My cyclocross ambition by Palinurus

[DustBowlRefugee]

I rode home into a terrible headwind.

Chapeau!


As for shoes, they're a bit expensive but they certainly work.

http://www.spiuk.com/home/productos-ficha-ing.asp?id=302

 

[trio25]

Sounds like you had fun! Reminds me how great cross is. Next race I can make is the end of November and I'm looking forward to it already.

 

[palinurus]

Hey! I wasn't last. I was 24th out of about 40 finishers. Long way behind the fastest riders of course.

Finally then, some pictures taken by a colleague who turned up with a camera.

it wasn't so much the mud as the leaves mixed into it that was the problem, that stuff just gummed up everything.

Thankfully there was a hose at the venue.

 

[palinurus]

Just looking at my lap times, the last lap was really slow, had nothing left.

First lap 13:20, last 16:40!. Most of the well-placed riders got a little faster throughout.

 

[RedBike]

Nice pictures and well done!

I love the one of all the leaves stuck in the brake bridge / front fork. (That does seem very familiar!)

 

[palinurus]

Must've liked it 'cos I did it again today- Reading CC Cross event in Prospect Park (I think this is a new venue for 'cross).

I'm pooped. Still, the mud was of a better kind than for my first event: it was of a slippy, liquid consistency and the woodland parts were initially pretty firm. For the first couple of laps I didn't get too clogged up. As the race progressed the wet mud seemed to get claggier and the woodland mud got stickier and the going got heavier and heavier and so did my bike.

Again I probably placed somewhere towards the bottom of the field, although I did stay on this time.

I realised today that I'm much better at turning left than right. Weird. Also I sometimes like to stick my leg out for balance, but it's only effective with my left leg. If I stick my right leg out it makes it worse. Something else to work on.

I found a garage with a jetwash on the way back to the station. I know I shouldn't but I was happy to have brakes and gears back in operation.

 

[Dave5N]

Watched Roger Hammond today flying down some technical singletrack - with his left leg unclipped and stuck out.

 

[palinurus]

It makes sense to me, I just can't work out why my stupid right leg won't do the same thing.

 

[jpembroke]

Did the Gloucester 'cross race today and came 6th. My highest place ever. Very pleased with that especially as I've only really been running this year.

Palinurus - don't worry about your left turns being easier than your right turns; it's natural! That's why all track races (motor, athletics, dog, horse, cycling) go anticlockwise. Hey, you're normal!

 

[palinurus]

6th! jeez. I guess you weren't walking up the run-ups.

 

[jpembroke]

6th was as good as I could have got, so I'm really pleased. And no! No walking today. There was only a couple of sections that required a dismount anyway and I guess my hill running paid off there. I battled with a very nice bloke all the way round and held him until the final lap where his time trialling ability paid off. Maybe next time.

What a bizarre and wonderful sport cyclocross is.

 

[Dave5N]

Bit better than any result I'll ever manage.

 

[jpembroke]

How are your dismounts? Get that completely wired and it can shift you up quite a few places. I am amazed at the insurmountable gaps that can be created in the technical sections with a swift dismount/remount.

 

[Dave5N]

I'm pretty good at getting off and keeping the bike moving.

It's the bits in between the mounts, dismounts and remounts that count against me.

 

[mickle]

Great thread Palinurus!