[Closed] 2016 XC racing thread.

Hooray. After some doubts MSG is on for tomorrow, but with warnings about mud and clearing the rear mechs and prepare for a muddy spin fest.

I'm wondering whether to leave the 29 1 X 11 Anthem at home and take the 26" 2x 10 HT (which coincidentally already has Bonty Muds on) to avoid the back end clogging up...?

How much is the 29 v 26 advantage reduce in these conditions ? 😀

Good luck for tomorrow Kryton. Can't help with the wheelsize bar to point out of its that muddy and claggy the weight increase of mud on the 29er wheels will be more than the 26in.

I'm spitting as I seem to be coming down with something, struggled with my training on Thursday, felt rank and fatigued yesterday and not right today. Think I'm going to go with discretion and not ride today, figure what benefits training would have would be destroyed if I'm actually ill next w.e. So annoyed, especially as have to compete all the Welsh series for a series ranking, which is my main aim for the year so even if I'm stinking I'm going to race. Not to mention non refundable b&b already booked.

Kryton wheel size won't make too much difference staying upright will 😀
Last time I raced my Anthem in bad mud I ended up with over 2kg of mud jammed in the rear triangle, last lap was tough. I'll be taking a spare front wheel with a Gato on.
Not looking forward to it to be honest.

Yes that happened to me at MSG last year.

Defo the 26er then, need to change the fork this afternoon - 120 Reba to 100 Sid for correct Geo. As windy g says, plodding around upright will be the order of their day, there won't be a lot of momentum to be carried with wagon wheels.

I am as weak as a kitten with a two week old cold and taking the 29er with mudx and a SS steel mudplugger. I remember a MSG at hylands Park, nothing can be as wet and muddy as that, can it?

You know that feeling when you pull the other bike out from the back of the man cave, and the rear brake lever goes back to the bar...

Went to put on some mud tires on my bike for tomorrows MSG race and realized I no longer have them Doh! Tempted to take the single speed now, as I do have some mud tires for it.

Jonny5 - MSG lived up to it's name.
Ace day and fantastic organisation, really nice atmosphere. Thank you to organisers.
[IMG] [/IMG]
I have never experienced such sticky mud before, 2.0 Mud-X looked like fat tyres. Came off on the drop like a sack of potatoes.

Yep that was a slog. Even with the improved clearance on my single speed the rear wheel was still an issue. I spent most of the last 2 climbs of the lap pulling mud out so it would rotate.

MSG for me - Gutted, was running a pretty safe 5th place with no one close behind and then my rear mech hanger snapped on the last lap, I had to run over half the lap and came in 27th.

Thats was hard. Even with the HT I had to stop and clear the Plasticine like mud from the wheels/frame every lap.

On top of that I was generally rubbish, no excuses just rubbish hence - 33rd. 🙁

I saw snapped belt drives, snapped mechs, several snapped chains and lots of rear wheels not turning as you exit the woods and walk up. I was in top 20 and started at the back of the easier "Open male". Lots of Benny Hill Music moments on the first descent down to the woods and general silliness at the back.

The wild garlic smell was pungent.

I did the msg. I ended up stopping each lap to unclog my anthem.

It didn't make any difference to my result though. Richard was going to win whatever I was riding.

I did the MSG too, I'm pretty disappointed with the result really. I had quite a few problems with clogging and the rear wheel filling up with mud, but that's no excuse really, I just didn't seem to be able to match the pace of the leaders in the mud. More work needed.

Anyone doing the first Midlands round at Sherwood Pines this weekend? I'm in the GV class at 10.30am.
Iain.

Aye, Expert class for me at Sherwood.

Yep sport at Sherwood for me.

Hoping for a dry(ish) one but planning for a slopfest.

Hoping for a dry(ish) one but planning for a slopfest.

