This might be worth keeping an eye on, price is dropping!
http://forum.epicmtb.com/showthread.php ... elite-2012
Cyclocross Season Starts
Re: Cyclocross Season Starts
Great report, looks like great craic, hopefully it spreads outside of Dublin a bit as it gets more popular
Re: Cyclocross Season Starts
I'll be in the golflinks tonight for about an hour from 7.30 if anyone wants to have a go they're welcome to have a go on my bike
Contact me on o87nine793four57 in case there's a change of plan
Contact me on o87nine793four57 in case there's a change of plan
Re: Cyclocross Season Starts
The dates for this years Supercross Cup have been announced:
September 28th
October 19th
November 16th
December 7th
Venues tbc, but they will all be in Dublin parks
There will likely be a few more races as well, there;s talk of a race series in Waterford and the National Champs are always in January, they were in the North last year so they'll be in the south this year
September 28th
October 19th
November 16th
December 7th
Venues tbc, but they will all be in Dublin parks
There will likely be a few more races as well, there;s talk of a race series in Waterford and the National Champs are always in January, they were in the North last year so they'll be in the south this year
Re: Cyclocross Season Starts
here's a good deal that caught my eye, excellent specced bike at a decent price:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pin ... e-ec054866
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pin ... e-ec054866
Re: Cyclocross Season Starts
Me an DC kicked off the cx season proper in Grange Castle yesterday at the first round of the Fixx Cyclocross cup.
Fast and furious as usual!
Here's a headcam some lad did in our race...conveniently DC is just a few places ahead of him fror most of it. Check out the classic undertaking manouevre at 2:15 as our main man takes out 5 lads in 3 pedal strokes...he's getting the hang of it quick!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MsGheN3U3k
Fast and furious as usual!
Here's a headcam some lad did in our race...conveniently DC is just a few places ahead of him fror most of it. Check out the classic undertaking manouevre at 2:15 as our main man takes out 5 lads in 3 pedal strokes...he's getting the hang of it quick!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MsGheN3U3k
Re: Cyclocross Season Starts
Cyclocross Racing - Fixx Supercross Cup, Round 1. 28th September 2014
The preparation on Saturday wasn’t ideal. David F was consuming pints and cocktail sausages down in Shannon. I was stuffing my face and drinking a few pints at our club away trip in Naas. Life has a way of preventing us from reaching our athletic potential! Anyway, we got our acts together on Sunday morning and managed to make it to Grange Castle near Lucan for the first competitive CX race of the season.
It was only my second race so I had little in the way of expectations but I was hoping not to be lapped. For those who don’t know, CX races are usually multiple laps of a shortish circuit, often held in city parks. Once the winner completes the required number of laps, everyone else finishes out the lap they are on, regardless of how many they have completed. Race positions are assigned accordingly.
DF and I lined out for the “B” race which was fully subscribed with almost 90 on the start line. We were facing 6 laps of a 3km circuit. I managed to find a spot about halfway back from the front, beside the railing which meant I was on the bike and clipped in for a good start. DF was a couple of rows behind me. The start itself was fast and furious and a bit chaotic, but I managed to hold my own and even gained a few places on the 400m tarmac sprint to the first offroad section.
Once I hit the twisty, turny, grassy sections of the course I was in my element and managed to pass a good few more riders early on. So far so good. Then the track straightened out and I got a rude awakening as riders started to pass and pull away from me. And this was to be the story of the race. Benefitting from my MTB background, I would make good ground in the tight technical sections where it was all about bike handling and short bursts of power, only to lose ground on the fast straights where consistent power and fitness were at a premium.
There were two obstacles on the course that required most riders to dismount and run, carrying their bikes. The first was a steep run-up of about 6 metres, slightly steeper than a normal stairs in a house but with far fewer steps which doesn’t help a lad with short legs like me! Anyway, I coped, though it was getting harder with each lap. The other obstacle was a set of two hurdles about 18 inches high and 4 metres apart. Most riders dismount at a gallop, hoist the bike up and run/jump over them, and that’s what I did too. I wasn’t very elegant but the practice DF and I had been doing really paid off and I didn’t fall on my face. Watching Robin Seymour bunny hop the hurdles later on the A race was a sight to behold!
