Cyclocross - CX and SSCX races and training

Yeah, way too much running. I only got lapped by 3 people.

It's verrrrrrrrrrrry early in the season, can't peak all year round. Well you shouldnt be able to anyway.

In regards WVA....

Didn't WvA start slow last season too? Although MVdP was extremely unlucky in the worlds.

Not so much slow but MVDP missed the first two worlds as America was so far away and so expensive and general sulking.

Somehow wva pulled himself together after MVP pulled away (tyre doping probs, it was the year of mud ii being stitched onto something else wasn't it?) Got back on to MVP and then proceeded to flog himself further and then won it. And MVP kept getting punctures.

I think it went like that. It's early and I'm not 100%.

Somehow wva pulled himself together after MVP pulled away (tyre doping probs, it was the year of mud ii being stitched onto something else wasn't it?) Got back on to MVP and then proceeded to flog himself further and then won it. And MVP kept getting punctures.

I think it went like that. It's early and I'm not 100%.

At last years World Championships MvdP punctured 4 times, WVA punctured 1 time. Some might argue WVA rode a more conservative race and chose those tyres because of the puncture risk, some might say he was lucky.

Not so much slow but MVDP missed the first two worlds as America was so far away and so expensive and general sulking.

MvdP was still recovering from injury at the beginning of last season so when he started late he didn't come into it with the same form he has this year from a big mountain bike season over the summer. WVA is probably aiming to peak at the Worlds, I'm still hoping it'll be closer when the mud comes, but at the moment MvdP is a class apart from the rest and it doesn't make for great viewing.

Proper testing features at Ardingly yesterday (the new descent with the hub deep rut was seriously tricky to take speed through whilst riding it), mud, but not-bike clogging mud, and a good mixture of different surfaces.

Well done on the win.

Didn't MvdP have knee surgery in the summer of 2016 too? Or was that the year before? Either way, he's had long standing knee issues which he seems to have resolved now.

What tosh. He was out injured, and didn't start his season until the beginning of November. His team also attended the US World Cup round too, so there wasn't a budget issue either.

As a full on wva fanboy, wva had knee probs as well before this year's worlds.

He looked like he was well off the pace (or more likely MvdP was ripping the legs off of everyone) in the race and looked like he was going to get further and further behind. About lap 4 he looked like there was nothing behind the eyes and he was gone. There was a second Belgian who tracked MvdP and somehow WVA got back into the race, got onto MvdP and then kept going.

I watched it again last week as it followed on from the video Jon linked above. And I'm on leave and I think that's what I remember most.

Also: congratulations on the win.

knee surgery in the summer of 2016 too? Or was that the year before?

3 surgeries in 2 years - 2015 one knee, 2016 both knees

Tub wheels -

I have a pair of Novatec / Velocity Major Tom / Specialized tub Tracer wheels going spare.

Ten speed, disc brake, QR, rims have a brake track too so good for canti frames too.

Bearings are fine, run true. £120 anyone?

How many and what spokes?

D-lights, 32 front and rear. Built by Strada.

Results from mudogeddon are up

http://www.londonxleague.co.uk/2017/10/kinesis-londonse-league-round-6-ardingly-results/

Eastern League was dry with a light crumb surface. It was also relentlessly up or single track down through trees with very little chance for recovery. Couple that with a fat bloke with a terrible cough, it was probably my worst performance of the season. Still, loved every second.

Loved it? Betcha can’t beat a three way sprint for a heady 60th place

Shout out to the thrash metal hecklers. Though I hope they had a designated driver.

They were with us, good motivation.

Their response to being thrown the horns was one of the few things that kept me going.

Van der Poel questions US World Cups and UCI responds

"The World Cups in America, what do they really result in?" mused Van der Poel at his team launch in early September. "They'd (UCI) be better making cyclocross more international within Europe to begin with."

"Even if I'd not been injured, I don't know if I'd race them (Vegas and Iowa). I'd have been considering skipping those World Cups," the Dutchman added.

Van der Poel went on to voice the same concerns about cost and returns that many other people involved with the big Belgian teams have been hinting at (some of them off the record to Cyclocrossrider) for a season or two now.

Sporza quoted the young Dutchman saying: "I don't see the value in racing them, because there is no support from the UCI for the travelling teams. You have to pay everything yourself as a team and it costs us lots of money. And what for? Do they make 'cross any more international? I don't think they do."

.

Is anyone considering driving from London to Happy Valley this Sunday and might have a spare space?

maybe... my roof rack has two QR fork mounts, for two bikes, but my cx bike has a through axle, I haven't figured it out yet how to transport bikes.

@fredtc would offer you a lift, but unfortunately i'm away next weekend so can't race.

@dimi3 I have a Saris bones rack sat in the garage at my mother in laws. Can't pick it up before the weekend, but you are welcome to borrow. If you are interested give me a shout, and i'll retrieve it next time i'm round that way.