Veldrijden Avonturens

[RacerChick]

Veldrijden Avonturens is Flemish for "Cyclocross Adventures".
With 22 and counting Cyclocross races on the calender for 2010 Tommy, Jordan and I, thought it would be fun to share our experiences and travels with you. This virtual blog won't be about training, but rather to show different Cyclocross race courses and some racing action from around the Northeast. A few of the race locations are: The Wicked Creepy CX in Bennington, VT - Saratoga Springs CX - New York State CX Championships in Rochester, NY - UCI events in New England and the most of the NJCX Cup events. We are also planning a trip to the Cyclocross Worlds in St. Wendel, Germany. I'll also post pictures and Garmin data of our weekly "Tuesday's Cross practice" course. Our first Cyclocross race of the year is this Sunday at Blunt Park in Springfield, Mass. Thanks for reading,

RC ... :getsome:

 

[RacerChick]

The Weapons ...

Here's our Cyclocross race bikes and pit bikes. They both have training wheels on for CX practice later on today. My Ridley has older 9 speed Dura-Ace, it can clear mud from the casstte and chain better than the 10 speeder. Tommy uses the Rotor Ring chainrings on his CX bikes and this year I will too. I use FSA Carbon crank with 46/34 Rotor Rings up front and 12/28 out back. My stem is turned up to give me a taller ride position. The XTR pedals IMO are the only way to go, never had a problem clearing mud. The left XTR pedal is a click looser than the right making it easier to dismount at speed. I will be training and racing this year with Tubular wheels, air pressure depends on the course.
The Bicycle Depot offers Specialized S-Works bikes for 2010. Tommy could not pass up the deal on this Carbon S-Works Frameset. His bike weighs just over 17 lbs. Tommy uses a single Rotor Ring with FSA Carbon cranks. He likes the top mounted brakes. My Stevens Pit bike doubles as a road bike too and is also used in the winter months. Tommy's Flanders pit bike is just one of his six CX bikes, he is a guru of Cross.

RC ... 🙂

 

[RacerChick]

Pit Bikes ...

Continued, here's the pit bikes ... and this little guy Tommy found in the grass
In order to be considered a "Cross Guru" one must have a CX tattoo!

RC ... 🙂

 

[map111158]

Cool thread, interested in seeing some of the races that are far away from me. What cat do you and Tommy race in?

 

[ArmyOfNone]

Sweet! See you at the races! Look forward to hearing bout your adventures.

 

[RacerChick]

Cool thread, interested in seeing some of the races that are far away from me. What cat do you and Tommy race in?

Hi Map! Right now I'm still Cat 4, but plan on moving up to 3 mid season, Tommy is Cat 3 and races 45+ 1-3.

Sweet! See you at the races! Look forward to hearing bout your adventures.

Hey Fred were you ears ringing tonight? After our CX practice a few of the guys were practicing the barriers. A "B" racer said when you hop over the first barrier keep the bike slightly behind you than bring it foward on the second barrier to increase your speed ... I said, yes that's called the "whip!" Fred Brown back in NJ does it to perfection! 😀
RC ... 🙂

 

[RacerChick]

Tuesday CX Practice 08.17.10

We have our weekly CX practice at the Roundout High Campus, yes this place is huge! Picture #1 is our set of Barriers that are 40cm high and 3 meters apart. Picture #2 is one of two sets of stairs, these go into the stands and picture #3 is the turnstyle exiting the stands. It can be real slippery when wet. Picture #4 is Tommy doing the run-up I put in tonight. We ride across a grass hill sharply drop down than dismount, run back up. Picture #5 is a fast rocky downhill that leads to long climb. Our course tonight was 1.8 miles.

RC ... 🙂

 

[pixychick]

Thanks RC for posting this. I think it is time for me to get going on building some of my own barriers.

 

[Steve Vai]

If you want to save some time, check these out, they self-assemble 🙂

http://crosspropz.com/

-Jim.

 

[RacerChick]

Thanks RC for posting this. I think it is time for me to get going on building some of my own barriers.

Hey Pix!
Good job on Sunday, that course was pretty tough.
Here's the material list for the barriers I made. At Home Cheapo they cost about 30 bucks.
3-10' lengths of 2 inch PVC pipe (schedule 40, what ever the hell that means)
4-2 inch Tee's
4-2 inch 90's
8-2 inch end caps (not needed but I thought Jim V's looked more professional)
My barriers are 8'0" long and 15 3/4 inches tall (UCI Rules) All the fittings are glued. Space them 13 feet apart (UCI rules again) 😀
-OR- just come up here and practice with me!!!!
RC ... 🙂

 

[pixychick]

Hey Pix!
Good job on Sunday to reel in Katina, that course was pretty tough.
Here's the material list for the barriers I made. At Home Cheapo they cost about 30 bucks.
3-10' lengths of 2 inch PVC pipe (schedule 40, what ever the hell that means)
4-2 inch Tee's
4-2 inch 90's
8-2 inch end caps (not needed but I thought Jim V's looked more professional)
My barriers are 8'0" long and 15 3/4 inches tall (UCI Rules) All the fittings are glued. Space them 13 feet apart (UCI rules again) 😀
-OR- just come up here and practice with me!!!!
RC ... 🙂

Thanks!!!

