My cyclocross ambition by Palinurus

[palinurus]

My dismounts are fine, I can get off that sucker really fast.

It's the getting back on. I was close practicing in the park on saturday, I can almost get on in a smooth motion, glide into the saddle, there's still a bit of a stutter but I do keep moving. It helps if I shorten my stride just before jumping on.

But can I get it together under race conditions when the ground is all sloppy and I'm under a bit of pressure? nope. I give up and clamber on or end up doing the remount equivalent of a bellyflop.

I think I'd benefit from learning to run up hills too.

 

[rjeffroy]

Pictures from Reading Cyclocross

 

[papercorn2000]

My getting off is great. I even do when I'm not supposed to!

 

[dan_bo]

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.

Oh yeah.

 

[palinurus]

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.

Was in the park this morning practicing remounting. Slightly better each time. Then I set up a really short course on the grass with all right turns and just went around that. Anyway- I can now stick my right leg out in a turn if I want to.

 

[Dave5N]

That's the way to get better. Practice.

Even better if you can get together with someone else and have a go.

 

[palinurus]

And much better than frozen mud

Quite right.

 

[bleakanddivine]

I ordered wheels and parts from the LBS- no problem there, but then they offered to build it up for me too

Where's that, then? ...the one at Bushey Arches?

Jonathan

 

[palinurus]

Cyclopedia (Merton Road)