My feelings for the first round of the welsh series too.. getting overely hung up on tyre choice, don't really want to use mud tyres if I can get away with just rons. At least the weather forecast is, touch wood, dry from now till sunday

Hardly an XC race but I'm looking forward to my first outing at this Sunday's Wentwood 50.

ferrals - Member
Hoping for a dry(ish) one but planning for a slopfest.
My feelings for the first round of the welsh series too.. getting overely hung up on tyre choice, don't really want to use mud tyres if I can get away with just rons. At least the weather forecast is, touch wood, dry from now till sunday

I'm up at Degla tonight, so I'll have a quick look at the off piste.
It did chuck it down over night and this morning, so I have to admit I'm not massively hopeful.

Nice one Adam. Got a few days for it to drain though haven't we - or doesn't it drain that quick.

What cat. are you going to be racing in - I'm doing sport.

adsh - Member

Hardly an XC race but I'm looking forward to my first outing at this Sunday's Wentwood 50

I really like the look of that and would have done it if a) it didnt sell out before i realized and b) it didnt clash with the xc race (so in fact it was fortuitous i never got an entry in).

I'm doing sport.

That's just cheating. I'd have claim a top 5 spot and a gazillion Regional A BC points if'd have swapped Vets for Sport on Sunday.

I'm in Vets. Which are in with the elites at this race. Awesome.

@ Kryton Its not cheating, I'm not a vet yet!

I am hoping to get some BC points though as I didn't have a real license last year and don't want to be gridded absolutely last in the first national

@ Adam, from the post I got the impression that juniors would be set off, then sport, vet and grand vet, and then elite and expert in three different waves. Althouigh it would make most sense for the elites and experts to go first.

Ah sorry, your outside the Stw demographic i didn't realise 😉

No way can they be thinking of setting expert/elite off last - it'll be first lap carnage!

Another one for Vets at Sherwood, first race of the season and not doing the full series so a bit of a try out before Nutcrackers. See if winter prep been enough or blow up on the first lap !
Good luck all and hope it dries out.

I had another look Adam and it's been done in ascending price order on the poster, not time of race. I did think it was a weird one.

As regards to the Sherwood xc this weekend, I'm 41 this year, never raced xc, what class would be a good start, open or vets?

good start, open or vets?

Depends on how you manage your ego :wink:. Vets is one of the hardest categories - all the buggers in there are fit, strong, experienced riders who didn't make/are too old for Elites.

See my post earlier today - I was 33rd in Vets in a Regional A last weekend, my time would have had me 5th in Sport in the same race.

Late to the party but here are mine:-

14/5 Stottlemeyer 30 (Port Gamble WA)
27/8 Capitol Forest 50 (Olympia WA)
17/9 Just Another Bike Race (Squamish BC)

I might sprinkle some local XC races in there too, but these are the main ones.

Aiming to finish and maybe not come last...

I had plans for returning to the Southern XC Series this year after finishing 5th in my category previously, however, 2 weeks of riding my new road bike has left me with some sort of knee tendinitis so Southern Round 1 in 10 days is sadly looking iffy. :-~

Best of luck to everyone racing this year.

It's just gonna be filthy slippy mess followed by ooh fire road then slippy filthy mess and repeat to end on Sunday in Llandegla

Vets is one of the hardest categories - all the buggers in there are fit, strong, experienced riders who didn't make/are too old for Elites

Ha you should try Grand Vets - a considerable number of ex elites

Yep racing sports cat

Ha you should try Grand Vets - a considerable number of ex elites

Only another 6 years to go... 😐

Depends on how you manage your ego :wink:. Vets is one of the hardest categories - all the buggers in there are fit, strong, experienced riders who didn't make/are too old for Elites.

Have to say, I pedalled my ass off at the Gorrick Spring Series in February, in the vets cat, and was quite pleased with the effort I put in so hearing the result was a bit of a disappointment. There was something like 5 minutes between my result and 15th, ten places or so, so hoping to get a better result this w/e - but won't be holding my breath (obviously, that would be ludicrous).

ferrals - Member
Nice one Adam. Got a few days for it to drain though haven't we - or doesn't it drain that quick.

Based on tonight, bring a fatbike or a boat. Or possibly an AT-AT. Or a tank.
Any of these will probably help.

Oh dear Adam, that does not sound good, I'd better put the mud tyres in! Going up Saturday so will update then if it's dried out at all.

