London X League 2012/13 season

[VamP]

We'll meet for sure, you get to know most people doing these pretty quick anyway. It's a friendly crowd.

I always try to get down early too, I likewise enjoy watching the youth races. And I like to ride lots of practice laps - I've been known to ride more practice than race Plus I'm quite capable of messing around with tyre pressures for a couple of hours.

No need to emulate that particular quirk.

 

[smutchin]

I'm at the start, signed on (no.220), done a few test laps... Is this much fun actually legal?

Suspect it's all going to be slightly more terrifying in race conditions though.

d.

 

[smutchin]

Wow. That was amazing. I am totally cooked but what a buzz! I would be grinning from ear to ear right now if I had the strength.

Pretty pleased with my performance - managed six or maybe seven laps, not entirely sure, but in any case, I didn't get lapped by the fast boys until much later than I was expecting.

VamP passed me towards the end but I'm not sure if he lapped me or just caught me as I was starting to fade. Embarrassingly, he passed me on a technical bit as I came down a steep bank and was struggling to clip back into my pedals so almost missed a turn. Amazingly, that was my only mishap - didn't fall off and no mechanicals.

Will definitely be doing that again.

d.

 

[palinurus]

Wow. That was amazing. I am totally cooked but what a buzz! I would be grinning from ear to ear right now if I had the strength.

Quite right.

It's really hard isn't it? it surprises me everytime.

It's good to stay on too, better to take it too easy and lose a place than to wipe out and lose four or more.

 

[smutchin]

I managed to keep going at a good pace for about 50 minutes but faded badly towards the end. The competitive instinct kept me going but parts of the course are quite exposed and there was a strong headwind in places.

I was a bit wary of the technical bits at first, but got more and more confident with them as the race went on, which is just as well because they got harder and harder as the legs got tired. But I was still riding up bits where others were getting off and carrying their bike, so I was pretty pleased with that. Dropping down steep banks at speed is such a thrill!

Saw a few falls, mainly towards the end of the race - presumably tiredness playing a big part in them.

d.

 

[palinurus]

Saw a few falls, mainly towards the end of the race - presumably tiredness playing a big part in them.

Before my first races I practiced mounting and dismounting in the park, I thought I had it down but after racing for ten minutes I could barely manage a decent remount- although my first race was in the worst mud conditions I've ever encountered. In dry conditions tiredness might well lead to more falls, plus if the grass is even a bit damp it tends to get slippier as the race progresses which doesn't help.

 

[smutchin]

It was very dry today. In fact, there was such a cloud of dust at the massed start that I could barely see where I was going.

And being so dry, there was lots of loose stuff on the ground, which presents a different kind of bike handling challenge to when it's wet and slippery. Not necessarily any easier though.

d.

 

[VamP]

It was very dry today. In fact, there was such a cloud of dust at the massed start that I could barely see where I was going.

And being so dry, there was lots of loose stuff on the ground, which presents a different kind of bike handling challenge to when it's wet and slippery. Not necessarily any easier though.

d.

You rode a great race and I was behind you most of it. I had a chain falling off incident on lap 1 which dropped me quite a way back, and I spent the rest of the race making up places.

I foresee the start of CC cross wars right here

So good to be racing again.

 

[smutchin]

You rode a great race and I was behind you most of it. I had a chain falling off incident on lap 1 which dropped me quite a way back, and I spent the rest of the race making up places.

Ah, yes - I saw someone messing with their chain and thought it might be you but wasn't entirely sure through the clouds of dust. I tried to latch on to your little group when you came past but didn't have the strength by then.

I foresee the start of CC cross wars right here

I would so love to make a regular thing of it and take up that gauntlet...

Unfortunately, my presence at races largely depends on other commitments - I'm definitely going to miss next week. Herne Hill on the 7th October could be a possibility. We'll see...

d.

 

[VamP]

Ah, yes - I saw someone messing with their chain and thought it might be you but wasn't entirely sure through the clouds of dust. I tried to latch on to your little group when you came past but didn't have the strength by then.



I would so love to make a regular thing of it and take up that gauntlet...

Unfortunately, my presence at races largely depends on other commitments - I'm definitely going to miss next week. Herne Hill on the 7th October could be a possibility. We'll see...

d.

A cool view of the race, I like this placing a lot more than the official result

 

[VamP]

And yes I too did crash on the last lap, proper high speed wipe out too. Here's the aftermath

 

[smutchin]

A cool view of the race, I like this placing a lot more than the official result

That's very cool. Except I now really wish I'd used my Garmin for the race. I wasn't sure whether I should or not and for some stupid reason decided against it. Doh! I'd love to have seen my HR stats for the race as much as anything.

Nice battle scars there, by the way. I didn't pick up anything more than a few scratches from passing trees a wee bit too close.

d.

 

[VamP]

John Moulineux has pics up on his site, you appear to have been extraordinaly unlucky - this is the only one I have found

 

[VamP]

And the results are up. Looks like I lost 5 places on my last lap crash, of which I managed to claw two back on the finishing straight. 43rd overall.

 

[smutchin]

Cracking ride!

And I was only three places back in 46th - I was expecting to be further behind but I guess your crash closed the gap between us a bit. Bang on mid-table. Pretty pleased with that for a first time out.

Looking at the top end of the table, I reckon I can't have been lapped by more than the top 12 at most - I know the rider who finished 13th and I don't remember him passing me. That's a very pleasant surprise!

d.