So 2 things about me: I’ve never DNF’d and no matter how out of shape I’ve felt I’ve never felt just destroyed by a race. Both of those things smacked me in the mouth today.
After a few years of long distance tri got the bug to try cyclocross. Worked with the wife on a new bike (read: begged) just before IM Lou. Main idea was with our kiddo now being 3 years old I did not want to put the time into IM distance anymore as it would take away from family time. Was able to pull this off before by getting up stupid early, training, then playing the first half of the day, then napping when our son napped…kid don’t nap anymore…so on to other s/b/r sports for a bit…hence cyclocross.
Grew up MTB in the northwest, have been in pancake flat midwest for the past decade +. Went from “man the food here in Chicago is amazing” to “shit I’m fat” to “maybe I better try tri” to in really great shape with a cleaned up diet etc. Thats the past 10.
Why do I mention the above? Because you would think with a MTB past and a solid base fitness (IM Lou was just 3 months ago) I would be able to pull off a cyclocross race? Nope…I did not really think that either since I’ve been mostly sitting on my ass for the past 3 months and kept convincing myself that todays first xcross race would be more of a practice run for me in reality it was a demonstration of just how much skill and high end effort is necessary to do well here…or at the very least not feel like a slug.
End result: 3/4 laps complete, I pulled myself out of the race after I almost took the 2nd place guy out due to my shit bike skills (they were lapping me…yes lapping me) and feeling the pent up frustration of the past 35 minutes or so of not being able to clip myself in/out well enough on my fancy new egg beater pedals. Amazingly enough I never crashed)
So yeah…I did not have high expectations by any means but still I’m a moron for going out in the condition I did (physically), a moron for going out at my bike skill level (seriously…one ride around the block on my new bike with new eggbeater pedals…one clip in/one clip out. Also after a few current years of tri bike skills which basically mean I can ride for a long time in a fairly straight line and monitor my HR…hence NOT cyclocross as I understand it), and just generally not thinking it through well enough.
End result is that I really loved it though (did you see the part about how I never crashed?). It’s hard and felt awesome taking a bike through rough conditions again. I’ve always been a guy who kinda rushes into activities head first and then figures them out later…and I cant wait to race my next one. Luckily there is one more in the Chicagoland area this year and I just signed up. Shooting for 4/4 laps and some solid practicing between now and then.
This was almost my exact first CX race. I knew I was way in over my head but the race was something else.
Really muddy. By far the worst conditions of CX I have raced.
It had a flyover. Except it was too narrow so tons of people crashed. I was scared to death each time I went down it.
I couldn’t get into my eggbeaters either. This made #2 really terrifying.
There was a 2’ deep creek that was about 8’ across. Strong riders made it through each time. Not me. I managed to unclip instead of going over.
We rode the edge of a cow pond. I fell in.
Got lapped in the end bc I had so much mud caked in my rear brakes and chainstays that my wheel wouldn’t spin.
Fell in love with the sport.
I spent my entire first year being the last person to start in the field and slowly picking people off. I know that I can ride with any of them. I just don’t have the skills. By the end of the season, I was top 10 in most races. I considered it an accomplishment.
Sadly I don’t really have the time right now to race more. There was a race 15 minutes from here today and I just couldn’t get myself to do it.
HA! I raced twice today-- Masters 60+ 45 minutes then went back a couple hours later for the Cat 3’s… also 45 minutes. I pulled the plug after 3 laps (race went 5), informed an official, then rolled to the team tent and told they guys it only takes me 30 minutes to do a 45 minute race.
Glad you’re hooked. It’s a totally nutty sport but completely a blast. I don’t recall seeing doughnut, dollar or beer hand-ups in a triathlon.
My favorite type of bike racing, still miss it after being out of it for a number of years. Wish I lived where there were races within reasonable driving distance.
