CycloCross Season 2010/2011

phil k

I know it is still summer and most of the pointy helmet riders are still talking deep rim carbon this and clip on aero that but before you know it the CycloCross season is going to be here.

The East Anglian Daily Times League 2010/2011 kicks off with round 1 (of 14) on 12th September ’10 at Sible Hedingham with the subsequent rounds generally every weekend thereafter of which you can ride as many or as few as you wish – see www.easterncross.org.uk for further details. It would be great if this year we could have more CCA members racing - you don’t even need a ‘cross bike – mountain bikes are allowed.

As you are aware we have the CCA ‘cross event on 2nd October 2010 at Knights Templar School in Baldock (round 3) where if you are not helping it would be good to see you racing - go on, you know you want to!!

Cyclo Cross and especially the Eastern Region League is a very sociable and friendly sport and where there is always a good level of ‘healthy competition’ - the races take place on a variety of different type of course over the season that will suit all different types of rider from the technically skilled (not me) to the flatter, more open circuits that favour the more powerful rider (again not me) which last for 40 minutes to an hour depending on age/class/cat.

If you want to know more speak to me or Mark Wyer.

www.easterncross.org.uk

James D

What tyres should i put on my hard tail to do an event? i assume the 2.1's would be too wide?

James D

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Schwalbe_CX_Pro_Performance_MTB_Cyclo-Cross_Tyre/5360053037

would these do the trick?

phil k

i think it is a case of what you feel happy with and how much you can be bothered to change wheels and tyres to match the ground conditions for each particular event which are obviously also affected by the weather. On my ‘cross bike I use Michelin Mud II which are 30mm wide which are generally good for most courses – used to have panracer cindercross (35mm wide) but went for a narrower tyre as i think 30mm is what most other riders use - you need to get a happy balance between "enough grip" and "too much grip"(?) - a lot of it also depends on tyre pressures – if it is particularly muddy I might run them as low as 40psi – on a grassy smoothish course (baldock for example) I will have them up to about 60psi – all you can do really is give them a try and see what suits!

Does this mean you will be racing?

phil k

Round 1 Sunday 12th Sept 10 Brickfields Sible Hedingham – I guess any course would have been a challenge for the first race of the season and this certainly was – a long uphill drag, followed by a very fast long downhill, through some woods, steep drop off, more woods and a bit of tarmac, through a farm with a dismount near the milking parlour, cattle grid and steep hill finish – a great course. I managed a 28th out of 54 but it did hurt!!!

The next round is Sunday 26th Sept 10 at Springfield Park in Chelmsford – flat, fast course ideal for beginners – see you there!!

phil k

Round 2 Sunday 26th Sept 10 Springfield Park Chelmsford – 3 CCA riders for this Mark, Stevie and me – after a very fast start there was a long line of riders making their way round the course in tight formation for the 1st lap or so which gradually stretched out as the race went on – not a very technical course but there were a couple of tight lumpy bits and a couple of ‘steps’ sections which added to the challenge. I didn’t have a great race and finished 44th out of 65 – Mark was 21st and Stevie 54th.

This Saturday, 2nd October is round 3 at Baldock - CCA promoted race – see you all there!!

arm262

Daniel was also at the Chelmsford race, racing in the Youth section.
He found it very tough going , particularly the steps which were a real challenge as he was on a mountain bike rather than a cross bike.
He finished 23rd which he was please with.

If anyone knows of a 2nd hand cross bike (suitable for a small 12yr old) for sale/ or available to beg/ borrow or steal let us know.

phil k

Round 3 Saturday 2nd Oct 10 Knights Templar Baldock – thanks to Mark Wyer for organizing this event that had 180 riders in total over the various categories. There were 75 riders for the Vets race with only one CCA rider (me) – another very fast start meant the first bend was a bit ‘tasty’ and with the hurdles not long after that there was a good battle to try and maintain positions on the first lap. I settled in to my usual position in the middle of things and clawed back a few places on the second lap but the lack of decent mileage in my legs over the past few weeks saw me drop places towards the end finishing 36th.

It was great to see the younger CCA members having a go in the Junior (Andrew and Stephen) and youth (Cameron, Theo and Fiona) and U12 (Richard, Anneka and Anna) races also.

