TLI Cyclocross National Championships Gateshead and CXNE Round 9 - Barnard Castle

We've been a bit slow at race reports lately so this is a 2 for 1 deal!

First off Cross Club headed to Gateshead for the TLI National Championships.  Paul, Neal and I headed to a very windy Gateshead, the Met Office had an Amber warning out due to the wind speeds but a decent crowd of about 60 riders still turned up.

Usually I like to write about how much I enjoyed the course, this time, nothing could be further from the truth! It wasn't really the course more the fact that the wind killed me!  There were a couple of climbs into the wind with one particularly horrible climb only to be hit by the wind as you crested.

My awesome Van Dessel ready to role



It was a tough race and it felt like I spent the rest of the lap recovering from the hill.  Neal had a great race and Paul was going well until he punctured and had to run most of a lap.  Luckily one of the Blackhawk riders lent Paul a bike so he could complete the race.

I'm not sure about the results but I think Neal was inside the top 15, Paul was about 18th and I managed a personal best at around 22nd.

So for a tough race it ended up going pretty nicely!

Next up was Barnard Castle last weekend.

This was my first real taste of Cyclocross weather!  Up until now all my races have been dry and I've only needed to wear bib shorts and a jersey.  Barnard Castle brought freezing rain and sleet and along with it arm and leg warmers and a gillet!

After completing a practise lap, the warm up consisted of sitting in the car with the heater on full!

With Paul in Belgium enjoying waffles and beer and Rich racing at the next round of the duathlon series it was left to Rob, Neal and I to fly the Cross Club flag.

The course was great and at 1.7 miles it felt like the longest course this season.  The course had a couple of barriers, some tarmac and some sticky mud!  Just about perfect.

Neal riding it like it's on rails 

With the North East Championships on the Sunday the Saturday was providing an opportunity for some of the big guns to have a practise on the course.  With Paul Oldham showing us all how it is done.

Me following Nev Martin

I had a great race fighting hard with Nev Martin from Infinity Cycles and Dave Charman from Blackhawk bikes.  The three of us battled for most of the race with Nev pulling out a lead in the last section of mud and me getting in front of Dave on the tarmac to the finish.  Next time I think I will let Nev follow me across the line!

Rob and Neal both had great races, with Rob managing to meet the cut off for an extra lap.  This gave me and Neal the chance to recover and then laugh at the pain on Rob's face when he crossed the line.

As a treat I had invited my parents to come and watch this race, the weather made wasn't perfect but it was good for them to see what it is all about.  It didn't take long for my Dad to get the hang of Cyclocross, at the end of the race he even had a few tips.  Basically I need to go faster at the start and then just stay in front of everyone! I suggest you all watch out at the next race as I now know what I've been doing wrong.

The race was also the first outing for the Crossclub kit.  Thanks to the sponsors Apex Acoustics Ltd and Bearded Man. 

Whinlatter Duathlon

In an attempt to keep this winter varied, I'd been looking for alternative races to have a go at, aside from cross. Whinlatter Offroad Duathlon caught my eye as being pretty soon, as well as being at Whinlatter - somewhere I know the riding to be good and pretty tough.

I managed to rope in Shonah to complete the two running sections, which sandwich the bike racing, and we entered as a mixed pair.

Sho was off first, completing a 7km run, which she later told me was so steep in places it required 4 points of contact! She came into the transition area in top end of mid pack, holding pace with some wiry looking blokes and with distance between her and some of the other women - I was chuffed to bits and set out at full tilt on the 20km bike route, fuelled by Clif Shot Bloks and 2 of the Gels kindly provided by the guys at 2Pure. If you haven't yet tried these products, make it a must do for your next event!

I was soon into maximum effort and seemed to be overtaking plenty of people, eventually catching the guy who was riding as part of a mixed pair who had won the previous events. Making sure to pass him at full speed at the same time as trying to make it look effortless (a technique taught and perfected by Neal of cross club), I set to building as big a gap as possible to ensure Sho could have a bit more of a comfortable time of it come the final run.

