Cyclocross - CX and SSCX races and training

Shave them

Are you grooming again Dan?

If you'll pardon the pun

edit: what Ramsaye said, managed to miss out a page.

Mostly grass/open marshland as far as I remember. Was muddy last time I raced there but it's pretty open so probably should drain the recent rain away okay, might be a bit greasy though.

I've ridden there from from Hackney before but you could take a train from Liverpool street to Enfield Lock.

We had an elite rider on a Brompton at one of the summer cx rounds. Really funny to watch, and to ride (up to a point). Suit&tie and a fold/unfold over the barriers would be amazing.

Thanks. Will be there tomorrow (assuming I can persuade my rear tyre to hold some air).

I'm getting the train to Chingford, then riding the rest of the way there.

I have changed my mind and wont be racing tomorrow, will ride the pimples route in the morning instead. Let me know if you want to join.

Train: what time?

Me? I'm going to try and get the 1048, but realistically the next one, the 1103 is more likely. (My train into central London gets to London Bridge at 1037, which gives me 11 minutes to get across to Liverpool Street - which is tight).

Things I learnt from my first cross race today:
get a lot fitter
twisty single track on a cross bike is hard
don't slam your stem on a cx bike
its very difficult to ride across waterlogged grass/mud
and that was nearly the toughest hour of my life

looking forward to the next one.

Good man.

I rode the 3rd round of the London X League at Gunpowder Park today, my first race of the season. The course was pretty straightforward, with no technically challenging sections, although it was very bumpy, so a good re-introduction to racing.

I got an excellent start and was tagged on to the back of the lead group at the end of the first lap, but quickly realised on the second lap that my brain was writing cheques my hearts and lungs couldn't cash so had to ease back a bit and let the front runners go. I then settled into a decent rhythm leading a small group of 3 or 4 other riders and riding consistent laps, only to somehow get a plant wrapped around my rear derailleur on the 6th lap, which cost me a minute in total as I had to dismount and remove it, jump back on, realise I'd missed a bit, stop, get it out and get going again. I tried to nail the last two laps and catch some of the riders who passed me, which I did, but the effort was telling at this point and I was running on fumes by the end.

I think I was just outside the top ten, which is not a bad start. A couple more races and I'll be able to hang in there a bit more.

I was totally demotivated by the description of the course so failed to attend, and ran my fastest 10k instead.

Well done though @andyp, sounds like a very good result for your first race in a while, especially given the mechanical. Was this on the Giant?

Good work Andy!

Yes, on the Giant. My wheels have been losing air this week so I probably ran them with a bit too much pressure in to compensate for expected losses, only for them to hardly lose any pressure at all.

The course was okay, very bumpy in places but it flowed nicely and a lot of the corners were tricky enough that you had to concentrate on getting them right every lap. They also put in hurdles after a right hand dead turn, so it needed a wrong side dismount which is always entertaining.

Nice one Mr P

So, first cross race ever. Not sure of the result yet but I expect about mid pack of A and B grade mixed. Was WAY too muddy for the basket bike with 23c tires so borrowed a CX bike for the day. Soooo hard and so much fun!

5 Attachments

Reading this thread has got me itching to give 'cross a go.

Nice pics PGM, are they on FB?
They didn't get any of you vomiting at the finish? Shame.

Yep. Picks on FB. A few of you as well.

Nah, they must of edited them out. I was in a state! Haha.

Ha! You look absolutely fucked in that third photo.

The hand-on-hip pic is hilarious. Good work.

IS that VB you're drinking?

A question:
I've got a cross frame I want to use as winter trainer (hey look at me! I'm so original!) and turbo bike.
Can I use those cheap 20 quid planet x mini v's with standard road (shimano 105 10 speed) shifters?

Or do i have to £££$$££?

I'm sure they'll be fine. I've been using them on my Pompino with the SRAM S500 levers and they've worked as expected. You can borrow mine if you want to test it before spending £20.

Should be fine, I have those cheapos and the "cheap" TRP levers on my pomp. They work fine. So based on our n of 2 I'm happy.
I can't afford and don't want the faff of discs just yet, and I'm not sure about cantis.