DVS and Matix hooked me up this winter.
While I'm riding (skiboarding) out in Austria all this kit is coming in handy. What I like best is:
Hello you cheeky mix of grey and pink - the DVS Gracie Mid Snow- the shoe that is for around town (also available in black). Slick look, comfy ankle support. Proper beege it around town in these.
Something for the evening - less snow clown more Austrian gluevine time. Boom time gotta love the Shiloh boot. I've got them in the white, as does Laura of Rapha. Not great when you turn up in the same outfit and boots but hey it means they are sick wicked. even walking about in them in the snow they stayed waterproof and dirt free. thats why they are sick.
Best tee for slouching but still looking alright - winner MATIX Palmer Tee (beggar style) gotta love that dog.
While I'm riding (skiboarding) out in Austria all this kit is coming in handy. What I like best is:
Hello you cheeky mix of grey and pink - the DVS Gracie Mid Snow- the shoe that is for around town (also available in black). Slick look, comfy ankle support. Proper beege it around town in these.
That's it, done and dusted. No more National Trophies.
Finished 6th in the Rutland Cyclo cross which lifted me to 4th overall.
Pretty bloody happy with that. The series was actually pretty hard and over the races I figured out what I should be doing and when, how to get the best performance, remember to put warm up cream on my toes!
Rode Mavic R-sys and also Mavic Reflex wheels with tubs which worked a treat, in the well greasy conditions of Rutland. At first I was nervous about the course couple of technical off camber bits. I flipped myself off in the practise lap, providing much comedy value to Dan of Sigma Sport
But it was a really good season
To to review :
Best National Trophy Cyclo Cross courses:
Ipswich and Rutland
Worst:
Derby - too much boring grass
What I'm sticking with next year:
Mavic Reflex rims on a Shimano Ultegra hub. Lightweight tub wheelset
What I'm sacking off:
Shimano M540 pedals - bloody things clog with mud
Best rider:
Annie Last - but Hannah Barnes is most consistent
What I'm doing next year:
Warm up cream on toes and always ride the course 3 times
Thing that changed my life this cx season:
SKINS - they are compression tights which improve blood circulation and therefore recovery. Whether it really does I dunno but makes me feel like i've not got excuses.
Going back to race 'em all next year. But I'm glad its over
RIDE CROSS
Finished 6th in the Rutland Cyclo cross which lifted me to 4th overall.
Pretty bloody happy with that. The series was actually pretty hard and over the races I figured out what I should be doing and when, how to get the best performance, remember to put warm up cream on my toes!
Rode Mavic R-sys and also Mavic Reflex wheels with tubs which worked a treat, in the well greasy conditions of Rutland. At first I was nervous about the course couple of technical off camber bits. I flipped myself off in the practise lap, providing much comedy value to Dan of Sigma Sport
But it was a really good season
To to review :
Best National Trophy Cyclo Cross courses:
Ipswich and Rutland
Worst:
Derby - too much boring grass
What I'm sticking with next year:
Mavic Reflex rims on a Shimano Ultegra hub. Lightweight tub wheelset
What I'm sacking off:
Shimano M540 pedals - bloody things clog with mud
Best rider:
Annie Last - but Hannah Barnes is most consistent
What I'm doing next year:
Warm up cream on toes and always ride the course 3 times
Thing that changed my life this cx season:
SKINS - they are compression tights which improve blood circulation and therefore recovery. Whether it really does I dunno but makes me feel like i've not got excuses.
Going back to race 'em all next year. But I'm glad its over
RIDE CROSS
Rinsed all my cash hard on some bindings. But the Burton P1's i've been using for years are perhaps a bit stiff and unforgiving. they don't give you an inch and if you try it they'll kick you a mile. Perfect for hardcore racing and a simple week of riding. but day in day out they get tough and you can't relax on them and some days you do need to.
Went for the Burton Custom. Lower backplate which suits my bigger calve (not coz i'm fat but thats just girls legs alright).
What I wish I bought last year was the 2008 Stair Master Extreme board. WANT WANT WANT. Looks sooo nice and now you cant get it. You know what else I wish I'd bought the Burton Cartel - hot pink edition but I didn't and now i can't find em - even scratching around on ebay. LAME.
What I wish I bought last year was the 2008 Stair Master Extreme board. WANT WANT WANT. Looks sooo nice and now you cant get it. You know what else I wish I'd bought the Burton Cartel - hot pink edition but I didn't and now i can't find em - even scratching around on ebay. LAME.
Its going to be pretty cold going into Sunday. Currently snowing in Brum, location of this year National Champs. Luckily though the weather says its going to stop snowing and just be sunny but amazingly cold.
I've thought up some options - fyi leg and knee warmers are not allowed as its not truly cross.
Exception - I am not a full Belg hardcorer so will wear gloves.
I've thought up some options - fyi leg and knee warmers are not allowed as its not truly cross.
