first cx race of the year!! August 14th

lennymc

lennymc wrote: »

was out on the cx bike last night and after seeing the course decided that the gearing was way off. I was running a 36/17 for most of last year, but have changed to a 46/17 for tomorrow. A bit of a spin in the park this and i think it's either spot on or too big. Guess I'll find out tomorrow

So that gearing really didn't work out. Was great on the tarmac part and slightly less fine on the flat stuff, but any kind of an incline just killed me. I think something between the two would be just spot on. The 36/17 I was running is a 57.2 gear inch, and the 46/17 is a 73 gear inch, so if I take an average I should be looking at a 36/15 or a 46/19 to give a 65 gear inch, then there will be no stopping me.

edit - my result is wrong - I was lapped. Looks like I'm about 10 - 12 places too high.

outfox

Jaysus those videos are great. Looks like mighty fun. Anybody know if there are CX races closer to Cork?

cipo

What a brilliant event. Well done to WORC, Expert cycles, Rathfarnham village etc.. Rathfarnham is my new favourite south side village!! ;-)) really cool to see an event like this & the crowds to match!!!

Course was a brute! Non stop, lung busting & always had to concentrate down on the green area!!
Possibly need to get rid of road chainset - couldn't ride the long climb to top once... Spun out rear wheel every time!!

Thanks to all involved.

QueensGael

It was so hard, but great craic - well done to the organisers for a super event! I was very wussy on the downhill/wood section and couldn't get up the long hill, so spent plenty of time hauling my 15kg farmer's gate of a bike around the course

Alek

Possibly need to get rid of road chainset - couldn't ride the long climb to top once... Spun out rear wheel every time!!

I was under impression that if your wheel is slipping, lower gearing won't help, but knobbier tyres will?

Raam

Alek wrote: »

I was under impression that if your wheel is slipping, lower gearing won't help, but knobbier tyres will?

Weight distribution also helps. If you need to stand up, keep your weight back, but not so far back that you pop a wheelie.

lennymc

lower pressure would also help

cipo

lennymc wrote: »

lower pressure would also help

Probably all of the above suggestions would help.
I had a 39 x27 so I'd say a 36 inner cx specific chainset would be a lot easier to ride such steep grassy banks...
Tyre pressure, weight distribution etc will be addressed!

Tenzor07

outfox wrote: »

Jaysus those videos are great. Looks like mighty fun. Anybody know if there are CX races closer to Cork?

I believe there may be a Waterford CX race or race series coming soon...

RobFowl

Babysitter arrived late, chased across town but delayed in traffic and missed start. Royally p*ssed off to have missed it

padjo5

Sorry i missed it, sounds like it was pure fun and enjoyment.

Peterx

cipo wrote: »

Probably all of the above suggestions would help.
I had a 39 x27 so I'd say a 36 inner cx specific chainset would be a lot easier to ride such steep grassy banks...
Tyre pressure, weight distribution etc will be addressed!

Yikes. 39 x 27 is very high gearing for that grassy climb. Well done. I went up it in a 22 x 25. All credit to a granny ring!

Fantastic event, racing though a village main street and then getting cheered on by crowds lining the grassy climb was amazing. The surreal aspect of the all male choir on the corner into the village was funky too. So many corners, I must have tried to take one particular flat left hander as a right turn 3 times.

Very well done to the organisers for their imagination on coming up with such a good course and their follow through for making it all happen. CHAPEAU - as the roadies might say.

dragratchet

lukegjpotter wrote: »

My footage of the event.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylbSlci5v9A

was standing near that dog in your video..he could feel their pain.:P

Alek

The surreal aspect of the all male choir on the corner into the village was funky too.

True, that was a real clash of cultures

changepartners

Ok, it obviously doesn't matter a damn but there are serious inaccuracies down the back of the B race results, not that it matters though..

wanderer 22

changepartners wrote: »

Ok, it obviously doesn't matter a damn but there are serious inaccuracies down the back of the B race results, not that it matters though..

Looks like I was the last to complete all 6 laps, 8 or 9 just got 5 done..did they just get told to stop racing or what?

Raam

colm18 wrote: »

Looks like I was the last to complete all 6 laps, 8 or 9 just got 5 done..did they just get told to stop racing or what?

Once the leader is on his last lap, everyone finishes on their next time across the line regardless.

nak

colm18 wrote: »

Looks like I was the last to complete all 6 laps, 8 or 9 just got 5 done..did they just get told to stop racing or what?

Race is over once the winner crosses the line, if you're lapped you finish a lap down. In bigger races elsewhere, lapped riders are pulled off the course before the winner finishes.

It was a proper cross course, enjoyed it in hindsight. Hope they put that race on again.

lennymc

I gave my timing chip back at the line after my 5th lap, (I was lapped) but it has me down as having completed 6 laps. I wonder did the guy with the timing chips walk past the beacon....

changepartners

lennymc wrote: »

I gave my timing chip back at the line after my 5th lap, (I was lapped) but it has me down as having completed 6 laps. I wonder did the guy with the timing chips walk past the beacon....

Happened to me and another lad too, and someone finished higher than me who was minutes behind me, it all went weird after the 5th lap...

Raam

There are always some issues, but as long as they get the winners right, that's what really matters. I didn't think I finished as high up as I did, but there ya go, I'll take it

Koobcam

cipo wrote: »

Probably all of the above suggestions would help.
I had a 39 x27 so I'd say a 36 inner cx specific chainset would be a lot easier to ride such steep grassy banks...
Tyre pressure, weight distribution etc will be addressed!

I had a 36 inner ring and a max of 32 at the back and was able to ride up all the steep grassy bits. I did notice a lot of people seemed to be overgeared, so I reckon MTB-style gearing is the way to go.

ba

Haha yeah. Bit pissed that I appear to be DNF but shouldn't have passed my race-tag-chip-thing to a randomer who said she'd handle it for me...oops
Only got 5 laps done before I was pulled from course. But I had a great time. And learnt a lot.

changepartners

Was that reasonably representative of cross?

Tenzor07

Good work to the lad who made this video around the course of the race yesterday:

lennymc

changepartners wrote: »

Was that reasonably representative of cross?

The flat parts were, as was the single trail, but the climbs are not typical of most cross races. Swords and Portmarnock would be the exception to that. It also wasn't muddy enough, and it was about 25 degrees too warm.

Raam

lennymc wrote: »

The flat parts were, as was the single trail, but the climbs are not typical of most cross races. Swords and Portmarnock would be the exception to that. It also wasn't muddy enough, and it was about 25 degrees too warm.

What Lenny is saying is... apart from the races with climbs in them, there are no races with climbs in them.

changepartners

Pity the climb was my best bit!

Tenzor07

For those of you not on FB, here's a unique view of last Thursday's Urban CX race!

wanderer 22

Anyone know when the next cx race in Dublin is?