I was thinking of doing a couple of rounds of this series I came across by accident - http://www.runandride.co.uk/content/2016-wm-series-brought-to-by-mayer-events-malvern-cycle-sport.aspx - but after the acopolypse of the last twenty four hours,I dread to think what Eastnor would be like now. 😐

Cheers Adam. Given that Met office says we've had over double the normal amount of rain this winter and the deluge over weekend and yesterday, dry trails were never going to be super likely. Just put a beaver back on the rear in anticipation.

Has anyone rode Sherwood Pines this week?

Mud tyres for this weekend, or standard trail tyres...

Mud X for me on Sunday then, slogging my way round in Sport.
See you there guys

Steve what kit/bike will you be in? Might say hello if I see you!

I'll be the riding my Ritchey.

KTM jersey on a 29'er KTM HT.

What kinda Ritchey?

The original red white and blue P650b. You can't miss it, it's got a lefty on as well!

Check out Steve if he crashes - I heard that he [i]bleeds[/i] KTM! 😉

Adam@BikeWorks - Member 

Check out Steve if he crashes - I heard that he bleeds KTM! 

ha-ha, I was going to say:

[b]slogging[/b] my way round in Sport.

and

[b]KTM jersey[/b] on a 29'er [b]KTM[/b] HT

doesn't quite compute 😆

I'll be on same bike and in same kit as pic on 1st post. Although preferably don't say 'i know you from the internet' in front of my wife - she thinks i'm odd already 😆

*starts painting "we love you ferrals off of the internet" banner*

😆 😆

What's the latest on conditions at Llandegla off-pieste on the XC course if anyone knows?

Say hello if you see me - fun category. I'll race in an Alpine Stars orange / light blue top because it has handy side pockets for gels and I'll be on a black Orange Five with unfashionably small wheels. It's the most XC bike I have. Racing to support my local track and because it's been a training motivation over winter.

I'll clear the way on the climbs... just shout. I'm hoping to make up for it on the way down.

I have 2015 Trail Nobby Nics setup tubeless. Surely they'll be enough? I've been riding them around in the slop ok and they can slide a bit but what doesn't?

Nobby Nics and Ron on the rear. That'll do it. Updates would be great though. I'll be in Abergavenny RC kit in the Vets. sort of looking forward to it.

Matt Lewis

gelert - Member
What's the latest on conditions at Llandegla off-pieste on the XC course if anyone knows?

See my post a little higher up.

In short - [i]not ideal[/i] 😛

I'm hedging my bets, Ron 2.25 on front, beaver 2.0 on back, bringing another beaver and a Ron 2.1 with me so if it's dried out by sat I'll go rons all round and if it's hideous and not too rooty/rocky I'll put a beaver on front.

So sunny and windy here today things are drying quick, hope it's the same up north!

ferrals - Member 

ha-ha, I was going to say:

slogging my way round in Sport.

and

KTM jersey on a 29'er KTM HT

doesn't quite compute 

Bought the jersey to match the bike 🙄

Waves at fwend of t'interweb

I may go snorkel on my face too if it's nasty. It is drying out quickly. All good fun in the mud.

I'm sticking to my regular tyres (was a Ron/Ralph combo, now Vittoria Peyote's).
At least I'll have my first excuses already in...

Ah yeah, thanks Adam.

Not sure what miracles of drying up I was expecting to happen since I saw it on Saturday myself but at least the forecast says it'll be dry from above which is always a bonus.

Looking forward to it now. Hopefully no mechanicals and no major offs. Be nice just to get a finishing time.

I'm on those Peyote's too at the moment, aligned excuses, nice.

How are you finding them?
I've got the TNT ones and the sidewalls are massively stiff - if I run them at the same pressures as mt RoRa's my arms and shoulders get battered!
Also I managed to convince myself the the extra 300 grams for 2 was slowing me down more than it probably was.

On the plus side they went up tubeless massively easily and I haven't flatted (yet). And they were free, which makes me feel [i]reet pro![/i] 😉

steve_b77 - Member

Bought the jersey to match the bike 🙄

i was only joshing, I wondered if you were some kind of modest xc-supremo!