I came into the transition absolutely on the limit, but was pleased to only see perhaps 7 or 8 bikes back and handed over to Sho who duly nailed the run and brought home Cross Club's first podium - first place in the mixed pairs!

Unfortunately the Cross Club kit hadn't arrived for the race and so the "podium" picture is unfortunately a bit non descript!

All in all, a cracking day. The riding was excellent and, as predicted, relentlessly tough.

Even more pleasing was the fact I managed 3rd fastest overall bike split. Chris Hope (lakeland mtb folk hero) and the overall winner beat me by about 30 seconds. Full credit to these guys - they'd ran the 7km and still managed to smash the ride!!

Next round of the series is next sunday, where we have to go and try and maintain our position in the series. The whole event is a bit longer - I'm hoping this suits me better, as short events are not really my forte!

Cross Club Kit touches down

After many iterations, logo placement sessions for supporters and sponsors, we have finally taken delivery of the new Cross Club kit. Early impressions are good and the design looks really really good. All acknowledgement for the great design lies at the door or Dunc (of here come the belgians fame) - he's pulled a blinder!

Below are a few words from Rob who seems to be the only guy to have actually modelled his kit so far! He asked me not to use this photograph, but until better ones arrive, I think it's fine!

"Finally, our own team Cross Club kit has arrived! Great quality from Champion Systems, I am personally very pleased with the fit as well – the ability to try ‘size samples’ prior to confirming the order was of great help to check, and if necessary, change our choices. A great thank you goes to Apex Acoustics and our other sponsors for the support –we’ll see the company name at some more cross races as well national Mountain Bike races and more off road duathlons come the 2012 season, and hopefully on podiums! It’s nice to know that our riding and racing preferences, and that we literally cross all of cycling’s best distinctions, are reflected in a smart kit that we can use all year round."

If you like the kit, please let us know, as there are plans to get further runs completed...

Cross Club heads to Durham

Last Sunday Cross Club headed to Durham for round 7 of the CXNE.  Racing within 30 minutes of your front doors and starting at a sociable 12.30 are seriously positive points!

It was the first time that the University Cricket grounds had been used for a race and there had been a lot of discussion about the course before we arrived.  I had been to the cricket ground before and was confidently telling everyone it would be a really fast course with no hills.  It turns out that I couldn't have been more wrong!

I know I say this every blog, but this course is now my favourite.  With some long fast flat sections, a decent set of stairs, some steep descents and the 'Mur de Durham'.

With over a hundred rider this was by far the biggest cross race I've done.  A toilet trip before the start meant I was starting towards the back of the pack again!  As usual the start was furious, the course had been modified for the first lap with the tight turns taken out to avoid bunching.  As we raced along the river bank we went through a large gate and turned towards the steps.  Before the race started I had already realised that the steps would be a bottleneck, so I pushed hard to reach them quickly.  Unfortunately, the queue had already started and I was stood stationary with other riders holding my bike on my shoulder. As I reached the top of the steps I could see the riders that had cleared the steps first and they were well away.  It meant I would have to push hard to catch them, but it's always nice to have a target ahead of you!

Me trying to make up a few places.  With a face like that I must be flying!

The course was pretty muddy and within a couple of laps it was fairly chewed up, the 'Mur' and another hill were both scrambles with bikes on shoulders.  This was the first race I have had to shoulder the bike but I soon got used to it.  I like it things turn muddy, the racing gets more exciting!  Within a few laps I was passing people I am usually behind in the standings, I felt good and I was enjoying myself.

I think Rob had given it everything (the 'Mur' is in the background)

As the bell rang I gave it a good push and made up a couple of places in the last lap.  I'm still not a fast cross rider, but I am getting better and managed to hold off the lapping I usually get from my team mates, well, all expect Paul who was, as usual, on a flyer.

Both Rob and Paul both had good races.  Robs bike even held together which is a fantastic result for him!  It must be the Gucci new wheels he treated himself to.

As usual I have borrowed the photos from the league website and I would like to thank whoever they belong to.  I would also like to thank the event organisers, another brilliant race and a fantastic course. 

I really do love riding Cyclo Cross!

