Cyclocross - CX and SSCX races and training

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/339799051

Just caught up with this.......how hard is it physically and how technical is the route please, could I do it on my 1983 Gazelle cyclo cross? thanks in advance

Tony, yes you can.

The summer series races have some nice wide flowing terrain easily doable on the Gazelle (providing you tighten the nuts on your brake pads for a change). When the surface gets wetter you might want to swap tyres to Michelin Mud2 but what you have now would have been fine last night.

Physically and technically no harder than what we were doing on Sunday. During the race you ride at your own pace which is of course flat out until you can taste blood in your mouth then go harder.

Or do as I did and ride at around 80% in order to reduce the speed at which I went thundering into the scenary.

many thanks guys, see you there on the 15th(thinks....., must train a bit this week and upgrade my Thyroxin levels)

Or do as I did and ride at around 80% in order to reduce the speed at which I went thundering into the scenary.

That was 80%, looked I thought you were going at 45.

many thanks guys, see you there on the 15th(thinks....., must train a bit this week and upgrade my Thyroxin levels)

Great, I'll have a word with the organiser so he can have a hearse ready for your post race slumber. Do you want silk or velvet lined?

I think the cheapest is dissolvable plastic innit?... as long as you sing loud at the service .....

No worries, full on big belly sound.

Howard, could you send us the GPX for that route? - summercxseries@gmail.com

You should ask him for tips in climbing that hill too, JC. Howard nailed it on every lap bar two.

Howard, could you send us the GPX for that route? - summercxseries@gmail.com

On its way.

You should ask him for tips in climbing that hill too, JC. Howard nailed it on every lap bar two.

Bar one :) Unless we include my first attempt in the practice lap. Had a few goes at it during practice and knew it would be a spot where I could make up some time.

My conclusion on that was too back-off from the rider in front- I had to dismount a few times when the chap in front of me came off, if I'd hung back a bit I could have gone round them.

You should overtake them on the downhill, then drive home your advantage with your superior technical skills.

#willhavetopracticewhatipreachnextweek

I'd need some technical skills in order to do that.

As it stands I need to find a field and practice double bunny-hops until I can confidently clear them at ~20mph time after time.

It really did help if you could get over those without scrubbing too much off. I was being slain there by a couple of riders I was battling with - they were hopping over at near full gas.

Yeah, that's where i ran out of talent and bent my handlebars

How did you guys find the whoop just after the sleepers? Any issues with the back end smacking you in the arse while you face planted the front?

Nah, that was easy (at the speed I was going)

First lap I hit it too quick and nearly went over. Backed off a bit and kept the weight back and it was fine.

Couple of guys were hopping off it as if it was a 1.5 foot jump - I contemplated this but didn't like the consequences of it going pearshaped.

We should've left it the other way round, then someone could've tried to clear the sleepers with the air they got from the whoop.

What was the approx distance between the sleepers?

6 paces

roughly translates to 6 meters or 6 yards but we used a more natural tape measure. It's up there with the thumb tyre pressure guage and tonge spoke tension device.

Cheers, my concern was not that I could not clear the first one- it was being able to jump again in time for the second

You created our favourite moment of the race, you pulled over knackered for a drink looking like you were on the brink of withdrawing when John (the commissaire) ordered you back out for more pain. You seemed fine after that. Well done.

Fine is a massive overestimate of how I was. I almost wthdrew every time I came past the pits I was so thirsty. Next week I'll have a bottle cage so I shouldn't have the same problem. No doubt I'll find others though.