National CX Champs and Trophy

[Astrid Wingler]

Good luck to all our Phoenix (and associated) veterans on Sunday!

[StevenDrew]

Really looking forward to sunday MK now, rather than thinking very small fish, big pond. Is it an exceptionally muddy course - pointless without a second bike? With some effort I could take a second.

Smash it, fella. Whatever happens, it'll be great. Feeling very envious that I missed out.

As for the course, it's new so who knows. After the pros have ridden it I expect it'll be like a ploughed field although the weather forecast for the weekend is dry. Are you going up to watch tomorrow? If not, have a look at the UCI You Tube feed from 12.30 as that'll give you a decent idea.

Just remember: COMMIT TO THE RUT

[Damian Robertson]

Thanks Steven. I'm not going tomorrow - one trip to MK is enough for me in one weekend and my race is far more important than that of the pros! Thanks for telling me where I can view their race online! Did wonder. Gonna check over my bike tomorrow (it was making some scratchy noises after Trinity Park and my newly rimmed back wheel is pranged, drat!) and maybe go for a gentle pootle. If someone is able to get some inside info from Sven after his race about what I can expect that'd be great!

[StevenDrew]

Annie Simpson just Tweeted:

Well @MiltonKeynesWCX is everything you would want from a savage CX course and more! Slippy, muddy, hilly, off camber-y!

[Stuart]

It's gonna be just like this years National Champs. Enjoy

[LeonardDelicaet]

savage. great word to describe a bike course, yikes. glad I'm a fat stay at home house husband now

[PatHayes]

That was a fairly hard course . First off camber drop off amended as too dangerous but still lots of tricky stuff.slid into one of the posts which was fairly unforgiving and undid front quick release in another off but enjoyed the experience no idea where I came but caught a few v40s so assume not to disastrousous

[Damian Robertson]

Well it was savage, but not so bad. Very thankfully they removed the first two stretches of the 'Somme'. But not before I had had a few attempts at its navigation - on two practice laps, throwing away my reserves?! Had to pass a growing number of riders on the practice laps fearful at the top unwilling to even try to tackle it. Off the edge of the world, it was unrideable but for the most highly skilled at tripod manoeuvre and almost unwalkable too! Definitely a good position for spectators but not really for racing. The next stretch to the left was an absolute mud bog trodden by hundreds of feet. Quite ridiculous. Ten minutes before my race it was decided that they'd chop out the treacherous two stretches - we went off cutting a new line less to the right and then to the left until back on course. Early on the first lap at the bottom of the hill, after I'd been gridded fourth row (not so bad), a huge pile up occurred. Managed to get past that and found myself riding with Matt Webber and Kevin Knox. Another crash up ahead and Vicious Knox was down, for a while. Onwards I went. The run ups were very tough - some running training would have helped massively. I didn't have the lungs. Several more off camber sections made for dicey tripod manoeuvres (twanged my nads at one stage, urgh) and some of the descents had to be taken carefully so as to avoid stacking it into the fencing. Which a few did. Including Mr Webber who totalled his newly built back wheel. Bad luck! Today was certainly a course to favour those with pit bikes. I ploughed on without, gathering mountains of mud and struggling up each climb yet again. I just managed to run up the fourth lap climb, listening out for where Ian Taylor the race leader might be, minded to wait for him! He was some distance away however, and Knoxie was creeping up on me.. then past. Had to do another bloody lap! Trudged the climb unable to run and got round and over the line, concluding that I should get fit and that there really should be a category for those without pit bikes. It had doubled in weight! But yeh, happy to have finished redeeming myself from my last Trophy attempt. Well done to Pat who said he'd had a fair race! A top day out!

[PatHayes]

Definitely a day for a pit bike ,miracle my gears kept working given were encased in a block of mud . Also could have swapped when QR came open
Discs helped if going solo . Cs bike rendered virtually unrideable by mud in her V brakes and she only did one lap. Apparently such was course gaggle of kids including some who are usually up there in local races walking so Mr Tullett lapped them and prevented further suffering a sort of cyclo crops auto bus

[BruceMackie]

I did a practice lap but decided to withdraw due to the issues posed by the initial off camber drop off the edge of the world. Then with a few minutes to go before the start the Management decided to change it so, what the hell, why not join the other 100+ idiots hoon down a tarmac straight into who knows what. My lone and solitary single trophy point meant that Kelvin couldn't send me to the back thus I got a 3rd row position, so I put myself on the far left. Yet again that gave me a decent amount of room after the gun so I could pick a line. Conditions were a little unpredictable with, what seemed like, an invisible hand suddenly swiping riders off the course, even though they were going in a straight line. I seemed to be making up places without ever overtaking anyone upright. Things settled down and I ended up swopping places with Dave Copeland as we attempted a bit of cooperation. Just as Dave started his usual late charge I did my bike change (no one had refilled the bowsers overnight as promised so it was one change only) which enabled me to stay with him for another half lap. In retrospect the change was slightly early as the last half lap involved simultaneous running and bike clearing which given I have trouble enough with the running, was not great. In the end the race long tussle I had with one of the Zepnat riders went in his favour and I had to put it all on the line to stay ahead of a small chasing pack. Fortunately Graham Freer, from the V40 race, was on hand to pace me through the last sections and down the tarmac to the finish. It was an unusual race with lots of points where it was deep in red but lots where heart rate was only raised by fear of tangling with the scenery as you pedalled carefully to find grip. I'm hoping I may have scraped another Trophy point to keep the one I have company.

[BruceMackie]

Juniors weren't so lucky racing the full World Cup course on Saturday before the Elite men and women...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsCV1Tu6Seg
-

[PatHayes]

Large pool of mud on pavement outside our house this morning result of last nights bike washing in the front garden not sure neighbours will be to happy , joys of X

[PatHayes]

I did a practice lap but decided to withdraw due to the issues posed by the initial off camber drop off the edge of the world. Then with a few minutes to go before the start the Management decided to change it so, what the hell, why not join the other 100+ idiots hoon down a tarmac straight into who knows what. My lone and solitary single trophy point meant that Kelvin couldn't send me to the back thus I got a 3rd row position, so I put myself on the far left. Yet again that gave me a decent amount of room after the gun so I could pick a line. Conditions were a little unpredictable with, what seemed like, an invisible hand suddenly swiping riders off the course, even though they were going in a straight line. I seemed to be making up places without ever overtaking anyone upright. Things settled down and I ended up swopping places with Dave Copeland as we attempted a bit of cooperation. Just as Dave started his usual late charge I did my bike change (no one had refilled the bowsers overnight as promised so it was one change only) which enabled me to stay with him for another half lap. In retrospect the change was slightly early as the last half lap involved simultaneous running and bike clearing which given I have trouble enough with the running, was not great. In the end the race long tussle I had with one of the Zepnat riders went in his favour and I had to put it all on the line to stay ahead of a small chasing pack. Fortunately Graham Freer, from the V40 race, was on hand to pace me through the last sections and down the tarmac to the finish. It was an unusual race with lots of points where it was deep in red but lots where heart rate was only raised by fear of tangling with the scenery as you pedalled carefully to find grip. I'm hoping I may have scraped another Trophy point to keep the one I have company.

Blimey hadnt realised a Cross meister was considering DNSing faced with the slippery cliff and there was me telling Connie its fine just keep to the left . Obviously am terrible parent.

Thing I definitely should have done was put studs in my shoes .

[PatHayes]

Damian great ride 19th well done .

[PatHayes]

Damian great ride 19th well done .