Stuff I like

I guess I need to narrow it down a bit otherwise we will all be here for a very long time!

Recently, I have been trying some different energy products and chamois cream. We all know what it's like, you find some products you like, start to use them and then can never risk trying anything new in case you either don't like it or worse, it reduces your performance on the bike.

I think it is important to be honest in these blogs, so I will be up front and admit that 2pure kindly sent Cross Club a few products to try. There was no obligation attached to the products and while it would be rude to right a bad review, if I didn't like the products you wouldn't be reading about them!

First of all, Cliff Bars, I'd used these before and had been impressed with them. Rather than the standard range of citrus flavoured energy bars, these are the sort of flavours you might buy at the mid ride cafe stop.

I tried the Chocolate Chip bars and they taste good! In fact they taste so good it was hard to leave them only for the rides! Unlike many energy bars these aren't too sweet, and although I as yet haven't done a long enough ride to warrant more than one bar I know that they wont become sickly and too hard to face.

The other thing I like about Clif Bars, probably one of their best bits, is that they aren't like a chewy sweet! You can bite some off the bar without the fear of losing you teeth and you can eat them while continuing to breath!

Cross Club ride a lot in the evening after work, this can mean by the end of the ride it has been a long time since lunch! Usually this isn't a problem and is sometimes even the point of the ride. Last week I was pretty hungry before the ride so decided to break out an emergency Clif Bar. Bars aren't like a caffeine gel with an almost instant energy boast, they release the energy more slowly and over a longer period of time. During the first part of the ride I didn't notice a difference in my performance but towards the end when my energy levels would normally be dipping, I felt great! I had plenty of energy and push the other Cross Club riders pretty hard, everyone knows its good to push your mates, so this was a great result!

I've also been using the Clif Shot Bloks and Gels. I've mentioned these before and Rob has done a detailed review so I will keep things short. Both of these products have been great with the Shot Bloks becoming a particular favourite of all Cross Club riders. Both are available with and without caffeine.

A great idea on the gels is the packaging is a tab on the side which holds the ripped off top. There is always the problem, albeit relatively small, of where to put the bit you rip off the top of the gel, is is a pain to hold an open gel and put the top back in your jersey pockets without getting in a mess. The tab is only a small thing but it is the sort of attention to detail that is good to see.

Talking about package, wow, my blogs are cool! I have also been using Chamois Butt'r, this is as good as any other chamois cream I have used before, it does everything you would like a chamois cream to do. What I like is that it comes in a squeezy tube as well as a tub, this means you can lend it to your mates without the fear of a double dip!

As I said at the top, I would only blog about stuff I like, even if we get sent it for free. Saying that, I'm pretty sure I would like most carbon tubular wheels, hospitality tickets to the cyclocross world cup and a decent van!

Next time I promise to blog about actually riding my bike! Unless those wheels turn up!

Middlesbrough Mudfest (well, it was a little bit muddy!)

This week the northeastern component of Cross Club has mostly (entirely) been racing in Middlesbrough. The Geordie / Smoggy rivalry was about to reach fever pitch in an NHS carpark in Eston Hills, Middlesbrough. Who cares about football, we were riding round 5 of the NECCL!

With the van loaded with bikes Paul, Rob and I head to Eston Hills to meet Rich and his long suffering girlfriend Shonah. We arrived in plenty of time to get all the bikes set up, sign on, have a few practice laps, get some caffeine filled shotblocs down our necks and complete the obligatory 5 pre-race trips to the toilet!

In fact, we had so much time Rich decided to do a bit of pre-race bike fettling. We all know this is a bad idea before a race but with spare time on our hands Rich found it too hard to resist. After oiling his chain nearly resulted in a lost finger we decided to go and find the start line! (finger was treated with oily rag and electrical tape).

Previously I have made the mistake of starting too far towards the back, this time I made sure I had a prime position one row back from the front. In the end the start turned out to be pretty wide and one row back from the front was also the last row of the grid!

