Cyclocross - CX and SSCX races and training

Jan 25 -payday.

Pm me on payday then. Jon

Will do.

Milton Keynes Bowl was brutal yesterday. Thick, heavy, icy mud. Loads of running and bike swaps every half a lap (for those that had them). Had a good start (which was surprising considering I was shivering on the line) but felt terrible after the first lap after recovering from a cold during the week. Came away with a 2nd, so reasonably happy.

"Felt terrible... came 2nd..."

How the other half live! Well done @Jon.

Given the conditions I suspect everyone was feeling terrible and my slight cough wasn't making all that much difference.

Good luck to those at the National Trophy today, with any luck it'll be properly frozen over and nice and fast.

You should be giving National Trophy races a go, you'd be top twenty I think.

That was the plan this year but for one reason or another it never really happened.

Riding 400 slow kilometres a week for work has given me a pretty decent base but if I can fit in some proper focused training for next season hopefully I'll be able to crack top twenty in the National level races.

Looks treacherous today. And cold.

https://twitter.com/VeloUK/status/688668448206008320/video/1

Yesterday vs today

Non-frozen mud was a good enough test of my technical abilities.. Off camber kept it interesting while the flat bits were just a flat out slog.. racing in the snow would've been an experience though

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And fun!

Front one went up fine. What am I doing wrong?

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Potentially, many things. Have you removed the valve core?

No, will that help?

Yeah, you can get a much higher volume of air in. Try that and if it doesn't work I'd build a homemade compressor.

Problem discovered...

Flipping massive hole in sidewall.

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In the carcass itself? Oh dear.

Can I boot it?

Used an inner tube patch. Appears to be working.

eyes wheels suspiciously

It might hold, probably best to avoid low pressures though.

OK, I'll stay above 20psi then.

I cut a section out of an old tubular (the outer tyre, not the inner tube) and used that as a patch on a Racing Ralph which had a 1cm sidewall cut, after being inflated with a tube in it that patch is going nowhere. So far, at least.

I have heard very positive things about paddling pool/home swimming pool repair kits, and have purchased one myself against the day that I cut a sidewall again.

Interesting. I will go check that out now.

I've patched UST MTB tyres and that works.

If the damage is near the bead tho...problems.

It was right at the tread so maybe I'll get away with it.

They're still holding air today so looks good.