Cyclocross - CX and SSCX races and training

Sexy biek

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I really enjoyed todays race and course!
Way more fun when you can breathe lol
Still loads to work on mind!!

I watched 10 - 20 minutes of some racing at palace today. Apart from some shocking kit (maap, brown shorts, flowery shorts), I came to the conclusion I was probably doing the right thing not racing this year.

How was the course?

How did my kit rank?

Fast top bit in to a nice flow section, tight corners to some rubbish hurdles, off camber then a steep drop, nice glowing corners on the bank in the woods then more flowing fast sections back to the woods gradual climb back up with a little punch, the a tight turny bit that I was rubbish at compared to those around me and some straights with 180s.

I really enjoyed the course being healthy again helped. Need to be bolder at the start, also perhaps the start wasn’t the best place but I don’t have any experience to make such judgements!

Fluoronfade?

Better than that grey shorts / purple combo

Managed to get a flat tubular tyre in the only “gravel” section at -3 to finish. Didn’t change much my position as I was probably last of 3 poor souls. However, it hurts when u can’t finish ;(

Good fun. You'd have liked it. Fast, good flow and the uphill wasn't as bad as it could've been. Only issue was that it wasn't easy to overtake on (as @leggy_blonde said to me before my race) but given I was mainly being overtaken it wasn't a problem for me.

Overtaking is overrated in my experience

Well that was an eventful start to my season.

Put the new bike on the roof of the car ready to leave and noticed the chainring clearance was maybe 3 rizzlas. And I'd already scratched the chainstays, so no way was I racing that.

Quickly grabbed the wheels off that bike and got my gravel bike ready instead. All good criis averted.

Last minute stress of that compounded with trying to get a toddler out of the house so I could drop him and my wife at the local train station on the way. Brain all over the place. Drive to the station and straight into the parking barrier. Cue some words my little one hasnt heard before.

Seatpost is totally fucked. Frame was still in one piece (at first glance), so legged it home grabbed a new post and saddle. Off to the races I went. Hopefully less stress next week.

1 Attachment

Anyone seen any pics from CP?

They don't usually start to appear until the day after.

Good to meet you today! And glad your bike was in one piece to race. Great course, I was blowing the entire way round.

That'll buff out.

Ouch, what size chainring did you have on the Vitus?
Well done for making it to the start line

Ah makes sense. I ran a go pro so might try make a little highlight reel for G

Cheers. 42 tooth. But on a standard width crank. I could probably fit a spacer on the non drive to bring it out a bit. Should be OK with a 40 or 38 tooth. Just need to find one

Yeah man. Great to meet you too.

It was a good course, could have done with being a foot wider in a lot of places. (Or could have had the whole lines mowed, rather than a strip in the middle). The long grass was heavy going so any overtaking was savage

I'm sure Vitus recommended a 40 for 1x when I asked them about chainring combo's

I didn't think to look as I had a 42 in the parts bin

The dropped stays reduce the options. Unless it changed since I asked, the frame will only accept a 34 inner ring for 2x . Very annoying, especially when the frame keeps being in the sales

Bloke at the race today was running a 46tooth with the 'wide' dub crank

Really enjoyed the course at CP today, thought that up hill drag can go and die. And really happy that it wasn't wet for that off camber! Lost 5 from my gridding, quite happy with that as I have done zero training.

@GoatandTricycle what was rubbish about the hurdles?

I just don’t like them haha I’m rubbish at them and need to work on clipping in quicker.
Conversely I didn’t mind the drag, made up some places on it. Started 58 finished 52. My start needs to get better but the back is always a bit more chaotic it seems