Cyclocross - CX and SSCX races and training

Thanks but I think its lack of stamina from a distinct lack of training because of a surfeit of "can't be arsed: #dadlife". One year!

A summer of strength training is a good way of sorting that out without needing hours on the bike

Talk to me about that.

Thought it was a great course with the mix of small/large banks and the fast descent. Regret I didnt have a go cycling up the big one! By the time I'd grown a pair was too knackered. BCC chap dislocated his shoulder unfortunately, season over for him.

It’s basically having a shit time on / off the bike so that you can move five places up the finish order at your local CX league.

Unless you won the genetic lottery I’d not bother and just get a mountain bike and have some fun.

That was quite the circuit, the giant banks weren't so bad in the end - at no point did I attempt to ride the big one! but a bit of a buzz dropping back down and the down hill to the start/finish was ace. 13th in the end, washed out a few times and let a group go but happy with that.

Preach

Dibs your Talbots!

If you can find them under the dust

MTB thread >>>>>

I get that you're not a fan. Why post here with such a bad attitude though?

I've enjoyed my road riding this year and cx has been a fun alternative. I'm not too bothered about placings. Most of the field needn't either, unless they're desperate to be the next big cx star on Instagram.

10/10 reply

the next big cx star on Instagram.

These are the least bothered people about placings. But yeah, you are right, gym work does pay off.

How many races?

1

It's easier to just get a bobble hat for gram points.

I did strength work over the summer, I think, I can't remember.
I know what I need and it's a consistent amount of time carved out of my life dedicated to keeping fit so when I do get on a bike to have rad competitive fun my mortgage payments would be secured by my podium and gram points.

You don't get that from the male vets 40's London cyclo-cross league.....back to the drawing board for me then

Anyone after some tubeless SSCX wheels?

wheel spam

I think you misunderstood - I’m all for racing CX, just not ‘a summer of strength training’ which in the past I’ve done, and as I alluded to it does make a difference but not enough - unless genetics - to make the pain worth the gain in terms of improvement in races.

TL;dr if you aren’t top 20ing with unstructured training you ain’t going to top 10 with it. So might as well just enjoy the biek.

(Also medium duration high intensity MTB stuff is pretty great training for CX, lots of sprinting, bike control and the bonus is it’s enjoyable)

I guess I'm with you there. But some people enjoy that kind of cross-training. It's not for me either.

I watched the men’s race from Koksidje last night - the way MVDP just rode away from everyone else on that opening lap. The very definition of ‘shock and awe’!

I heard his interview from the UCI race last week?
Essentially: I went fast on the first lap and people were still there, that surprised me so I went faster on the second and that shifted them.

enjoy Ant McCrossen's commentary?

It was an utterly dominant ride, just astounding. Interesting though that his lap times were slower than last year. Great comeback from Wout too.

The women's race was a cracker....

Tom Meeusen, who he let keep his wheel for a couple of laps last week in Hamme, said he didn't really dare to follow VDP on account of his crazy speed into the corners. Nicely illustrated by the little .gif in this Sporza tweet

https://twitter.com/sporza_koers/status/1064469163345936384