The Cyclocross season is upon us. Yay!

At least it will be dry up above on Sunday 😉

I’ve been in the process of CX-ing my old GT hardtail this week but I don’t reckon my rigid fork will be here in time so I reckon its another race on the mtb. I’ve put some Shwalbe CX pros on, bought it its own M520 pedals, ordered a steel rigid fork for it (1.5kg lighter than the Rockshox on there though), replaced the cheap and nasty V-brakes with some Shimano Deore/Acera ones and converted it to 1×9. Can’t wait to try it out 🙂

Just upgraded to Strava Premium so will be hitting the Sufferfest vids too as my ‘proper’ training has ground to a halt.

dobo, you could just pop down and watch for a bit? It can be entertaining, instructive and maybe a little awe-inspiring to see the top racers in action.

the first cx race i saw was at southampton (i used to live at chandlers ford), i then raced southampton over xmas or new year and barely made it round, it was very hard. cant recall if it was the year before last but i had a proper good wipeout in the snow/ice on a bend.
Just talked to the misuses about going and well obviously she not keen, but you never know.
Got to get in my long run tomorrow morning first whatever happens, got some events i need to be ready for.

Oldgit – proper cross misery pic that one!

Our weather luck changed last weekend here in Helsinki, rained for a few days before then tipped it down for 3 of the 4 hours before the race, followed by a light drizzle for the ride to the course and race itself. This was the ‘cross where it should not be’ series so was expecting an interesting course, arrived a bit late and told I didn’t have time for a lap as it was 20 + mins and they were already delaying the start so people who were practicing would make it back on time! A few trickled in looking pretty muddy and dead after one practice lap… Was muddy, rocky, rooty, somewhat downhill and technical for the first 3rd, flattish, rooty and very muddy for the second, and short sharp repeated fireroad hills for the final third. These killed you just in time to hang on for dear life on the next time laps dh section… Mostly on a rock base though so the mud was watery rather than claggy.

Had a good ride though, first race where I felt I could give it full gas when I wanted after little training before the season and a cold a week or two back. And managed to break my run of 5th places with a 4th overall and second CX (as the course favoured MTB or monstercross), so am now join leader of this series as the main contender double flatted…

The organiser of the more traditional series, next up this Sunday, has been rubbing his hands with glee at all the rain and planning the most evil, muddy field Belgian mudbath style route he can figure, he’s been wanting a mudfest for months now and I think he’ll have it on Sunday!

Wow that course looks fun SSBonty 🙂

I had a good time at Stroud today. The course was fairly short but had a great mix of terrain with a nice singletrack bit including a couple of steep climbs. I was pleased to ride them both each and every lap.
It was vets/juniors/women and seniors so no chance to get lonely this week. Had a couple of good battles and then was lapping very closely to one of the women. The fact we each had our quick and slow parts meant we really did egg each other on- great fun.

Can’t believe how tough it is- I know everyone says it but it is relentless. Didn’t check out my result so not sure where I finished.

nice one crosshair, was tempted but stroud a little too far.

SSbonty those trails look fantastic

CX next weekend at oxford although the course is mainly field (you just know there will be a strong headwind) and some rooty singletrack if i recall.

Anyone in and near Yorkshire try this in 2 weeks time.

I love the way they leave the novices until the course is really fruity at the end 😀 😉 🙂

I love the way they leave the novices until the course is really fruity at the end

It can swing both ways. One week the novices were lapping 5 minutes faster than the seniors. The week after the seniors had the driest run.

That’s an interesting point Oldgit- Five mins a lap is a big difference.

If we are pimping our local CX events, im organising this one next Saturday (9th Nov).

South Shields (so all you north-east riders get along!)
Gypsies Green Velodrome, a unique venue, was great fun last year.

I love the way they leave the novices until the course is really fruity at the end

Its a different course, cross is always a gamble as to how you lay out the course. As I’m course designer and builder the they is me, I’ll change it as the day goes on if thats whats required so dont worry Crosshair.

So who raced this weekend?

Double race weekend for me, Saturday was a failure summed up by this timely picture:

Sunday was a little better but still not what I expect.

You guys?

No CX for me- was Gorrick XCing instead. Might go to Bath this coming Sunday…

Swedish Chef – Ooof! Is the racing so close that one fall will drop you way back, or was it just one of those days when everything went wrong?