Round 4 is at Welwyn Garden City this Saturday 9th October – this is always a good course and being local it would be ideal for those wanting to give ‘cross a try – see you there!!

phil k

Round 4 Welwyn Garden City Saturday 9th October - With several riders resting for the following days national trophy event at Abergavenny, Shaun Aldous (extreme sports therapy) was a convincing winner of the senior race held in the somewhat hilly stanborough park.In the Vets and Womens race Lee Desborough (st ives cc) got the better of Ipswich teammates Tim Butler and Craig Gould during a mid race battle eventually pulling away during the closing laps to take the win. Sue Wood(maldon & district) continued her domination of the womens category taking 1st women and 12th overall, Camila Boyton (dulwich paragon) and Joolz Halpin (maldon & district) completed the top 3 with 17 women in the race.

CCA had 4 riders in the vets and womens race, Mark (16th) , Stevie (8th women) , Me (33rd) and Vince who put in a superb effort and finished 17th. Well done to Daniel Maynard (riding for Welwyn Wheelers) who finished 11th (out of 26) in the Youth race.

The course as expected was a good challenge with hurdles, single track, off camber bends, steep ups and steep downs and a small bit of tarmac and a sound system courtesy of Welwyn Wheelers banging out ‘top tunes’ during the races! Very continental!!

Round 5 is at Colchester on Sunday 17th October 10 with the vets and womens race at 11am and the seniors at 13.45 – see www.easterncross.org.uk for full details.

mwyer

Round 5 was at the Hillyfields course in Colchester. Perversely this season seems to be getting drier as it goes on which made the single tracky sections in the woods fast and hairy. First up as is usual were the Vets and Women. I had a race long battle with Vincent which drove us both on to pick up other places after a steady (as steady as 'cross gets!) start. I thought I had got rid of him with a couple of laps to go but he put in a storming last lap to finish just behind me. I was 13th with him 14th. Phil was 32nd so we are all improving with each race, Stevie was 7th woman and now up to 5th in the overall standings.

Daniel Maynard finished 17th in the Youth race on his new 'cross bike. There is a very good crop of Under 14's developing in the region and Dan is consistently getting amongst them now.

Chris Pedder and Rachel Fenton turned up for the senior race. Rachel had decided on a lie in rather than competing in the Women's race at 11am. Chris finished an impressive 17th for first race of the season and Rachel was 46th.

Round 6 is at Davy Down, Thurrock. The course is great for novices and even better is just round the corner from Decathlon. Time to stock up on base layers and socks.

Mark.

mwyer

Round 6 was on Sunday 24th at Davy Down, Thurrock. I moved up the positions steadily from my grid position on the third row. I could see that Vincent wasn't too far behind either. I made it into the top 10 and was trying to push hard to hold the position with 9th place in my sights. Unfortunately I went too fast onto a wooden board walk section and came down heavily. The non-slip sandpaper surface took some hip and elbow skin away as well. The rider I was trying to get away from had nowhere to go and just avoided landing on top of me!

I managed to get going again but was feeling sore and lost a few places. I swapped my bke in the pits as the tyres were clogged with mud only to lose another 4 or 5 places as there had been a group of riders behind me. Vincent finished a very good 15th and I trailed in at 23rd. Stevie had a bit of an off day but finished 59th and stays in 5th in the league table.

There was no league race last weekend due to the National Trophy round at Ipswich. It's off to Redgrave this Saturday for the next installment.

Mark.

Vincent

keep up the commentary.
no chance i'll be riding tomorrow as it is too far away.

mwyer

Round 7 was Redgrave. The the long grass section of the course were very heavy after rain the preceeding days, not too my liking at all. I was in battles for positions all race after a very slow start but 21st was as high as I could finish. Phil came in 36th and Stevie 55th and 8th out of a women's field of 14 riders.

mwyer

Round 8 was at one of my favourite courses at Mistley near Colchester. This course is what we call a traditional 'cross course with lots of narrow tricky sections in woods, a fair bit of climbing and running with the bike. The weather stayed dry for our race, the rain later made the seniors lap times slower than ours. I'm still suffering shoulder and hip stiffness from the crass at Davy Down but it usally goes once I start warming up. I was going a bit better than the previous week and came in 16th after my usual steady start. Stevie didn't feel at her best and came in 61st.

mwyer

Round 9 on another traditional style course at Hempton near Fakenham. The course is on Heathland and features the most fearsome descent in Eastern 'Cross events. It's always muddy, it's fairly steep and there is usually a narrow channel down which you have to keep your front wheel to stay on course. You then have to negotiate a slippery left hander at the bottom leading into a tough sandy run-up.

