Cyclocross - CX and SSCX races and training

I can't drive and Mon can't drive either but we'd both be up for splitting costs. Can you drive ?

Location for incredible cross is up!

yup. i can drive =)

Nice.

Having a wee do for little Joel's 2nd bday, so can't see me sneaking out for this.

I'm off to practice dismounts in east sheen common tomoz

Might wear skinsuit

#csb

http://www.fluentincross.co.uk/2015/09/fic-drills-session/

A good drill routine. A couple of things that I think are worth bearing in mind on dismounts.

When you're unclipping your first foot and swinging it over the saddle, practice keeping the leg as close to the bike as you can. You don't want be delivering any sweet roundhouse kicks to a fellow rider. I've seen a couple and it should never happen.

Instead of letting the first unclipped foot trail until you dismount, see if you can bring it between the othe leg and the bike to be the leading foot.
It means that as your feet land you can go straight into running with a good powerstroke instead of landing and losing a bit of speed before running. Doesn't work for everyone but worth a try in practice.

Also reckon that if you shorten that drill by 5mins and then chuck in a 5min brick session of running at the end it won't do you any harm.

Think I will give that drill session a go myself.

Long shot but does anyone want to do drills on Saturday am... westish, say at scrubs common? Can be followed up with park run...

just find these cheaper wide carbon rims from Chinese factory (GTL-BIKE),
Fat丨MTB丨Road丨BMX

I owe an Australian from Brixton Cycles a beer. To be paid back at the next incredibly cross I assume. @Ecunard pass on my thanks if he's not on here.

That was fun.

Ouch, - he's from New Zealand.. :-) Nice to meet you @MarkEE, I was the other Brixton male rider

Oooof. My antipodean identification is clearly poor, apologies. Nice to meet you too! Hopefully see you at another race soon!

Non-league race today. An utter battering on four unrideable banks and sandpit. Course designed by Off Camber All The Things. Upside was that the JSVW races were all together so I had a few people to race against. Might have done better without all of the shoddy remounts.

Looking forward to Rapha next week though. Looking to be pretty awesome.

Hi. Possibly of interest, a race from the Eastern League but easily rideable from Hitchin or Stevenage station. Race day is Saturday the 17th and there are still some places available.

Its a fantastic new course with all sorts of everything. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vS3vs8NNTG51KmfeVCZju_JfSNSwE1c5sP0NWm3npOE/edit?pli=1

Nice course in Hemel yesterday, full of slow climbs and fast descents.

Good win for @Jon. , you were light years ahead of everyone else. Have you looked at riding the Trophy series?

I had a terrible day, couldn't find a rhythm so spent the race constantly burning out and trying to recover, woke up this morning with a head cold. Not sure if it's related.

Incredibly Cross was insanely fun !

We then rented a car with @blowfish and Mon to get to the London league in Brighton.
I raced terribly.
Started off way too strongly, trying to break away from the start. Dropped chain at the end of the first lap, it took me ages to put it back on. Almost the entire field rode past me by the time I could jump back on the bike. I then struggled to catch up with them, overtook a few and then tried to stick to Mon's tire. Unsuccessfully.
Grass crit is definitely not where I excel. How can I improve that ?

We then had a pretty good time cheering on the men's race and eating burgers on the beach.
Great weekend all in all.

How can I improve that ?

Avoid those races or get a bigger engine ;)

Find a good section of local grass and treat yourself to the fun of intervals. Remember to chuck in some hairpins so you don't miss out on corner sprints. Try and find somewhere with nice long draggy climbs and a couple of punchy banks. Do one lap at full power and another lap slowly as you ponder your life choices. Repeat until hench.

And that's my Thursday evening sorted out.

you really should @Jon. You're head and shoulders above the rest of us club riders right now and looking at the trophy results, a top 20 is possible for you which would be awesome.

I'm amazed no-one has signed @Jon. up to ride for them.

I think that for anyone who can get into the top ten in their local league category, the National Trophy is a must do. If nothing else it's a great opportunity to race against a bigger field of people at the same level as you.

Of the remaining rounds, Bradford's Peel Park appears to be the best course although Ipswich is a new venue this year so it could be good. Mind you, the only one I've heard many riders complain about it the Milton Keynes Bowl. It doesn't seem to be popular.

I had a terrible day, couldn't find a rhythm so spent the race constantly burning out and trying to recover, woke up this morning with a head cold. Not sure if it's related.

Most likely, first symptom of a cold I find is not feeling good on the bike.

I intended to race some National Trophy this season, but the expense and time to get to Southampton put me off when there were cheap, local options. I'll definitely try and make Ipswich and maybe a few others. What were the complaints about MK Bowl? I enjoyed the course a few weeks ago despite someone riding into my rear mech on the first corner, then racing the rest a lap down.

Yesterday was the first race where I've managed to ride away in the first few laps and not really 'race' anyone. Saturday was the opposite and I had to bridge a gap to the leading two, managing this in the penultimate lap, which was then followed by a tactical, slow last lap and a half before I attacked on the steep double climb which left myself and Matt Holmes who came past myself in the last 400 metres or so. I'd spent too much bringing them back to hold on.

TBF, I never really sought much clarification on the grounds I never really expect to race in MK. Unlike you I'm not going to trouble the front of the pack anytime soon. I've only variously heard it described as horrible, miserable and grim. A lot of people that I spoke to at the Worlds were impressed that the other venue was infinitely better. I guess your mileage may vary.

Just read a report of the Southampton Trophy. Pretty certain that Briggs is going to very seriously target the Champs jersey in Shrewsbury. If last year's Trophy is anything to go by, I suspect it's a course that could suit him well and Field is going to have his work out defending the title. Looks very open at the moment in the Women's series with a few new faces on the podium. Mellor is going to have to work very hard to retain the title over the next few races.

What were the complaints about MK Bowl?

I've raced there once and done a bit of training there - it was good fun, although a bit cursed by the wife breaking herself there, too.