Exception - I am not a full Belg hardcorer so will wear gloves.
- Roubaix skinsuit - probably too late to order from Champion Systems (mental note, order for next year)
- Layers - warm up cream, goose fat, maybe some more warm up cream - will make the grit stick
- As per Ian Field - wear cling film on feet, latex gloves uneath normal gloves
- Put warm up cream in my eye just before the start. therefore will ride round faster in hope to finish quicker. also will distract from the cold on bare skin
- put hotwater bottle inside skinsuit - may be fall out and difficult to run with
- deal with it - probably going to do this
5th round of the National Cyclo Cross Trophy was held in Bradford. It was cold and a tough race for the Condor staff competing in the womens and seniors race. Plenty of mud meant plenty of running. Great race in the senior mens with National Champ Jody Crawford blowing the international field to bits. He took to riding up the climb (pictured) as opposed to everyone else having to run at it.
So after waking up at 5am on Saturday and then soaking up the cream of Belgium racing at Koksijde cross race and then onto Gent for the 6th day of the 6 day racing. Before walking up and down at 2am in the rain to find a taxi. Somehow we got back to the Holiday Inn and no one remembers telling the driver where we were staying.
So 10am Sunday morning and blam. Its raining, its cold and I'm thinking darn I've done that English thing again of not properly dressing for the conditions. No mudguards and my legs and feet are soaked through after the first 5 mins.
Rapha classic soft shell (they should do a girls version that should be sweet). Anyway so it had its first outing along the canal as a contingent of mainly brits rode under the direction of Andy Verral.
Whilst I appreciated being warm I also was slightly gutted that I was dousing my new jacket in mud - but then again its not just any mud Belgium mud.
It was a great ride, in wind and rain. Not fun to begin with but it made it more rewarding after. Then the rain stopped and a blue - ish sky crept through. Then we smashed it up the Molenberg. Then rode a bit more. Not a car in sight. Belgium is where its at.
Kristoff Ramon took some really nice looking photos and that made it even better.
Jon Cannings organised the ride and it was a bloody good idea.
After I ate steak and a load of frites covered in Peppercorn sauce. I ate a big bar of Milka chocolate with crispy bits in it.
So 10am Sunday morning and blam. Its raining, its cold and I'm thinking darn I've done that English thing again of not properly dressing for the conditions. No mudguards and my legs and feet are soaked through after the first 5 mins.
Rapha classic soft shell (they should do a girls version that should be sweet). Anyway so it had its first outing along the canal as a contingent of mainly brits rode under the direction of Andy Verral.
Whilst I appreciated being warm I also was slightly gutted that I was dousing my new jacket in mud - but then again its not just any mud Belgium mud.
It was a great ride, in wind and rain. Not fun to begin with but it made it more rewarding after. Then the rain stopped and a blue - ish sky crept through. Then we smashed it up the Molenberg. Then rode a bit more. Not a car in sight. Belgium is where its at.
Kristoff Ramon took some really nice looking photos and that made it even better.
Jon Cannings organised the ride and it was a bloody good idea.
After I ate steak and a load of frites covered in Peppercorn sauce. I ate a big bar of Milka chocolate with crispy bits in it.
Re Post below: LONDON LEAGUE is so the hardest league, lets just face it. the Porc (22nd Nov) race was bascially trying to get riders to kill themselves riding down a mountain bike course with berms and then ride up a massively long hill. A load of mud rammed into my chain had to dismount on the climb and I know I wouldn't be able to get going. I then had to run up the hill. It burned, my muscles were on fire. Then the when on the flat I was finally able to remount the legs didn't want to turn. Lost my lead and finished 2nd.
First post: 
A few of my dear crossers have run off pot hunting in the Central league (shant name names). Whilst its not that much further than some of the London League races - a comment about the central league is always followed by "yeh but its for whimps..."
A few of my dear crossers have run off pot hunting in the Central league (shant name names). Whilst its not that much further than some of the London League races - a comment about the central league is always followed by "yeh but its for whimps..."One way to settle it would be a quick look at the lastest result from the inter-areas. But at the same time some important folk will have missed that race. It comes down to two things. Competitors and courses. The feeling of the Southerns is that it is miserable up North. Raining and cold, they recieve much more of a mud bath than our mild fun cross mud. The London league welcomes over 100 competitors every week to its courses and other leagues may not be so popular. Does that make it harder or is it just because the population is denser?
North West looks like it could be troublesome with characters like Jebb getting involved, but on questioning some other riders (again from the south) they say its the Notts/Derby league that dishes out the pain?What about Wessex? Weak. But Hargroves are from that neck of the woods and they didn't just spring up because there isn't any competition did they or is it that there is some great cx to be had?
magic! would have wanted it to be cheesy dutch and 70's pop music and some kinda man with accent narrating. but tis still old school and fun
Woke up at 6.30am to get to Andy Waterman's - he's an excellent pit man, couldn't ride cross without him. Like a caddy to a golfer he rode the course with me pointed the out roots, fast lines and told me where I needed the gas to get move speed out of the corner. Luckily, the clocks went back on Sunday evening so I had an extra hour and the 6.30am start wasn't really that brutal.