I did my first CX race maybe 7-8 yrs ago. Fell in love. Was dead last on that first race and was grinning the whole time. 3 bikes later, I’ve greatly improved. Mostly because of skill, not the bikes. LOL. I still could use some serious work on cornering.
I’ve been flirting with getting a CX bike to race in the winter. After reading this thread, if I do get into CX I’m pinning a huge “NOOB” sign to my back as fair warning to everyone else.
I’ve been flirting with getting a CX bike to race in the winter. After reading this thread, if I do get into CX I’m pinning a huge “NOOB” sign to my back as fair warning to everyone else.
Here’s the sweet part of being a noob (or at least making others aware of your noobness) with the points/staging you’re going to be placed last, or at the very least close to it. It’s cool…you cant really F up anyone elses race (at the start anyhow) and, again from my 1 experience yesterday, you see some big wrecks but with plenty of time to avoid them yourself.
Exhibit A from my first race yesterday. At the 28 second mark you’ll see me…racing against…well a guy in either a turkey or a dinosaur costume. No threat to anyone but that guy
Oh and yes…even as I pass I was still not clipped in
Which race did you do? If you were out at Montrose, that is a super tough course to do for your first race! I know because I did it a few years ago. Had a thought of doing it yesterday but didn’t sign up and the on-site stuff was a cluster and I didn’t want to add to the mess.
Keep at it! I am going to try to jump in on Afterglow for my only CX race this year. We just don’t have that engine!
Which race did you do? If you were out at Montrose, that is a super tough course to do for your first race! I know because I did it a few years ago. Had a thought of doing it yesterday but didn’t sign up and the on-site stuff was a cluster and I didn’t want to add to the mess.
Keep at it! I am going to try to jump in on Afterglow for my only CX race this year. We just don’t have that engine!
Hey Doug…yep it was Montrose and it did sure as hell feel pretty tough. Sticking with it, in fact I signed up for Afterglow immediately after getting home yesterday. We should stay in touch would be great to meet another crosser (I can call myself that now?) from the board.
Here’s the type of confidence that ONLY comes from beating (barely) a guy dressed like a turkey off the start line to claim 2nd (to last) out of the gates.
Not sure I’d call myself a crosser (we maybe i feel like one when i put on tights) but I like to get out there. My email is dmruhl@gmail.com or twitter is doug_ruhl
How wide are those tires? They look to be on the narrow side. Asking completely out of curiosity not because I have any advice or suggestions to offer.
those are 32mm…maybe 33mm. Clemonts though so I know they are not pumping up to that width. Was running them at 40psi however so they flattened out a bit once on the ground.
How much do you weight? If they are clinchers put a bunch of Orange sealant in the tubes and run no more then 34 in back and 30 in front unless you are a true clydesdale. Less if you not very rough terrain or you are a light weight.
Looks like you were running in the sand. The key to sand is get you weight back, light on front wheel and don’t try and control front wheel let it drift where it wants too. Be in a gear you won’t get bogged down in.
I hear ya…could feel each and every frozen little bump in the ground. I’m weighing in at 175-180lbs so I was certainly a little too inflated. Appreciate the tip on the orange sealant. Will pick some up asap. Also thanks for the advice on the tire pressure! It’s just strange for me coming from the land of 115-120psi to this I guess…
I’m 140# and run tubeless (Vittoria EVO Cross XM’s w/ Orange Seal) at about 28psi or less and tubulars at as low as 22.
If you’re running tubeless start at 35psi and corner hard repeatedly, then start dropping the pressure a pound at a time until you get it to burp, bump it up a pound or two from there and you’ll be set. Front’s will be lower PSI than the back.
If you’re running tube’s… stop it, you’ll pinch flat.
