XC Racer Blog Post

From XC to CX - how hard can it be?

Share on Facebook  Share on Twitter

BY: Louise Robinson

Published: 10th October, 2013


Wessex CX League Round 5 - Eastleigh


And now for something completely different, or so I thought when I tentatively pencilled a CX race on the calendar back in August. Since then everybody seems to have been at it but "in for a penny, in for a pound" and all that so it was off to sunny Eastleigh we headed for a foray into CX racing.
 
 
It's funny, when you are used to XC events, how different cross racing seems to be. Much more low key for a start. The biggest challenge was to find the start area which was completely unmarked and the regulars just seemed to get a "sixth sense" about where to go. Also, race length is quite a "fluid" thing. In XC racing you know how may laps you are doing or, if it is an enduro, the fixed time you will be racing for. In CX its 40 minute plus a lap for the winner, but even this is open to interpretation and the commissionaire has the ability to make it longer or shorter as they see fit...weird! And no number board. Four safety pins and a fabric number swatch had me completely baffled at the start but I have to admit I didn't miss the usual fight with the brake cables to make the number board fit. It just makes identifying yourself in the race photos a complete nightmare.
 
 

All my previous experience of cyclocross has been via vomit inducing sufferfest sessions on the turbotrainer - not utterly dissimilar to the real thing as it turns out!
 
Anyway, with helmet peak, water bottle holder, cantilever brakes and no idea what was going on, I felt completely out of my comfort zone until I bumped into regular elite mountain biker Anna Cipullo. Anna gave me a few words of wisdom and I decided the best thing to do was try and stay on her wheel for as long as possible. The ladies race, mens vets, and juniors all went off together giving  a total of about 80 riders on a course that was just over a mile long. I really enjoyed this. Always someone ahead, always someone behind. Never, ever on your own which can be quite a common occurrence in ladies XC racing. However,this many competitors has its disadvantages too.  I tired to hold Anna's wheel but the skirmish at the start left me a good 20 riders behind her coming out of the start climb and onto the race course proper. it seemed like quite a sedate start compared to an XC race, but probably just because of all the traffic in front of me, slowing the pace right down. Within the first few minutes I was very nearly forced off the race course by a rider taking an overly aggressive line into a corner, cocking it up and plowing straight into me. At the time it seemed he had tried to deliberately barge me out of the way but in hindsight i think he just got it wrong and left himself with nowhere to go. However, by now Anna had disappeared into the distance.
 
Having never raced a cross bike before it was a massive learning curve. It took me about the first 6 laps to get the hang of the gears which I kept shifting in the wrong direction (yes, I know,a girl thing). Also the cornering. Compared to a mountain bike they just don't go round corners. You have to ride it like a car on a race track, going into the corners wide so you can come out tight and fast. Another thing I only realised by about lap 6. 

The Sand Trap - anyone would think this used to be a golf course.

The jumping off and jumping back on thing is all really hard too. In mountain bike racing, it's usually only when racing an enduro as a team or pair that you ever need to jump on quickly. Trying to do it when your heart is beating in your mouth and your legs have long since turned to concrete is another matter entirely. Luckily I wasn't the only one making a hash of this and something I am reliably ensured will get better with practice.

I have to say, I loved the climbs on the cross bike. I think because the bike is so light compared to a mountain bike, and the hills so short, I felt like I was just flying. However, for all this perceived flying up the hills I didn't seem to be making any progress on Anna.  For every climb I gained distance, I lost it again in the corners. By about lap 5 (bearing in mind I was at pretty much max heart rate for the entire race the actual details are quite hazy) I finally caught Anna and over took. I dug in and started to wonder how much longer I could endure the pain. Shortly after (again details are hazy) I heard the bell and with the thought of only a lap more I eased off. Big mistake. Anna came flying past me with that  little "sex doll" look on her face (Anna has the striking ability to look like a perfectly manicured sex doll when working at maximum heart race leaving the rest of us just looking like perspiring wrecks). So I dug in hung on to her wheel, launched myself at the final climb and sprinted to the line. Second place was mine by a whisker, with Tamina Oliver taking a undisputed victory about 5 light years ahead.  Oh my god, how hard was that!

So 45 minutes of racing at a frankly ridiculous average heart race for the measly sum of 12 quid. Thats got to be good value training in anyones book. I will definitely be back for more, XC calendar and kids allowing, and this time I may even look at little bit like I know what I am doing - I might even loose the bottle cage...


Thanks to Sotonia CC  for organising a great event.


Great Video of the Senior Race from Mike at 1st Gear Cycles



Click any of the images below for a larger view / slideshow





Blogger Info:


Louise
 

Louise Robinson

Mum, Pharmacist and XCracer Team Rider

Read More By Louise
Disclaimer:

This blog post was written by a third party and their views do not necessarily reflect the views of XCRacer.com

Advertise your business/event here »