2017/18 CX season race reports

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smutchin

smutchin

Cat 6 Racer
Location
The Red Enclave
Trouble with the Crux is you have to put up with the odd comment every time you ride it, re-the colour, unfortunately I do not have the ready wit to reply with anything clever.

You could paraphrase Nic Cage from Wild At Heart (though he was talking about his snakeskin jacket)...

"This here bike represents a symbol of my individuality and my belief in personal freedom."

It's bollocks, of course, but it's a good line.
 

dan_bo

How much does it cost to Oldham?
 

Proto

Legendary Member
My first cross race for 50 years**, Rd 1 Central League MK Bowl. Unsurprisingly I'm in the 60+, mixed in with the 50-59 yo. 85 or so on the start line. Gridded last, unsurprisingly, and I stayed pretty well in that position to the end, but managed to pick off a couple of the 50+ lot.
HR bouncing off the limiter within 50 metres of the start, thought I'd do a lap and pull out, but kept going and finished! Worked bloody hard, ave HR 155, max 167 bpm. Felt rather pleased with myself.

Back for Rd 2 tomorrow. Over 100 entered my race. 62 pre-entered the women's race!!

PS another Crux in crazy colours. I love it!

** Marsh & Baxter Pork Chop Grand Prix, Bromsgrove, 1968 (I think). Mick Ives won the senior event. I was in the schoolboy race, fell off, broke my Simplex gears, packed and vowed never again. I lied.

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Well round 3, back to real CX weather, it rained for hours before and during the race. A complete mud fest. I was gridded near the back which saved me from the traditional slidey pile up into the first bend. I was on untried wheels and tyres but the tubless Vittoria Terrino mud tyres were excellent, pity it was me trying to make them go fast. Felt garbage yesterday and today so ended up where I expected, instead of starting slow then picking people off one by one, I started off slow and ended slow. Garmin threw its teddy out the pram, gave me a average off 22 mph and according to the GPS data I was criss crossing local dual carriagways.
Quite enjoyable though apart from all the time afterwards cleaning everything. Bike ended up a less loud colour.
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@palinurus Yes it just slipped off the wheels and tyres, it stopped raining after my really old farts race and the mud started to dry, the not so old farts race had it worse and by the time the juniors+seniors race was underway it was turning into treacle, a guy on facebook who was riding on canti brakes was asking if the disc braked guys also had to stop to pull mud out of the frame and brakes, of course no one had the same problem. One of the reasons I switched to discs.
 

Proto

Legendary Member
@HarryTheDog , what gear ratios are you running? I'm on 38 - 11/36, and seems okay.

I'm putting a bike for my daughter to use and I'm out of my depth, really. Very strong rider, super fit, was thinking 38 or 40 -11/32 Thoughts?
 
@Proto I run 40-11/36, I wouldnt mind running 11-42 like my MTB but can get up all the hills on CX courses I have tried but have to stand and stamp on very steep. I was actually talking gear ratios to 3 other cx guys all had 38 Fronts,but 2 had 42 on the rear. 38 seems to be a popular front chainring. As ref your daughter depends weather shes super strong heavy or super strong light. Heavy a 42 rear may help. My daughter was a junior national TT champ, regional womens crit champ when still a junior , represented eastern in Track and MTB, CX as well. CX regional races always on the podium. Her lowest gear was a 34-32 highest 46-11 , small 5ft 3 but was around 9 stone . Which is actually the same on the lower gears , of course a lot higher top gear. On Sunday I will have a look at the fast ladies gears.
 

Proto

Legendary Member
I was in 38 x 11/36. Could just about get up everything. Out the saddle at times, not sure how that would work if very muddy.

Daughter rode her first CX race for a few years last weekend, Central League, 10th (top 5 was possible with better tactics - I’m holding a bit back for the last lap. Er..... it is the last lap!). She’s 5’8”, about 60kg. Had been riding full time for three years but quit over a year ago and has been riding just for fun. Still does a lot of miles but no real ‘proper’ intense training.

She really enjoyed it and is going to give this season a proper go, even talk of National Trophy races, thus dad building a new bike (Trek Boone).

Emily Wandsworth was riding a 40t ring last week, not sure of cassette, possibly 11/32. I’ve bought both a 38 and a 40t ring. See what she thinks best.