I missed the previous weeks race which was all the organiser had hoped for and more by all accounts – a muddy death march with ripped off mechs and totally blocked wheels galore! Couldn’t make it but sounds like SS would have been perfect…

This weekends was the first familiar track this year, but I was a feeling a bit rough so took it relatively easy. Lots of rain here in Helsinki in the week before, plus in the am of the race, so standing water in quite a few places but the track itself – fireroad, singletrack, a few muddy run ups and one precipitous slither down a steep grassy and rocky bank – held up pretty well, better than last year. The rain held off and it was even a little sunny towards the end of the race.

This was back to the ‘CX where it does not belong’ series, so plenty of rooty singletrack with opportunities to flat or go badly wrong. And a climb up a short DH run complete with small jumps! Maybe as I was taking it a little slowly I managed to not have too many problems and felt like the hardest sections were flowing pretty well.

The above drop off caught out plenty of people – off-camber, diagonal roots on the approach meant you ended up being forced mostly into a line heading for either the left or right of those roots on the downslope, not the line down the centre. See this photo set[/url] for some dismounts, alternative lines round the trees, a couple of wheelie drops and plenty of mid- and post-crash images at the same dropoff!

It was also the Finnish fixed CX championships, so plenty of unsuitable bikes ridden in good spirit. I even won a cycling cap for I think first singlespeed. Ended up 6th after a run of 5ths and one 2nd, but was overtaken by 2 folks in the last 1/4 lap and had nothing left to hold on so not too bad considering I was feeling rough. Quick tyre swap from ‘proper monstercross’ (46mm) to ‘just monstercross and only cos the UCI changed the rules a while back’ (35mm, still legal for all but the Finnish championship here) for the regular series this Sunday, hopefully feeling on better form…

Respect to rider 27 in that set!

The Finns have an odd sense of what CX is but I like the fact everyone is racing with a smile.

One of those days, was about 2 minutes or 10 places behind where I should have ended up.

Yeah, the fixed thing brought everyone from fixed mixte riding lasses to bike couriers, alley cat racers to old school fixed road hardmen, on top of the normal mix of cx racers (which runs from full lycra clad/UCI legal bikes through stuff like mine – SS, flared drops, wider tyres but on a normal cross frame – to MTBs etc). Lots of beer after – we hire a communal sauna for post ride warming up 🙂 Number 10 is a multiple Finnish championship winner (track, road, cross, MTB) who rides the series under the pseudonym ‘Bruce Wayne’ wearing a cape, mask and full body fringed bat outfit!

There didn’t used to be pretty much any CX races in Finland other than the national championships, so a bunch of couriers and bike shop guys started a series for mostly cross type bikes on mostly cross type terrain. It’s unofficial, so it’s way easier to mark out a track using forest singletrack and fireroads with some grassy/muddy bits than hiring/stealing a lawn, park or school playing field for a fully grass type traditional track. Rules are somewhat relaxed – tyres under 2″ and rigid forks/drop bars qualify for series points. And of course MTBs welcome but no points scoring. Mostly just for fun, and sometimes just to see what course a CX bike can actually be ridden round!

This year a complementary series has started up, with stricter rules – 35mm or less tyres – and more ‘normal’ CX courses, though still most of the races are towards the technical end of the normal CX spectrum and less grassy just as it’s easier finding courses. Most of them are not too different to the more technical regional races in the UK. More ‘normal’ and UCI legal cross bikes at this one, as lots of folk buy them as commuters or to ride gravel/fire roads.

As more of an MTBer than road or CX rider I find the courses a great mix of the technical and the ‘chucking up a lung’ all out speed sections – usually lots of short sharp hills that are borderline doable on single speed, short blasts connecting the mud/hills/singletrack etc. The one by the beach involving multiple dismounts and runs through the sand was fun!

Same for me, was around 2 mins down, all on the last lap, but luckily that was only 2 places as we’d put in a good gap when I was battling for 3rd and 4th before then.

There wasn’t any racing the weekend just gone, just as well as I’ve had a heavy cold.
Racing, or hope to be racing on my favorite CX course this coming Sunday. I’m just hanging onto 3rd overall, but I think that will start to slip away soon.
I always seem to get a cough or cold in the cross season.

Bit of a long shot but don’t suppose anyone is finding there 50-52cm cross bike to small? Really struggling to move my 54cm tricross around as nimble as I’d like

Right ,the land bruisers are off and some proper cross tyres are on for Sundays cross in Bath .I may even ride the mile there from my house .Look out for me near the back on a five bar gate orange Dave Lloyd !!