I built up a new bike this year. Generic carbon frame, 1x11 Di2 with hydro disc brakes, and carbon tubulars. I was running Tufo Flexus Primus at about 26 psi and flatted five minutes into a race yesterday. Not sure what caused it. It was a total mud bath, and I regret that I spent 10 time as long to clean my bike as I spent racing that day. I hadn’t put any sealant in them before. After I flatted, I put in 3/4 of a bottle of Tufo sealant, and it seems to hold at 40 psi but blows through at 65 psi. I obviously wouldn’t race at those pressures, but feel like the sealant should still work. I’m debating whether to throw away a tire with <100 miles on it and reglue a new one before this weekend, or take my chance with the sealant. Grrr.
I built up a new bike this year. Generic carbon frame, 1x11 Di2 with hydro disc brakes, and carbon tubulars. I was running Tufo Flexus Primus at about 26 psi and flatted five minutes into a race yesterday. Not sure what caused it. It was a total mud bath, and I regret that I spent 10 time as long to clean my bike as I spent racing that day. I hadn’t put any sealant in them before. After I flatted, I put in 3/4 of a bottle of Tufo sealant, and it seems to hold at 40 psi but blows through at 65 psi. I obviously wouldn’t race at those pressures, but feel like the sealant should still work. I’m debating whether to throw away a tire with <100 miles on it and reglue a new one before this weekend, or take my chance with the sealant. Grrr.
KC I would recommend getting some Orange sealant. I have found it is the only thing that stops leaks fast so you can keep racing. The others will stop the leak but usually after loosing some air. I have finished races with over 50 goat heads in my tubulars and they were still holding air. I also had a small side wall cut on a tire last year. It lost the air but sealed after a few minutes and am still racing on it this year.
I hear ya…could feel each and every frozen little bump in the ground. I’m weighing in at 175-180lbs so I was certainly a little too inflated. Appreciate the tip on the orange sealant. Will pick some up asap. Also thanks for the advice on the tire pressure! It’s just strange for me coming from the land of 115-120psi to this I guess…
34-30 should do you pretty good unless you have rough ground. I raced that last year with clinchers, latex tubes and orange sealant with only one flat.
Couple more tips: when you practice really try and get the cornering down. Many will do this by using the tri-pod technique (basically unclipping the inside foot like on a dirt bike) to keep themselves from going down during practice and you can figure out how to max perfrom a turn (it is also a good emergency move during a race to save yourself especially on those off camber slippery corners). For the egg beaters I find it easier if I kick my foot forward and let the lip of the cleat catch the pedal opposed to finding the right spot to step down on the pedal. Also I glue an piece of rubber from and old tube on the bottom of my shoe right behind the cleat, so if I can’t click in because of a miss or mud the rubber will keep it from slipping much and I can still pedal well. Helps a lot during the start until I can get clipped in.
Seriously consider going to a straight bar instead of drops, especially if you are not a great bike handler. It will make you way more confident and just makes more sense since people spend 90% of the time in the hoods anyway. I believe the only reason drops are prevalent in CX is tradition, if MTB had been around first almost everyone would have straight bars. I switched to straight bar this season and had my best results ever, including my first win as a Cat 3 (master). A lot of guys (maybe 10-20%) are running CX bikes with straight bars around here and per capita I think we have by far the most CX racers in the country in OR. We have many races with 600-800 riders, pretty much all in state.
Get a cheap set of tubular wheels (Mavic Reflex, $150 used or like $400 new built to Ultegra hubs) and then you can run more like 30 lbs which will help a lot. I run challenge Grifo and then Limus in the mud although I have some Clement PDX clinchers (with latex tubes) that are also pretty nice. Might try a set of those in tubular as well, as they seem like a really nice all arounder. The tires are more important than anything else in CX and forget the carbon fiber wheels.
The first lap is half the race. Think about it.
I see you already have egg beaters, so you must have bought into the hype. I have raced in the worst peanut butter mud with SPDs and never had a real serious problem. I think any pedals you are used to will work.
Avid Ultimate Cantis are well worth the money and are by far the best Cantis on the market. They will actually stop you.