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@Proto your daughter looks to have a good physique for CX road etc should do well . I forgot to look at the ladies gears, a couple got past me towards the end of the race but in reality they were far ahead as they start 1 minute 30secs behind us old guys.
My race this weekend was a good one for me, an extra 20 people were allowed to race so 98 in total. I came 2 places higher than last week the same position as the week before but 5 below the first race. These results are hard to show I did a lot better but the extra 20 people had me only a few places below half way instead of my usual bottom third. Also first race of the season that I did not get lapped by anyone!
It was hard dry conditions and you felt you were really shifting in some places. According to Strava my top speed was just over 22mph but as I flew through the trees it felt a lot faster. After the first lap I settled into a 4 man race which was a good group and we overtook a few people, by the last lap turned into a 3 man race. When the lap bell went as we past the start finish line one of the guys put a big dig in, I tried to follow but the guy manged to gain 20 odd yards on me and I just could not get back to him and he extended his lead till he was nearly out of sight. The guy behind me had the same problem and could not get back to me and by half way on the lap I could not see him either. However I then got someone to race, one of the faster ladies came from behind so I shadowed her to the end but then rather un-gentlemanly sprinted for the line and pipped her at the post, rather childish in reflection since she had started 1.5 mins behind in the first place .
 
Well round 5 was a bit different, the ladies were not racing with the old geezers and had their own race. Over 40 turned up. What I thought was strange was I overheard a group of 3 woman complaining that they preferred to race with the men.
The conditions were mixed and getting drier all the time, mud was tacky, my full mud tyres in the race filled with mud but no fling onto the frame at all.
Well I had a very fast start for me and after around a quarter of the 1st lap found myself just behind my team mate who had started 3 lines up the grid from me and is usually 20-30 places ahead. Then towards the end of the first lap I could feel I was sweating hugely, I was soaked. It was a cold day and I had put on a merino base layer but stayed with shorts. It was so bad my girlfriend spotted I was dripping as I passed her on the start finish line and she shouted to ask if I was ok. Then people started to pass me, I kept tying to put a stake in the ground and stay with whoever was passing me but one by one they got away. On the 3rd lap I came down hard on the nose of my saddle and it tipped. I had to stop and give it a good thumping to even it up. 3 people got past meanwhile, I thought I would catch them but I didn't. The last lap someone came past on the start finish line and I was determined not to let him go, he also got away and I spotted a pair closing me down, just then I realised I had not been lapped which is unusual for me. I dug in but the closing pair were inching up to me. With 400 yds to go they were just a few yards behind. We came to a open bit and I sprinted to try and put in a gap and make them lose interest. I decided not to look back till the finishing straight. When I got there they were nowhere to be seen. I finished and expected the result to be rubbish as I was cooking and drenched in sweat like I had been in a sauna. Turns out I had equaled my best result of the year. In the other race I had spent the race coming from behind picking people off, in this one I had hared off and people picked me off. Next race is mixed again but the entry has been increased to 100 riders.
 

I like Skol

A Minging Manc...
CX race day this Sunday :eek:

I don't know about @dan_bo but this will be the first one this year and only my second CX race ever. I am having second thoughts about throwing my recently new best bike into the fray but the only alternative is a 20+ yr old MTB.

Preparation has consisted of riding my 10 mile each way commute as fast as possible for the last 4 days, with my 5th and final commute tomorrow. I feel ready but wondering what, if any, riding I should do on my days off between finishing my shift and the big day. Ride or rest?

How about you Dan, you ready?
 

dan_bo

How much does it cost to Oldham?
CX race day this Sunday :eek:

I don't know about @dan_bo but this will be the first one this year and only my second CX race ever. I am having second thoughts about throwing my recently new best bike into the fray but the only alternative is a 20+ yr old MTB.

Preparation has consisted of riding my 10 mile each way commute as fast as possible for the last 4 days, with my 5th and final commute tomorrow. I feel ready but wondering what, if any, riding I should do on my days off between finishing my shift and the big day. Ride or rest?

How about you Dan, you ready?
I'll be doing a bit when i get back from Oslo otherwkse i'll be relying on my 3 peaks prep-not ideal but hey ho.
 
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