Cyclocross - CX and SSCX races and training

The squealing of my brakes will be drowned out by the sound of my organs failing one by one.

Yeah ! I'll be there on the Crux in one of the new ladies jersey .
I'm 40% terrified 60% deadly excited.

Have fun - if it's hot remember to drink!

If only it was easy to get down there after work.

Nigh on impossible for those working north of the Thames.

It's less than an hour's ride from Euston.

I don't get out of work until 5:45, struggled to get to Herne Hill from Tottenham Court Rd last year.

Doesn't help that I don't know South London at all, I may try and take a half day in future or for the Morden race.

I would love to, but I'm not right after a 2 week holiday in Vietnam that has let me with a cold and gut-rot. I still need to get the bike set up for CX duties, hopefully this weekend, so next week is a possibility. Good luck to you all. At least it's not a heatwave like last year.

Hello!!

Hope all racing this evening have a good one. I'm out of the summer league this year as I have my arm in a sling.

Ace!

So I didn't see any of you. Probably mostly because I have zero idea who I would recognise you.

The race was awesome, I had such a good time. It's actually amazing when it stops being extremely painful.

It's actually amazing when it stops being extremely painful.

/cycling

Hi. I did spot you once during the warm up laps of the start/finish area but I was chatting to a mate and it wasn't easy to say hi. Maybe next week. Was a great event and as you say brilliant fun despite the searing pain.

Well that was rubbish, almost last... How can this be?..
Who was on the grey pompino?

Grupetto's finest. Graham.

That was fast, fast enough that riding in a group on the fields gave a significant advantage (the field of doom contained significantly less doom when not under 2 inches of water).

I had the legs, but not the technical skills, or bravery to attempt to hop those mini barriers at 30kph, so was losing 10-15 seconds per lap there against the top 2, then burning energy on the remainder of the lap working alone to try and make the gap. I managed this for three laps then fell behind, before being joined by a junior who'd made up the start deficit and got through the back of the seniors before he got away from me with a lap to go.

That killed me, false flats became very hard when tired, just hadn't got the legs to spin at a comfortable cadence and that punished me even more.
Happy with my dismounts/remounts though. Had to run the last corner/hill which was kinda fun.
Only 4 sscx out of 120 :(

That was fantastic. The chicanery was excellent, the barriers were at exactly the right point to fuck with my head.

It wasn't really a day for one gear. (I had 10)

First ever race, and I had a blast. Wooded sections of the course were great fun but running 40x19 I felt seriously under geared for the grassy fields so definitely lost a lot of time there spinning like a lunatic. How are the Addington/Morden courses in comparison?

Addington course is on a slight slope in a park. Very fast unless it's wet.

Morden is a revived venue, hasn't been used for a while so not many people around who've raced on it.

My 'race' ended half way with a snapped chain. I like to think it has more to do with laying on the power up the steep climb where it happened rather than installation error, but then I'm a dreamer!

Tried to look out for you all, but I think I got confused and was looking for the wrong combinations of kit and bikes, etc. Glad to hear you enjoyed it.

Andy, is the Addington course the same one from the winter series?

Same location, not sure if Phil, Jason, Shaun et al are using the same course layout.

Ah ok. Was going to offer a bit of advice based on that.
That course had a long drag, big down hill and then a long flat section. I was slightly overgeared on the drag, and about right on the flat with 42 x 18. It was muddy though.

If that helps anyone.

You didn't ride the Addington Park round. You're confusing Frylands Wood with it I think?