Cyclocross 11/20/16 - HELP!

[redkow97]

I'm a casual cyclist at best.  I mostly tow my daughter around the neighborhood or through the metroparks.

I'm also always looking for fun new hobbies I don't have time for.  Long story short, a guy at another law firm is hardcore into cyclocross and convinced me to enter in a race on Sunday.

I'm riding a borrowed 90's Trek 850 (sponsored by Anderson Door Racing!) with intermediate tires (i wouldn't say knobby, but definitely not 'hybrid' either).  I own a helmet, and will be dressing more for the weather than for 'cycling' per se. 

How fucked am I for Sunday? 

[motocat12]

I did one that had separate classes for MTB on my 26" dual suspension knobbed. It was all soft grass and I came in last or 2nd to last despite being a decent rider. Great to failure workout though. Also did a training race where I picked up a thorn and nearly rolled the tire off on a pavement turn. 

Are you using platform or clip in pedals? 

If it gets, or they hose it and make it muddy you're fucked.

One guy who likes punishment rode on his 36" unicycle

[redkow97]

platform pedals.

26" tires.  They won't hose it down.  I know the venue very well.  There isn't a water source.  It may GET muddy though.  Why would my MTB tires not do as well as CX tires? 

[motocat12]

Wheel size mainly also heavier. 29er would be closer.

The mud comment was just for being a beginner, not to the bike/tire type.

[CBBaron]

You will try to puke your lungs out, if you're doing it right 

I haven't actually done a race, but understand it to be redline the entire time. 

Just go out and have fun and try not to get in the way of the fast guys lapping you.

Craig

 

[Bubba]

Truthfully, if you're an average recreational cyclist, you'll be the tail end of the dog.  Most of the CX riders I know--even the merely above average Cat 4 racers (lowest rank)--are nothing but muscle, sinew and bone.  Fly-weights, everyone of 'em.  Even for a well-conditioned aerobic monster, the CX races are an anaerobic torture trial.  The good thing is that none of the courses are very technical...well, except in the case of that mud thing.  The course will consist of mostly grass, up- and down-hills, some barriers that you're forced to either bunny hop or dismount and run over, and prolly a sand pit section that you'll fall down in.  The best part is that CX is an absolute blast because it's spectator intensive, with the crowd shouting both encouragement and hooting/catcalls, bells, whistles, and clapping.  You'll prolly have a lot of fun even if you come in "dead" last and puke doing it!!!

Edited November 16, 2016 by Bubba

[redkow97]

As a first-timer with a one-day license, I'm only allowed to do the cat 5/4 race, and I can zip-tie the deraileurs (or however the hell you snobby European cycling types spell it) if I want to do the single-speed race later in the day.  I don't think my dad can stick around long enough to watch my daughter, so probably just the one race.

I'm resigned to coming in dead last.  My goal is simply to finish, and hopefully have some fun.  Get a good workout in.  Maybe crash in spectacular fashion and mug for some pictures.

The guy who 'convinced' me to sign up is the 2015 points champion for the cat 1 class... I knew he posted a lot of podium pictures.  I did not know he was pretty much THE guy to beat in this region.  Super humble.  I've chatted with him about cycling before, and he plays it off like, "yeah, I'm okay at riding, I guess." 

I did a 30 minute "hills plus" interval workout on the stationary bike at the gym yesterday.  at "level 15" (whatever that means), it was challenging, but I never fell below 60 RPM, nor did I adjust the difficulty down. I actually went from level 10 to level 15 after the warm up. I had no idea the "hills" would get larger as the workout progressed...  I'm a little sore today, but my joints aren't screaming. That would not have been the case if I'd run for half an hour.  This is highly encouraging.

 

I may take GoPro footage of the race.  Thinking I'll have to helmet-mount the camera though.  Handlebars would be too bouncy.

[motocat12]

Might want to make sure the old brakes are tuned up.

Remeber to pick up your feet over the barriers.

 

[redkow97]

The brakes are in good shape. I have to stop myself plus a toddler and a bike trailer from 20mph pretty regularly :-)

 

i replaced one one tube in the spring, but I can't remember which one...

[motocat12]

Oh I thought it was borrowed specifically for the race apart from the path bike . That's good you have saddle time. The triathlete's mantra is never try anything new on race day(equip,clothes,nutrition) Do you have a hydration system or using bottles? 

[redkow97]

it's a 30 minute race.  My hydration system is to drink water until 11:00, and then race at noon.  Plus I can stop on the course and get sips of water from my dad...  I'm not going to be competing for a win, so a 10 second stop is no big deal.

[redkow97]

That was humbling. Fun, but humbling. 

I will do better next time. 

[redkow97]

Now that i'm back in front of a keyboard, and not trying to post from my iPad...

I already want to do this again, but I wish I had more time to train and practice.  The next race is Sunday, and I'm almost definitely going to be too hung over to make that happen.  But I can register the day of the event if I'm wrong.

This course was pretty epic.  It was 100% natural obstacles.  I am very familiar with the host site (the Broadview Heights soccer/baseball fields), because my dad was the commissioner of the youth soccer league when I was a kid, and then I worked for the rec department when I was 16.  I knew there would be a couple of serious hills.  I was right.