 

[RacerChick]

Blunt Park Cyclocross 08.22.10

With heavy rains falling all night in the Mid Hudson Valley at 6 am Tommy, Jordan and I headed Northeast to Springfield, MA for Round 1 of the Tabacco Valley Cross Series. Today's forecast at Blunt Park much of the same. Blunt Park's CX course is mostly flat and when dry is very fast. When wet it's a whole different race.
Tommy's 45+ Cat 1-3 race went off at 10:00 am. Shortly after the skies once again opened up. Starting in the second row, he was faced with stiff competition. The start was on pavement that took the 32 rider group into a hard left turn, than into the single track section. The single track soon became a mudfest with roots and two log dismounts. The 1.4 mile course weaved in and out through wooded areas, to slippery grass around the back sections. Tommy's prescription glasses fogged and he was forced to take them off. Not being able to see more than a few feet he had to follow riders and pressed on. On the last lap he caught a group of 4 and passed them to take a hard earned 20th place in his rain soaked 45 minute race. My Women's Open Cat 1-4 race went off at 1:15 with the drenching rains not letting up.
My race plan was not to redline and simply ride my own race. Starting on the second row of the 22 rider field I was sitting in 15th position. I knew the lead group of 5 Cat 2&3's would soon gapped the field. The muddy conditions were just perfect for me as others I followed were struggling in the sloppy mess. I worked my way up to 10th and held it for the 45 minute race. I was very happy with my finish and felt strong throughout.
Picture #1 Welcome to Blunt Park.
Picture #2 is one of the twisty sections towards the back of the course, good area for recovery.
Picture #3 Most of the riders would dismount and run this entire section. Sweeping around along the tape I was able to ride it and saved energy.
Picture #4 Same section with Tommy "shouldering" his bike and running.
Picture #5 Making the pass, it was muddy sections like this and pouring rains
that made me feel right at home. My Garmin data ... http://connect.garmin.com/activity/45739883
Next Saturday is Round #2 of the Tabacco Valley CX in Palmer, MA
Next Sunday will be Race the World at Windham Mountain.
Thanks for reading,
RC ... 🙂

 

[Neilism]

Very much enjoying this thread.....hope you continue the coverage and best of luck with the next race!

 

[RacerChick]

Very much enjoying this thread.....hope you continue the coverage and best of luck with the next race!

Thanks so much Neilism 🙂 I saw more and more interest in Cyclocross this year on MTBNJ and thought this would be a good idea to have a Cyclocross thread showing the different race locations and what it's like to race a full season of Cross week in and week out. For beginners or people looking to give Cyclocross a try, I hope this thread might give someone the incentive to get out and try it.

RC ... 🙂

 

[RacerChick]

More Pictures from Blunt Park

I had a more pictures from yesterday's race at Blunt Park. The picture quality is not that great due to the fact that is was POURING and dark at times.
Picture#1 shows how dark certain areas of the course were at times. This was a wooden guardrail that the race promotors thought would make a good dismount. It was over 2 foot tall and was tough to jump over.
Picture #2 This was a slower section of the course, great to recover and see how close your competitors are.
Picture #3 Here's Tommy running the barriers, The picture only shows 2 barriers or as their called "one set" This race there were actually 4 in a row! One set it tough but having 2 sets is nuts. Most of the racers, including me thought it was too much. In the Women's open race they removed 1 set of barriers! I was so happy! 😀
Picture #4 In the tight slippery, sloppy corners I would aim for the rut, click out and stab my foot making the turn faster.
Picture #5 A lot of Cyclocross races are muddy. Riding along the tape looking, staying out of the mud can save time. Yesterday we ran Tubulars with 30 PSI front and 32 in the rear.
RC ... 🙂

 

[RacerChick]

Monson Cyclocross, Palmer, Mass.

