Cyclocross - CX and SSCX races and training

Much better race than last week. I switched down from a 42x20 to 40x20 before heading out and was feeling in much better fettle. The ground was pretty firm to begin with as it was still half frozen but got very leafy and chewy as the race went on.

Started with a long run up a hill but I faffed too much so didn't get a good starting position and was dropping out the back as the course turned across the hill. Thankfully due to a large field I was back in the backmarkers into the first hairpin and cleared about ten positions by jumping off and running. From there it thinned out and I got into a good battle with five other riders. I thinned that down to three with a couple of passes through the spiral of doom. There was a guy evenly matched on pace and skill, a young student with lots of power but zero technical handling and a guy on an MTB who was great on the descents but lost it on corners and suffered on climbs. The student managed to break away on the last lap and I didn't have it in me to bring him back but I got clear of the other two in the spiral. Pleased with that.

Also Mrs TSK managed third lady so owes me a beer for my fine tactical advise.

"Classic conditions" at Sumners Ponds today too - as in, pretty much the same as last January. Someone counted 33 dead rear mechs in the vets and womans race.

That's like £1000 worth of equipment based on £35 per mech

My mate also forgot she had left her wheels resting against the car and ran them over when she left

I just roasted a chicken at home

Thats just the womens/ vets race.. I was watching the seniors afterwards and it seemed like the field thinned out pretty quickly... Brixton cc had 4 out of 6 mechs broken...

Sounds rubbish tbh

Type 2 fun.. I do prefer courses that are actually ridable/ need a new bike..

Roasting a chicken = winning.

It was hard and I fucking hate running.
Aside from that, from the hurdles to the top of the field of Hells was a lot of fun. Really liked the wooded section.
My brother's first experience of cross was a success altho his first words were "you guys are all insane"

Koksijde was a great race. Wish the commentator would stop going on about disc/cantilever brakes. Was Van Der Poel really riding file treads? Seems unlikely given the long stretches of mud in-between (wet) sand.

Helen Wyman was runnin a baby grifo file tread.

Ian Field was running regular Grifos, and said he didn't see any file treads, too much mud for them.

Results are up.

Feel a bit like I'm treading water, having finished in 21st place three weeks in a row. Different courses, participants and conditions all with the same outcome.

On the plus side, I still have a derailleur attached to my bicycle.

I finished a whole 10 places higher than previous weeks.. just because of all the derailleurs that imploded in front of me... might have been able to take advantage of a few more if I hadn't spent so much time cursing the mud...

I'm now feeling a need for shoes with studs in them. Mind you, I've only got three, possibly four races left this season so I might wait for sales to pick up a pair of shoes that will hold studs. I've been admiring some shoes that have these dirty great teeth studs at the front but these seem to only come from Lake which I've never been comfortable in. Anyone know if you can buy them seperately or am I going to be heading down to B&Q and making my own.

You can use football / rugby studs (wide and short) or buy the sidi ones (long and narrow).

I have the sidis. You wouldn't want to run them in dry conditions.

Yeah, I've seen them, they're more spikey. The ones I want are like a pair of buck teeth that sit on the front of your shoe, like so.

I can see how they're going to dig in nicely on a slippy run up.

I'm guessing that these aren't UCI approved...

Yeah, I want to run up banks not anchor myself to them until a blizzard passes.

The Lakes aren't far off

I'm pretty certain I'm not, nor ever will I be, at the point where I can justify £200 on a pair of shoes for racing though.

Lake always seem to have deep discounts when the range updates. I've a couple of mtb lakes, can't remember the price but I do remember the >60% discount.
Rutland cycles if I remembers right.

If I'd known you were going to try out XMs, I'd have given you mine to try. Only done a couple of races with them tubeless, and I didn't get on with them so well at the HH mudfest last year, so swapped them out for XGs for a more generalist tyre. I realise I am almost certainly blaming the tyres for my own shortcomings, but the tiny tread just didn't inspire confidence.

You're still welcome to try them if you haven't got round to installing yours.

Anybody doing the Macclesfield Supacross event this crimble? Just so I can cheer you on from the sidelines whilst sipping from my whisky filled hipflask.

Should be there, most likely spectating too.

Say hello, I'll share me whisky. I'll be the 40 odd year old swearing at his ill behaved kids. Or, if I'm on my own, I'll be the 40 odd year old with a look of zen like calm about him.