The start line

The course was interesting with a nice set of barriers, woodland singletrack, some grassy slogs and some very wet mud. There were a few slippy corners and I was glad that the night before the race I swapped my Vittoria tyres for Challenge Grifo's. The difference was incredible, massive amounts more grip and I didn't really notice any difference in the rolling resistance, this could have been because everything was caked in grass and mud within a couple of laps.

Rich enjoying (as much as is possible in a 'cross race) the singletrack

I am still getting used to 'cross racing but I felt good and the course was fun and suited me. Pushing hard, I was keeping up with guys that had been distant figures in the last couple of races. After a couple of laps I has settled into a good pace with a rider from M Steels and a rider from Blackhawk bikes, it was hurting but it felt good!

Team mate Rob was having another mechanical nightmare. After last weeks smashed rear derailleur, a snapped chain 50 yards from the house on Saturdays training ride, race day brought him a nice front puncture and a retirement. We need to get some spare CrossClub wheels!!

Rob (number 20) approaching the barriers

As I approached the barriers for maybe the fourth or fifth time my chain got stuck behind my cassette. I tried to pull the chain out but it was jammed solid. At this point Shonah ran over and offered a helping hand, while she held the bike I pulled the chain with both hands and managed to free it. This all took the best part of a lap with both Paul and Rich who were already close to lapping me coming passed at least once and probably the best part of twice! With some encouragement from Shonah probably along the lines of "smash it" I went out to finish the race. I had lost a lap but I had also lapped a couple of people so I wasnt going to be last! Anyway, racing is better than the turbo!

Paul clearing the first barrier

A couple more laps and I heard the bell, after rejoining the race I managed to catch up with the M Steels rider I had been with earlier, obviously I was a lap down but he didn't seem to realise. As we went for the line I did something rather unsporting and put a decent dig in, with an additional lap in his legs he couldn't follow. It is horrible being beaten on the line, so I made sure I went over and explained I was a lap down straight after the race, well almost straight after.

Me at the finish line

A couple of mechanical but a brilliant race none the less. My favourite course this year and a little bit of sunshine. The results aren't yet out but both Paul and Rich had good races so will hopefully be fairly high in the table.

Big thanks to the organisers, Shonah for her help and encouragement and the NECCL gallery where I borrowed all of the photos.

Oh yeah, when I emailed everyone to ask if they wanted any high or low lights adding the the blog Rich replied with 'Yeah a particular low light for me was the smell of fresh dog eggs near the barriers towards the end of the race' Haha, brilliant!

Day of the Derailleur

So far this cross season courses have reflected the lack of bad weather we have had, firm and fast would be good descriptors for the courses up until last weekend.

Whickham, RD3 Neccl, changed all that … although the weather on the day was fair, no rain and mild, the fact the course sits nicely on a hillside and previous days of rain gave rise to the usual sticky mud that this course is known for.

The course itself was a great mix of a slippy long descent with switchback corners to try and negotiate … a long drag/run back up to the bmx track then even a section of wooded singletrack before a ride back to the pits and a slippy set of corners before starting the descent again.

What Whickham is really famous for is the course mix of sticky mud and sections of gravel which tears off mechs and hangers at will !!

Unfortunately the first victim of the day was Cross Club rider Rob Walker, snapping a rear mech on his practice lap so was resigned for the first time this season to the sidelines and took on the role of team heckler.

I managed to get a good start but a lead group formed ahead of me that I just couldn’t get across to… I need to work on this … Soon enough the race began to develop at a fast pace as the course started to take its toll quickly on bikes.

Quicker than I could reel riders back the course was tearing their bikes up … as the laps went by the lead group had been decimated by mechanicals and although I lost a few places later in the race I still found myself in 5^th place at the end.

Other cross club placings included Neal Wesley who although had a mid race puncture and had to take a spare wheel that as it turned out was running near road pressures still managed to battle on to a 10^th place finish.

I would like to take this placing as a move forward in terms of fitness but in reality the field was thinned by the course devouring their bikes, I prospered on this occasion as the trusty Fuji held together although it had gathered its own weight again in mud during the race.

I am more and more motivated to get back up to the front of the field and now I have the support and friendly competitive element of the Cross Club riders as an extra driving force.

Photographs thanks to Grace and Jay