I went for a proper long CX hack yesterday in the late blazing sunshine! over a route that normally takes me 2 1/2 hrs on my Niner I took 3 hours just because it was so much fun.. What a stunning day, today is much the same..
Wow 8)

rp16v does it have to have disc mounts on it? If not then i’ve got an Tinbred On-One CX frame. It was Nick Craigs race bike when he raced for On-One hence no disc mounts.

It’s 135mm rear spacing but i’ve got a wheel for it you could have its not great but still rideable.
Centre of BB to top of ST is 51cm. Their is a few cable rub marks thats marked the finish of the frame but being titanium its hardly going to rust.

crosshair – Member

I love the way they leave the novices until the course is really fruity at the end

It wont be I’ve organised a perfect day for a cross race even the weather is going as planned 😉

We are sending the kids out first to make a track, be tough going for them 🙂
Anyone with kids fancy letting them loose ?

Kuco thanks for the offer but I’ve just got new wheels and its probably above my budget(ideally looking to swap my tricross frame)

Superb day yesterday at The Ilkley Cross anyone from here turn up ?

A few pictures

Large field, loads of starters, one very small gap/stile, hmmm interesting, more like the first singletrack section of an MTB race!

The Swedish Chef – Member

Large field, loads of starters, one very small gap/stile, hmmm interesting, more like the first singletrack section of an MTB race!
Yes the bridge did cause a bottle neck on the first lap, when I designed and built the course I hoped for the field to be more spread as they approached. It was the fact that there was over 120 starters in the main race and were’nt segregated with a minute between the vets, seniors and juniors.
Next time [my first go at organising a major event] it will be changed.

Results here[/url]

That wasn’t a criticism, just wow a crazy number of starters. Some more age group/cat races may be in order next year.

So good to see that many people in a “local” race.

No racing for me this weekend, but it was the Swedish national champs, the main event was the elite women’s race which saw Emma Johansson of Orca Greenedge, Lisa Nordén who claimed silver in the triathlon at London 2012, and Jenny Rissveds the World Cup XCE champion, turn up against the normal CX elite.

Loads of good pictures here:
http://happymtb.org/forum/read.php/1/2251370/page=7

Had a good days racing considering I was floored all week. Plus I wasn’t gridded and I’m still 3rd overall. They called out everyone who’s raced this season, then finally said ‘and anyone else’ that meant me! Managed to claw back to 8th in the end.
I’m not BC, and we think that’s the reason. That said I was gridded at the last race and the commissaire afterwards apologised for a previous non gridding?
Odd, but I aint pro and I aint gonna win.

You should speak to the central league organisers, they produce the gridding sheet, the commissaire abides by that, unless say, you’ve got someone staying in town before heading to the worlds and fancies a local race, then its seems only polite to bring her forwards over league riders. You should be on the list, just because you’re not BC, but then you’ll be paying an extra £3 or so a week for the privilege of not being BC.

Cheers Andy. I always enter online as well. It’s happened twice, people I beat hands down each week are called up by name. As I say I’m not a contender, but if I don’t get gridded I never see my peers again. Mark apologised for the last time.

There should be a list of current standings on the central league website. However, I’m not involved in central league any more, so I don’t really look at the website.

In the western league anyone in the top ten of the league standings gets gridded (plus Oli Beckinsale when he races) and then the organiser calls for anyone in the top ten of other leagues to join the grid before the baying hordes. shouldn’t matter if you’re bc or not.

London League grid according to average finishing position not current position in the league, perhaps that’s what Central do too. This is ok most of the time except if you dnf you still might be given a placing which kills your average. I’ve gone from front row to ungridded because of this. :0(

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dynamitedotorg/10906958115/in/set-72157637766707225

Great to see loads of kids riding the Western League yesterday at Odd Down .There were 100 riding in the seniors and vets .Big thanks to Analogue Andy Bath Cycling Club and all their marshals for organizing it

London League grid according to average finishing position not current position in the league, perhaps that’s what Central do too. This is ok most of the time except if you dnf you still might be given a placing which kills your average. I’ve gone from front row to ungridded because of this. :0(

This was suggested, but the names called have never bettered me. Including a guy that’s done one race and I lapped him.

CX Sweden’s supports guide here 8)
http://cxsweden.blogspot.se/2013/11/who-to-cheer-for.html

A bit of fun for those looking for an idea of who to cheer for

A break from racing this weekend, so a long overdue road ride is up soon.
Marshaling a UCI event Sunday, so not exactly cross free.

Spiral of doom at Gilwern today.