I got there early, got my race number, and was notified that they were 15 mins behind.  Okay - no big deal.  I checked out the course and watched some people who actually know what they're doing.  Then my friend Matt showed up and offered to preride with me.  Definitely a good call, but his 'relaxed' pace was about all I could handled.  My bike also decided that it no longer wanted to down-shift.  I did the entire race in 7th and 8th gear.  (the derailleur worked ONCE the entire race when I tried to drop a gear out of habit).  I'm going to rely on that pretty  hard as a future excuse :-P

The course layout was challenging. VERY muddy in some places.  Mostly on cambered descents.  People were walking their bikes down the hill. I rode through on principle.  I only dismounted the bike in 2 spots:  a staircase and steep climb that everyone was running, and an extremely soupy section where I would have liked a lower gear.

 

My cardio and general pedaling strength is garbage.  That was a disappointment.  Not because I didn't expect it, but because a couple years ago I could run 8+ miles at a respectable pace.  My kids have ruined me!

I'm pretty much on a mission to get a lot better quickly. We'll see if I do.

[redkow97]

For my own reference, and anyone else's information:

the original course was taking the leaders in the cat 3/4 race 12 minutes a lap.  I did preride the entire original course, including the completely swampy woods section that was cut out for my race.  (they cut it to be nice to us, and because it's only a 30 minute race.  2 laps didn't sound like much fun)

I completed 3 laps.  Most of the field completed 4.

Also (and I can't believe I'm going to type this) I got beat by an old guy wearing a turkey costume.  He was gracious in his victory.

[redkow97]

43 minutes ago, Isaac's Papa said:

You need a "Cross Is Boss" tattoo. 

I am probably just high on my first race experience, but I can't stop looking at bikes and thinking about riding right now.  PMs coming your way.

[jhawk]

10% off bikes this weekend at Eddy's!

[redkow97]

My friend who does this stuff all the time is already talking me into two bikes...

His logic is as follows:

A CX bike will allow me to (properly) do CX events, and train/race on pavement at a respectable pace.

He's advocating for a second bike to pull trail duty.  This is where the issue gets complicated and potentially expensive... I will not spend $3k on a used full suspension bicycle. Not until I'm finding the limits of something less capable.   I could probably afford an entry level hardtail 'plus' bike, or a rigid fat-tire bike for trail duty ...but it's not like I'm going to immediately crash and die if I take the current rigid 26er through the trails a few times to make sure I enjoy it as much as I expect to.  With that said, I do understand that not having suspension will result in me feeling pretty beat up (potentially).

I'm not spending any money until after christmas, but my short list of possible upgrades are, new (fatter) grips for 'suspension' help, possibly larger tires (I'll have to see if this is possible on the existing rim), and I could get a set of more road-biased tires for this bike at some point as well.  If offroad stuff is appealing, I'll probably buy a seat dropper post, which could easily be transferred to another bike in the future.

[motocat12]

http://columbus.craigslist.org/bik/5897461920.html

http://columbus.craigslist.org/bik/5895217783.html

[Bubba]

Chris:  I'll offer a counter-position about full-suspension bikes.  As you rightly point out, unless you're gonna drop $3K on a well-built free ride bike, a "cheap" one isn't gonna fill the bill.  However, unless you plan on doing DH extensively, there's no reason a good rigid frame hardtail can't run any trail as well as or better than a full suspension rig.  F&R suspension is mostly useful for high-speed descents and jumps/ramps/drops.  It'll also keep your body from feeling quite as beat up after a day's ride, but if you're not an old guy and in pretty good shape, a hardtail will keep you entertained in the woods for a long time at much lower cost. Might even be able to find a 29'r at a reasonable price, and they ride much more smoothly than a 26".

Edited November 29, 2016 by Bubba

[redkow97]

full suspension is completely off the table for me.  It's just not a cost-effective option (for me).  I may be getting advice from people who are a little TOO hardcore about this stuff.

[blue03636]

4 minutes ago, redkow97 said:

I may be getting advice from people who are a little TOO hardcore about this stuff.

This tends to happen a lot. There are a ton of deals on craigslist to be had.

[motocat12]

Devil's advocate, the used FS market is more flooded. Suspension is great on roots,rocks and ruts as well. I've been riding 20 years Had a$3500 bike in y2k dollars and paid $600 for my current giant anthem.

[redkow97]

17 hours ago, Isaac's Papa said:

26" hardtail. Do it. 

26" hardtail with a CX bike may be the route I end up taking.  Not sure which one I would buy first though.  I think I can sell my wife on it be telling her "the seat on the MTB will drop enough for you to ride it when we take the girls out in the bicycle trailer."  That's technically true - and my wife's only marginally shorter than me anyway.  So it's 'her' bike too.  Sure.  Riiiight.  ...she's totally not going to buy that.

I'm going to have to hide one (or both) bikes in the shed.

[CBBaron]

1 hour ago, Isaac's Papa said:

There are eight bicycles in my garage and two inside the house...and a unicycle. Don't believe for a second that you can control this monster once it has you in its grip. 

 

Too true.

I have 4 bicycles in the garage that are mine, not including the ones for my daughter and wife. And yet there are 2 or 3 more I would like to have 

[redkow97]

I'll end up with whichever bike presents itself at the best price.

I've been watching a ton of Seth's Bike Hacks on YouTube, so the MTB itch is strong right now, but realistically, I'm more likely to be towing my kid(s) around in the trailer on the paved park paths more often.