We drove on desserted roads through London towards and through an eery and empty Dartford tunnel and final up to our destination: Ipswich's Chantry Park and round three of the Cycle Cross National Trophy.
Arriving in plenty of time everything was taken as it came and when I came to lining up on the start I was ready and knew what I wanted to do from the gun. Controlled through the muddy singletracked, recoup on the climb out the back and wide into the corners to keep smooth lines and be prepared for the steep manmade bridge across the course.
BANG
I was first out the blocks leading in the corner, and then the next corner and then the straight and I was looking around thinking why aren't the fast girls passing me. Over the bridge and the series leader comes past, the rest stay at bay. The woods out the other side. Blast! I'm going to fast, I'm concentrating on my great position, my feeling great and the next rooty bit not on scrubbing off some speed to take an easy corner. Too late I try to grab the brakes, I know this will only make my wheel wash out, so I let go. I'm running wide, it's all moving in slow motion before my eyes, through the course tape, snap, tangle, stop. The girls queueing behind move past in the blur of colour.
I get going again and attack the course and fight for my position. The forty mins of leg searing pain ends with a sixth place and lessons learnt looking forward to the next round in Bradford. Ergh why can't they have them closer to home.
Konrad Manning riding for Rapha Condor competed in the vets race.
and Rene did you break your bike again?
We drove on desserted roads through London towards and through an eery and empty Dartford tunnel and final up to our destination: Ipswich's Chantry Park and round three of the Cycle Cross National Trophy.
Arriving in plenty of time everything was taken as it came and when I came to lining up on the start I was ready and knew what I wanted to do from the gun. Controlled through the muddy singletracked, recoup on the climb out the back and wide into the corners to keep smooth lines and be prepared for the steep manmade bridge across the course.
BANG
I was first out the blocks leading in the corner, and then the next corner and then the straight and I was looking around thinking why aren't the fast girls passing me. Over the bridge and the series leader comes past, the rest stay at bay. The woods out the other side. Blast! I'm going to fast, I'm concentrating on my great position, my feeling great and the next rooty bit not on scrubbing off some speed to take an easy corner. Too late I try to grab the brakes, I know this will only make my wheel wash out, so I let go. I'm running wide, it's all moving in slow motion before my eyes, through the course tape, snap, tangle, stop. The girls queueing behind move past in the blur of colour.
I get going again and attack the course and fight for my position. The forty mins of leg searing pain ends with a sixth place and lessons learnt looking forward to the next round in Bradford. Ergh why can't they have them closer to home.
Konrad Manning riding for Rapha Condor competed in the vets race.
and Rene did you break your bike again?
Well i found some form. Got stuck when the organisers tried to ram 134 riders (mad number huh) through a tiny gate. A load of people crashed and I don't think I was best placed.
The first lap I felt like I was having a walk in the park. Its not cross unless your lungs are burning. But I was being held back by the slower riders who weren't fast in the singletrack. The guys in front had more power on the flat but needed to unclip in some section while I felt I could ride.
I was comfortable in 2nd place, the course was fast and dry. Good all round but not my favourite.
Jim Jams (here's a practise lap )wasn't feeling great in the morning and with a large field it pushed him down to 11th fighting to get past slower riders
Rene brought a touch a Dutch courage but he was unlucky for a 2nd week. This time rolling a tyre. Unfortunate
Ben went drinking the night before so was less that motivated to ride
Dan showed up with his super light full 2010 Dura Ace and placed himself 3rd
Charlie P - king of the Raphaettes tried cross for the first time. Going balls out. We're waiting for his result and it was a most perfect ride for a first timer. Good on CP. Comendable and a difficult course
The first lap I felt like I was having a walk in the park. Its not cross unless your lungs are burning. But I was being held back by the slower riders who weren't fast in the singletrack. The guys in front had more power on the flat but needed to unclip in some section while I felt I could ride.
I was comfortable in 2nd place, the course was fast and dry. Good all round but not my favourite.
Jim Jams (here's a practise lap )wasn't feeling great in the morning and with a large field it pushed him down to 11th fighting to get past slower riders
Rene brought a touch a Dutch courage but he was unlucky for a 2nd week. This time rolling a tyre. Unfortunate
Ben went drinking the night before so was less that motivated to ride
Dan showed up with his super light full 2010 Dura Ace and placed himself 3rd
Charlie P - king of the Raphaettes tried cross for the first time. Going balls out. We're waiting for his result and it was a most perfect ride for a first timer. Good on CP. Comendable and a difficult course