This talk of normal tyres is making me anxious I've been too cautious! 😆

Really like them to be honest, I'm on the 2.1's and they coped just fine with the trails at Cannock the other week and the 40km slog round the chase that followed.

To be fair I don't run a lot of pressure anyway, they were far easier to get on than the TNT cross tyres on my cross bike. Went up easily, but I'm used to Bonty tyres so nothing new there.

They clear well too, although I did part with some (small amount) cash for mine, so I'm clearly not as Pro as you 😆

I like the natty grey side walls too.

i was only joshing, I wondered if you were some kind of modest xc-supremo!

For anyone who wants to make a tyre choice here's my photos from Saturday but I only ventured into the first section:

[url= https://www.dropbox.com/sh/c0nm9wo5y5jukys/AACutZslixJ8NPai8ooJfmpMa?dl=0 ]Conditions photos at Llandegla on Saturday[/url]

Marvelous, cx studs are staying in the shoes

so, who can cycle one handed whilst wielding a chainsaw? to be fair looking at that, normal tyres proably be ok, bar the puddles looks dry

There's a preview video for the first round of the nationals up:

Thanks ferrals - that's great, it's my first national and no idea what to expect!

i was only joshing, I wondered if you were some kind of modest xc-supremo!
nah, they're coming up from the south.

Well, there are some KTM guys coming up from t'south but XC-supremos???? Hmmmmmmmmmmm 😆

I've posted a novice question to the Welsh XC thread if anyone can help me understand the Welsh XC racing format that would be great, thanks.

[url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/welsh-xc-series-for-2016/page/2?replies=57#post-7567478 ]Welsh XC Thread Link[/url]

Thanks for the replies... faster than I could post the link! 🙂

Just been round Sherwwod Pines this afternoon and apart from the great weather there are some really dry sections but also some massive puddles and muddy bits so who knows what tyres for tomorrow!

Practice lap on ralphs I reckon then. If it gets a bit too sketchy I'll swap with the beaver.

I was on Ron's today, my kids were on Ralph's and all fine, will be on XR2's tomorrow which are very similar to Ralph's.

Good luck too all at Midlands xc tomorrow, I'm Commisaire for the event, looking forward too the day, just not the 5am start and 3 hour drive!

Fast Birds it is then. Still planning on bringing Rons and Dans just in case!

Stylish - great event today, well done.

Bit of a disaster for me though! Lack of race pace in the early stages did not put me in a great place, was running about 9th or 10th in GV with a guy just behind me. Went to overtake a back marker in the last half mile, moved off line and found a hidden rut which inelegantly tipped me off and left me as badly winded as I have ever been, enough of a 'crack' as I went down to make me think I'd done a rib but think it might be okay now.

Really enjoyed the course today, it had enough variety to get a good rhythm with the odd technical challenge thrown in.

How did everyone else get on?

Fast Birds

tubs?

how do you find them? ive got a set of tub wheels at home and need to find a reason to keep them

First race of the year done today at Sherwood Pines. Twenty years since I last raced there (and XC for that matter) and I certainly haven't got any quicker. Fat and unfit sums up today, but I enjoyed it. Decent course and well organised. Looking forward to the rest of the series,although I'm going to need a fair few more hours on TrainerRoad.

Just home after a great day at Sherwood, a fog bound drive up this morning wasn't the best start to the day, but all ok in the end, great too see so many racers out, who looked like they were enjoying themselves, some really good rides across the classes, back too the flatlands of the East for me, but hope too see many of you out on the race courses again.

And well done to the Sherwood Team, keep it up.

Good course at Sherwood today, sure there was some trees I didn't bounce off..

I did ok but wife got a second 😀 She's a bit bruised and battered though as misjudged speed off a fire road, apparently still bounces well !

Good fun course at Sherwood yesterday although I found the first few bits of singletrack really hard work, especially at the end when they were all cut up.

Didn't make my stretch goal of top 20 but I made my goal of getting some points so I'm pretty happy with how I did (28/52, solid mid pack).

Legs felt quite flat at the start but that's probably because I got quite cold waiting at the start. It's a lot more entertaining when you've got some people around you too race with, a lot of my races last year were at the tail end of the middle and I found it quite a lonely place to ride.