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I'll be trying my first CX race tomorrow, it's just a low key local event but it seems not many people signed up, and those that did are in race teams and some that I know are bloody fit!
I'm pretty fit myself at the moment but not as much as these guys. The course is just grass with a couple of low hurdles, I had a go round it today and I'll be dropping from the 60psi I usually run, what do you guys run?
Any general tips or advice to avoid me getting totally annihilated?
When you hit the first corner and find an off camber kink with some gnarly roots across it do not under any circumstances slow down and give some roadie hand signals to warn those behind you 'cos they will most likely just plough on regardless
that and have fun!
cheers
Push to the front for the start and then ****in nail it from the gun. Go into the red and then ride into it. Only way to do it, get a good start and get in front of the dross.
Pressure is as low as you dare to maximise grip and minimise pinch flats. Have a play on a few practice laps. in the mud I run 30ish or less if it is smooth all the way in the early season hard ground 45. But this depends on how heavy you are and how much grace you ride with.
Pace yourself for the whole race. If you aren't going to be at the front, ride it as a 60 minute timetrial effort and don't worry too much about anyone else until the last lap.
Ride the course so you know what is coming, where the lines are round the corners and through the mud.
relax if it is your first attempt just try and find your feet. If you ride a hard but steady race and don't crash you will do it justice. Don't blow up in 30 minutes and don't try and corner like you are on 2.4" knobbly tires.
Bit late now but googel Svenness for some good tip videos.
Not surprised it is a small entry to be honest - first road races are in a few weeks.
around here the CX season has finished and all the keen racers are well into their road/crit series.
You need a good start, especially if there are bottlenecks. My first race last year (and my first CX race ever) I was gridded on the back row (because I'd never raced), by the time we reached the first section of singletrack (maybe quite rare in CX) we had a 30 second wait, standing around 🙄 You need to balance that with not going off too quick, blowing up and going backwards.
You also want the outside line for the first corner as the inside line will pinch and often stall on the apex. Generally wider lines are faster even though they're longer.
Remember "green is good", ie. grass will be harder and grippier than mud, so if there is still a green line take it.
On long straights and firm ground speed is high enough to have a drafting benefit, but in the season/series I raced it appeared all the roadies forgot this as soon as they got on their cross bikes; I'd see people strung out 3 abreast on a fast straight and I'd jump from wheel to wheel.
If it's mainly grass with no nasty obstacles you can let your tyres down as much as you dare, then a bit more. I'm ~65kg and got down to about 27psi in a 30mm clincher - felt the rim bottom out on roots once or twice but never flatted. If there's rocks etc then go higher pressure.
If it is super muddy and your bike is clogging be prepared to stop and lose a few seconds de-clogging it. You'll lose more time when your rear mech rips off (at one of our rounds there were >20 bust rear mechs, including all 3 of our bikes 🙄
And have fun.
So more importantly HOW was it??? Addicted??
erm, it wasn't great. Was a pretty basic course with no real obstacles and mountain bikes were allowed to race, so there were people on 29ers with 35mm tyres on, massive advantage in the corners, and people with droppers bunny hopping the hurdles. Horrific wind and freezing temperatures didn't help either.
Love my crosser on mtb trails but maybe 40mins round a grassy field isn't as exciting
You weren't doing it right 🙂
so there were people on 29ers with 35mm tyres on, massive advantage in the corners,
Do you mean they had cross tyres on? Or have you missed out a 2.something?
Whatever, on a grassy course a wide MTB tyre won't give any advantage over a cross tyre. If it's dry then grip won't be a issue. It it's wet and slippery and you are losing ground in the corners then your technique probably needs working on.
Love my crosser on mtb trails but maybe 40mins round a grassy field isn't as exciting
How big was the field? Obviously it's not for everyone, but I can't think of anything quite as exciting in cycling if there's a decent field and your having a tight race.
If your still cx curious give an early season race ago next autumn when the fields are likely to be bigger. Can't see that a mtb is ever going to be an advantage on a grassy course.
Yeah mtbs with cx tyres on, so a bit of suspension to take up the slightly rough bits, a load more leverage from 700mm bars, much better brakes, dropper posts and ultimately lighter carbon 29er race rigs. I cannot see a single disadvantage there!
Wasn't a massively serious race which is why they were allowed but I cannot say I enjoyed a single moment except overtaking a wobbly roadie in full on madison genesis race kit and bike on the inside of the one off camber corner!
Yeah mtbs with cx tyres on, so a bit of suspension to take up the slightly rough bits, a load more leverage from 700mm bars, much better brakes, dropper posts and ultimately lighter carbon 29er race rigs. I cannot see a single disadvantage there!
Tell me why the fastest riders in League races don't use them. They are allowed in all races other than the top-level ones.
much better brake
Its cyclocross if you're braking you're doing it wrong.
Not sure you can knock 'wobbly roadies' when you got your arse handed to you on a plate by people racing on MOUNTAIN BIKES. Because, really, they are not quicker than CX bikes.
Try again next year on a different course, Trimix of this parish joined me for 2 races this year (he wore baggies when I was in a skin suit...), he pretty much hated the first and loved the second, more technical course.
Wahey! Apologies if I offended someone!
Anyway I didnt get my arse handed to me, I came in the top half of the field, and 7th in cat, my complaint was that I didn't enjoy it, it just wasn't my thing. I'd also like to see anyone complete that course without braking. The winner was on an mtb by the way
Chrishc, I've got time for a longer reply now...
Nothing you've described is an advantage in a cross race even if you want it to be. You don't need a dropper post to be able to hop a hurdle - people do this on cross bikes as well. MTBs lighter? My entry level cross bike is already around 20lb. You simply don't need leverage from bigger bars, that's just a weird suggestion.
My glib reply still stands - if a lightweight MTB was that good everyone would be using them.
There's no shame in saying that you didn't enjoy the race. I thought that the last I did was dreadful - a 50 person procession around a boring muddy field - whereas the previous one was excellent - 170 racers, elbows out, big-ring racing, interesting course.
Just don't make excuses about using the wrong kit though. It does a disservice to the rest of the field. They were faster because they were fitter, not because their bike was a kilo lighter than yours, or whatever. Some people would look at their performance and try to work out why they were slower. Were you dismounting and remounting in one sweet movement, losing no time at all, or were you stopping, carefully swinging a leg over, plonking the bike over the hurdle, etc. If you look at things as a skill to learn, a way to get faster for the next race, and not as a reason to give up then you might enjoy the next race. Every form of racing has a steep learning curve, cross is no different.
Ok, maybe I'm wrong there, it was my first go and maybe I was just seeing the negative bits.
My perception of cross is that you purposely use a disadvantaged bike to make racing round fields interesting, obviously not, so what are the advantages of a cross bike? Serious question, maybe next time I can play to those advantages (along with getting fitter)
I've just done my first season of CX and I totally got the bug. I wouldn't get too hung up on the bike just now. It's a pretty explosive sport and if you can ride at your max heart rate for an hour and work on technique, accelerations and fitness you'll start to smash it. Mountain biking has totally helped me with technique.
Give it another go next season 🙂
Cross bikes are significantly faster on a relitvely flat section, on my mtb I am exerting myself to get to 30kmh on a fireroad, on a cx bike I can be pushing forty with less effort
If it's muddy the cx thinner tyres sink through the mud to bite into the firmer surface.
I think you can corner tighter on a cx bike (depends on bike and rider I guess)
This was the first round of the series so I may give it another go, it's only down the road, you guys all seem pretty enthusiastic so maybe I'm missing something