Grass / mud / shivering / poor result = enjoyable race? it can only be...

Cyclo-Cross: CXNE round 7

Wow, what a mud and grass fest this was! Mike, David, Matthew (chief squealer) and I squeezed ourselves into Mikes vdub and set off to Barnard Castle on Sunday morning.

Everyone was on their nice CX specific bikes apart from me on my 12yr old hard tail mtb. I did however have a new set of ‘cross’ specific tyres fitted to make it a bit more appropriate to the typical cyclo-cross conditions.

I did a bit of cross years ago and there are certain features of the racing that don’t change; the most prominent of those being the temperature! Shivering before and after the race is mandatory.

There were 90 starters and the standard ranged from Paul Oldham, who is the Hope sponsored points leader in UK cyclo-cross this season, to a complete novice on a mountain bike. On a shortish lap, where the quick riders will lap the back markers at least twice, this big difference in ability can lead to a bit of tension as the leaders hustle past the slower riders. The atmosphere of the race was however very civilised with polite passing being the norm and none of the jostling and swearing you can get in a pack of racing roadies.

The course was a wiggly loop around a field with a few tarmac sections, a pair of up hill hurdles and that was pretty much it. It was not very technical; the biggest challenge was keeping grip on the off camber downhill corners and on a short mud climb through a narrow gate opening. Still, it was a good racing course and I definitely enjoyed the experience.

I could not really see who was where once the race got going. I set off from the middle of the pack, got boxed in on the first corner and then remained in a lowly position thereafter. Mike Aitch was the quickest of us although Matthew was off and racing with the quick lads in the top 20. David was just behind me and was going well until his cleat slipped and pointed his toe into the front wheel. He managed for a while but then disaster struck as his foot broke a spoke and pushed the spoke through the rim and into his tube and tyre. Game over.

My final score was 54^th. Oh well, that gives me something to work on! Results aside this was a great workout and I will certainly aim to do a few more. You just simply do not push yourself that hard if you are not riding in a race! I would recommend this to anyone who secretly enjoys a bit of suffering and competition or would just like to improve their fitness.

The bikes post-race were so full of mud and grass that I could not see any part of the rear mech. How it all kept working perfectly I have no idea; good old Shimano SLX. There must have been 2lb of mud and grass pressed into my front crud catcher alone.

With yet another forecast of prolonged snow and ice this winter my road riding plans may come to a temporary halt for now. After a rather scary 20mph rear wheel slide on black ice last week, a bit of soft, wet cold mud seems far preferable to landing on hard icy tarmac. I don’t bounce like I used to. Mark.