

I’ve got my first Cx race on tuesday and looking forward to It. I’m not going to take It seriously as I have seen the list of riders and some are supremely fit roadies so I know I will be lucky to even make the bottom half of the field. I’ve just fitted a slightly shorter stem and dropped my seat on my Cdf as I wasn’t aware when buying the bike that you are normally a size down from a road bike size. Still should be good fun . 😀

jonba – Member

only do it to those of the same standard. If you are being lapped, move over.

How do you know?

Northwind – Member
jonba – Member
only do it to those of the same standard. If you are being lapped, move over.

How do you know?

oh, you know 🙂

Its kinda like shoving wasps down a set of bib shorts.

+1 with it being the friendliest racing – I race with the same league as tricky and everyone has been super friendly no matter where you come in the race – As i’ve moved up through the results I would have expected it to become less so, but it just hasn’t.

Perhaps its because its so stupid, no can really take it that serious!

Lighter wheels not gonna make much difference when they caked in 3″ of mud lol

Totally agree that cx is friendly atmosphere to race. You do get one or two nobs that scream to pass .. but generally any of the proper fast guys will know score and look to pass without distrupting your race.

I did two races last year as a bit of pre-Gorrick training. As everyone has said- it is brutal! I did the Western League race at Stroud and the saving grace was the women’s race ran the same time as my cat (open?) so I had some people I could overtake 😀 Well, until they overtook me back that was.
My HR for that was 177av and 188max. In comparison, the Gorrick the following week was 176av and 190max so there is some good cross training to be had either way.

I rode the one at Basingstoke on my Scott Spark and it does make you feel conspicuous. I was no faster on my pimped-for-CX GT at Stroud mind you 😉

It’s all about mindset. If you can view it as a cheap training session in good company with a few guaranteed comedy moments thrown in then it’s all good.
If you hate to see people pass you like your going backwards or you see it is as a cold, wet-yet-sweaty hour of pain in stinking playing field mud then perhaps not so good 😀

Also another vote for watching the Svenness vids- they’re inspirational and very well produced.

+1 with it being the friendliest racing – I race with the same league as tricky and everyone has been super friendly no matter where you come in the race

hello! what kit do you race in?

Not wishing to hijack the Op’s post but I have my first cx event tomorrow and It’s been a bit byblical up here. I’ve got a cdf with Rocket rons or a Full suss with Bonty Mud x’s as a lot of the grass will be under water what would you use. ?

CX, you’ve got to get used to it sliding around under you 😀