There was a lad counting off places at the top of the run-up on the first or second lap and I learned that I was about 40th at this stage. Middle of the field, not bad I thought, but not very good either so I pushed on hard. The race continued fast and furious and I settled into a kind of rhythm, picking up plenty of places in the turns and losing some of them on the straights. The shouts of encouragement from Jim, Nigel and Helen really helped and were much appreciated. I finished in 32nd place, 4’30” behind the winner and not lapped, so pretty happy with that. A breakfast-roll-fuelled DF came in 42nd, just over a minute behind, which shows how close the racing is.
I learned a lot, the main thing being to take every single opportunity from the start. Put mistakes behind you immediately and push on again, there is no time to regroup or feel sorry for yourself. If you blow up, you need to push through the pain and keep going, forget about conserving energy, the race will be over before you get the draw on reserves. Pure raw racing, I love it. More training definitely needed though.
Results: http://www.irishcx.com/results/
The preparation on Saturday wasn’t ideal. David F was consuming pints and cocktail sausages down in Shannon. I was stuffing my face and drinking a few pints at our club away trip in Naas. Life has a way of preventing us from reaching our athletic potential! Anyway, we got our acts together on Sunday morning and managed to make it to Grange Castle near Lucan for the first competitive CX race of the season.
It was only my second race so I had little in the way of expectations but I was hoping not to be lapped. For those who don’t know, CX races are usually multiple laps of a shortish circuit, often held in city parks. Once the winner completes the required number of laps, everyone else finishes out the lap they are on, regardless of how many they have completed. Race positions are assigned accordingly.
DF and I lined out for the “B” race which was fully subscribed with almost 90 on the start line. We were facing 6 laps of a 3km circuit. I managed to find a spot about halfway back from the front, beside the railing which meant I was on the bike and clipped in for a good start. DF was a couple of rows behind me. The start itself was fast and furious and a bit chaotic, but I managed to hold my own and even gained a few places on the 400m tarmac sprint to the first offroad section.
Once I hit the twisty, turny, grassy sections of the course I was in my element and managed to pass a good few more riders early on. So far so good. Then the track straightened out and I got a rude awakening as riders started to pass and pull away from me. And this was to be the story of the race. Benefitting from my MTB background, I would make good ground in the tight technical sections where it was all about bike handling and short bursts of power, only to lose ground on the fast straights where consistent power and fitness were at a premium.
There were two obstacles on the course that required most riders to dismount and run, carrying their bikes. The first was a steep run-up of about 6 metres, slightly steeper than a normal stairs in a house but with far fewer steps which doesn’t help a lad with short legs like me! Anyway, I coped, though it was getting harder with each lap. The other obstacle was a set of two hurdles about 18 inches high and 4 metres apart. Most riders dismount at a gallop, hoist the bike up and run/jump over them, and that’s what I did too. I wasn’t very elegant but the practice DF and I had been doing really paid off and I didn’t fall on my face. Watching Robin Seymour bunny hop the hurdles later on the A race was a sight to behold!
There was a lad counting off places at the top of the run-up on the first or second lap and I learned that I was about 40th at this stage. Middle of the field, not bad I thought, but not very good either so I pushed on hard. The race continued fast and furious and I settled into a kind of rhythm, picking up plenty of places in the turns and losing some of them on the straights. The shouts of encouragement from Jim, Nigel and Helen really helped and were much appreciated. I finished in 32nd place, 4’30” behind the winner and not lapped, so pretty happy with that. A breakfast-roll-fuelled DF came in 42nd, just over a minute behind, which shows how close the racing is.
I learned a lot, the main thing being to take every single opportunity from the start. Put mistakes behind you immediately and push on again, there is no time to regroup or feel sorry for yourself. If you blow up, you need to push through the pain and keep going, forget about conserving energy, the race will be over before you get the draw on reserves. Pure raw racing, I love it. More training definitely needed though.
Results: http://www.irishcx.com/results/
Re: Cyclocross Season Starts
Well done lads - sounds like eyeballs out for nearly an hour!
Re: Cyclocross Season Starts
Well done lads sounds like great craic .
Re: Cyclocross Season Starts
Looks and sounds appealing. Well done all round, sounds like a fun day out