Once agan we early starters were lucky with the weather. Even though it was narrow and leading into more narrow sections, the start was calmer than usual with hardly any argy-bargy. I think everyone was resigned to having to queue a bit so I was able to keep my elbows in. I picked up a couple of places as the race went on but didn't feel on top form. I was reasonably pleased with 13th place just a couple of seconds off 12th.

Stevie was Assistant Commissare for the event so didn't ride.

mwyer

Koksijde International

Last Saturday instead of racing we headed off to spectate. Heading through the early morning snow we met the coach at Welwyn for the trip to Koksijde on the Belgian coast, just half an hour's drive from Calais.

The event was the latest round of the World cup featuring all the world's top riders. The course was based round a disused airfield and a holiday chalet park on sand dunes. It was the toughest course I have ever seen with steep sandy banks, a couple of very deep sand sections that were virtually unrideable and then deep mud sections.

The Juniors and Under 23's were on earlier but we had plenty of time to sort out viewing spots for the women's race. Helen Wyman was a disappointing 9th after her win in the last round but American Katie Compton was a very impressive winner.

International men's cross racing is a the most fantastic sport to spectate at and this race did not disappoint. Flat out racing in a big bunch to start then small groups, attacks, regroupings, falls, great skills, international 'cross has the lot. My old club mate Ian Field was the sole British Rider and battled to a solid 37th place. We caught up with him at Calais that evening on his way to the National trophy at Southampton the next day and he was shattered. That didn't stop him winning the next day though.

Did I mention the beer tents and the food stands dotted throughout the course? On the way out we called into a hanger from where the sound of Euro pop blared. There was a huge bar in there and it looked like the party was just starting even though the racing had finished!

Put a date in your diary now. The first weekend in February 2012 - The World Cyclo-Cross Championships in Koksijde, top racing, lots of beer, fancy dress and fanatical Belgium and Dutch fans. Not too be missed, you'll not regret it.

Put Koksijde Cyclo-Cross 2010 in youtube search and you will find the footage of the final 2 laps.

Mark.

mwyer

Round 10 of the league was incorporated in the Eastern and South East Regional Championships at Redbridge Cycle Centre. The first big freeze of the winter thawed just in time for this race leaving the course a slippery mud fest.

I was really enjoying the challenge and after a steady start was gradually moving up on lap 2. Unfortunately my gears jammed up and I had to run quarter of a lap to the pits to get my spare bike. I lost a load of time and motivation and cruised round to finish 52nd. Stevie enjoyed the conditions and came in 11th in the women's race.

Round 11 was last Sunday at Broome Heath near Bungay. This is an excellent course on sandy heathland so worth the effrort to travel to. Our preparations were hampered by a 30 minute power cut when we first got up. We then had to clear snow off the van, de-ice and load everything. After avoiding the hill on new road by going through Fowlemere we were running very late. Luckily the roads were mainly clear after Duxford and we arrived with just 30 minutes before the race. Unfortunately this left us without time for a proper warm up or look at the course. Although the same course as previous years there was a layer of snow on top of icy puddles making things slippery in places. I started very poorly, moved up a bit and then struggled at the end. Generally a poor performance and 21st place. Stevie did much better, coming in 33rd and 4th woman finisher.

Mark.

mwyer

We missed round 12 over Christmas because I had flu.

Round 13 was back at Mistley last weekend. I gave it a miss as I still hadn't recovered fully from the flu and was assistant commissaire instead. Stevie had her best race of the season and finished as 3rd woman and picked up some prize money. She finished 4th overall in the League and third veteran woman.

Next weekend is the RegionalTeam Champs which we have a youth team entered in so report to come next week.

The winner of our Baldock 'cross promotion, Hugo Robinson, followed up his National Junior Title by finishing 22nd at the World Junior Champs on Saturday. He's still got another season to come as a junior.

Mark.