This past Saturday was Round #2 of the Tabacco Valley Cyclocross Series in Palmer, MA. I was ready to have another good CX race like the week prior at Blunt Park in Springfield, MA. It was not going to happen. Tommy and I have competed in over 50 Cyclocross races in the last two years, the Monson course was the worst yet. The 1.3 mile course started on a paved downhill. We needed to hop a curb off the start, mind you at speed to enter the grass fields. The Cat 4 Men's race saw some of the riders crashing. Many were complaining not only about the curb but also about the single track including a 100 foot rocky run-up. This race was a joke and Tommy and I will not return to this event. My race was over on the first lap. A 2 foot piece of heavy gauage wire wrapped around my rear hub, forcing me to pull over. Tommy ran to help me, I was dead last 1/2 of a lap down. I was able to catch the tail end of the race and pass a few. Knowing that Windam MTB race was the next day, I backed off the pace and finished. Tommy's race went well finishing inside the top 20 of the 30+ rider field.
Picture #1, On the road again, a few miles outside of Mass.
Picture #2, Here's a shot of the curb, if you didn't get the holeshot and hit this tiny ramp you would be forced to slow and hop the curb, stupid. To make it worse the curb was on an angle.
Picture #3, This is the bottom portion of the rocky 100+ foot run-up. Only the top pros were able to run.
Picture #4, Tommy on the run-up
Picture #5 is me getting to the top of another steep hill.
The next Cyclocross race for us will be at Nittany Lion UCI CX in PA. on 9-11-10. This will be a can't miss Cyclocross event!

RC ... 😡

 

[RacerChick]

More pictures from Monson CX

Here are a few more pictures from Monson CX...

Picture #1 are the rolling hills in Palmer, Mass.
Picture #2 This downhill takes a sharp right and leads to the single track. Having single track section in Cyclocross is very common, breaking wheels and having to run large rocks is not.
Picture #3 is Tommy hitting the barriers ...
Picture #4 is me going up one of the paved climbs.

Thanks for looking,
RC ... 🙂

 

[seanrunnette]

Oh, that looks grim. Good on ya for sticking through to the end, but after putting in that many highway miles you didn't really have a choice, no? Good luck at Nittany!

 

[RacerChick]

Oh, that looks grim. Good on ya for sticking through to the end, but after putting in that many highway miles you didn't really have a choice, no? Good luck at Nittany!

Your right Sean, to DNF would make little sense. Sometimes I wonder if sitting in the car for 5+ hours just to race for 45 minutes is worth it :hmmm:
Yeah it's worth it! Cyclocross is so much fun and compared to road and mountain, it takes a lot less money to get into.

RC ... 🙂

 

[RacerChick]

Yesterday was Round #1 of the MAC Cyclocross Series near Trexlertown, PA which is about 3 hours Southwest of us. Gorgeous blue skies, hot sun and temps mid 70's Tommy, Jordan and I pulled up at 8:30 am with the racers out and about doing their warm ups. I hurried through sign up so I could watch the Cat 4 Men go off (mainly Norm) at 9am sharp. Tommy's race would go off at 10 am and mine at 11. Pre riding the course I was surprized that it was flat (191 feet of elevation gain for 5 laps) The course was very fast with many tight twisty turns and fast sweeping corners. There was one long straight that was loaded with big roots and was difficult to choose the fastest line, having tubulars with 34 PSI front and back helped smooth out this section. Tommy's Masters 35+ Cat 2,3,4 had over 80 riders entered. He started on the 5th row, with that amount of racers and only 40 minutes it would be tough to gain ground. The first lap in his chain came off the front ring and wedged itself between the "chain catcher". Dropping him to last place he grabbed his pit bike and mounted a hard charged finishing 57.
In my Women's 45+ open Cat 1-4 I lined up on the front row of the 12 rider field. I got off the line well and going into the first turn I had a chance at the holeshot so I took advantage of the position. I led my race for the first lap and knowing that the two women close behind me were cat 1 and knew I would not be able to hold them off. I rode strong finishing 4th, 10th overall with the Women's 3/4 combined. I'm very happy with my Cyclocross racing thus far. Here is the Garmin Data from yesterday http://connect.garmin.com/activity/48579252 Looking at my heart rate keep in mind my Max HR computes to 178, yesterday my average was 179 for 40 minutes! I have a bunch of pictures to share along with the MTBNJ guys having their own page of pictures.
Notes: Fred Brown crashed early in his race and put on an incredible charge to 13th! Way to go Fred! BiknBen looked good and rode strong as usual, not sure where Ben finished. ChrisG picked off riders on each and every lap and his mountain bike skills came into play in his aggresive riding style. I felt bad for Norm, IMO, he needs to steer clear of the Cat 4's on the start since they are an accident waiting to happen. Most of them are terrible bike handlers.

Picture #1 I'm sitting on the line waiting for the start.
Picture #2 One of the many tight corners.
Picture #3 This Picture that Tommy took shows just how dry, dusty and flat this UCI MAC course was. I had my head down and charging.
Picture #4 This was one of the few short downhills, the section previous was a long straight with huge roots. I was able to gap the Cat 1 riders here on the first lap ... too bad they passed me soon after.
Picture #5 Grassy section, this course was super fast with no climbing.