National CX Champs and Trophy

[StevenDrew]

From Brian Furness...

Dear all

Entries are now open for this winter’s BC Cyclo-Cross National Trophy and National Championships.

The series opens at last season’s finale venue of Shrewsbury in mid October, before moving on to Southampton, Durham, Milton Keynes and Bradford, finishing in the new year at last year’s national championship venue of Derby. The 2015 National Championships return to Abergavenny, ten years after they were previously staged there.

But although the venues may look familiar, there are a number of changes to the 2014-15 programme. Most significantly, the overall winners in all categories will now be decided by the best five rides out of six, thus allowing a rider to drop his or her lowest score; and all races will now be covered by chip timing, with lap splits uploaded to the website.

The four under-16 categories have now been split into two races, with youth girls having their own race for the first time, while following the success of last season’s inaugural veteran women’s championship, there will now be a separate veteran women’s classification, running behind the elite and junior women’s start.

Junior men have a variation in their programme for round 4, when the National Trophy forms day two of a bumper weekend of cyclo-cross, with the Saturday hosting round 3 of the UCI World Cup, with races for elite women and elite men. The junior men’s National Trophy will move to the Saturday morning to become a part of the World Cup spectacular. The venue for both days will be Milton Keynes’ Campbell Park, which last saw National Trophy action in the mid 1980s. This will be the first ever UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup staged in Britain, and quite apart from all the other top stars in action, it represents a first and last chance to see cross legend Sven Nys race on British soil in his retirement year.

Link to the series: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events?series_id=400 Go to round one to book the whole series as one package and get one round free.
Link to the national championships: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/event ... mpionships This is not part of the series, so you need to enter separately.
Link to national event home page: http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/nation ... Schedule-0

Please remember that a full racing licence is required for all these races, however a 2014 licence remains valid for the final round and the national championships in January 2015.

Regards

Brian Furness
Events Development Officer - Cyclo-Cross & MTB Endurance
British Cycling, National Cycling Centre, Stuart Street, Manchester, M11 4DQ
Telephone: 0161 274 2024 | Mobile: 07811 115810 | britishcycling.org.uk

[BruceMackie]

In a fairly futile attempt at organisation I've booked the Premier Inn at Cwmbran for the National Championships as the nicer, slightly closer one is already full. Book early and it's £29 a night. We're up for both days this year as Cal will be joining the Junior ranks so booked from Friday 9th January for 2 nights if anyone fancies joining us?

[StevenDrew]

In a fairly futile attempt at organisation I've booked the Premier Inn at Cwmbran for the National Championships as the nicer, slightly closer one is already full. Book early and it's £29 a night. We're up for both days this year as Cal will be joining the Junior ranks so booked from Friday 9th January for 2 nights if anyone fancies joining us?

Having driven through Abergavenny on Friday and spent the weekend just down the road at the Green Man Festival, our household liked what it saw and has decided it's keen. Will weigh up accommodation options when we get back from France. On a slightly related note, I can confirm we've secured a gazebo for that "pro look"

[BruceMackie]

Was this the gazebo in question?



if so, it's not going to go well with red and yellow...

[ChrisGardner]

In a fairly futile attempt at organisation I've booked the Premier Inn at Cwmbran for the National Championships as the nicer, slightly closer one is already full. Book early and it's £29 a night. We're up for both days this year as Cal will be joining the Junior ranks so booked from Friday 9th January for 2 nights if anyone fancies joining us?

Oddly I've recently spent a bit of time staying at the Premier Inn at Cwmbran. It's OK but pretty basic as you'd expect and Cwmbran itself is not great. There are some good places round there though. If some fancy eating is on the cards, the Walnut Tree near Abergavenny lives up to its Michelin starred reputation. Not sure how it would fit with carb loading for racing.

[StevenDrew]

If some fancy eating is on the cards, the Walnut Tree near Abergavenny lives up to its Michelin starred reputation. Not sure how it would fit with carb loading for racing.

Mmm. Good call, Chris. Might be a good way to entice Theo to come and be my pit monkey

[StevenDrew]

Was this the gazebo in question? if so, it's not going to go well with red and yellow...

Well, that one could make Molly and Felix look rather pro, eh? But it's a bit heavy. I can't see the wheels on the storage bag enjoying the mud either.

The one we have secured is the same as Steve Jensen's. 50-50 whether it'll last until Jan, mind you!

[BruceMackie]

Chris, it's only a 40 minute race so no carb loading necessary, the Walnut Tree sounds perfect for morale.

Steven, As the original wheeled bag didn't make it out of Assen alive we're looking into something more 'off road' to carry the gazebo in. There are sides as well though there's a spelling mistake on them which may explain why no one's seen them yet...

[Damian Robertson]

Shrewsbury 12th Oct (after Welwyn on the saturday). I'm feeling tempted by this, for the fun of it but not sure it's worth the outlay (got chums to stay with an hour away the night before though). Anyone else going? Want to share in transport?

[MaxReuter]

Shrewsbury 12th Oct (after Welwyn on the saturday). I'm feeling tempted by this, for the fun of it but not sure it's worth the outlay (got chums to stay with an hour away the night before though). Anyone else going? Want to share in transport?

Could be tempted, but will have to look at the diary and negotiate with Caroline.

[StevenDrew]

I could be interested. Like Damian, I'm entered for Welwyn on the Saturday so it wouldbe a double weekend. I'll see what sort of response I get to the idea at home and take it from there...

[MaxReuter]

After looking at the calendar with Caroline yesterday, I am out for Shrewsbury I am afraid. My sister-in-law and family are coming mid-October and we are under pressure to turn our house from a building site into something more or less inhabitable before then. So 11/12 October will be dry-lining instead of mud-racing for me.

It's not looking better for the round after, when we'll be in Munich for my dad's 70th. But the rest of the series should be fine!

[Damian Robertson]

Ah well, Shrewsbury. Shambles. I was always going to be putting it down to experience and that I will! I had thought that if I went well I might scrape a top twenty place but a DNF is what occurred after a sequence of shambles and mishaps!

The day very gradually crawled out of its misty bed, inversion over Cheshire and Shropshire, a perishing cold start! Many predictions of a mud bath with bike changes on each lap turned out to be unwarranted. The rain had stopped the day before. One bike did for the course. The mist lingered, the sun sleeping in for the first race, that of the vets at 10.15. Matt Webber kindly offered me use of a pair of tub shod wheels (apparently all the pros use them!) which I tried out slightly tentatively on the practice laps. They didn’t have the same bite as my trusty Schwalbe CX pros, but the lower pressure with practice did its thing! A muddy, slippery course threatened to throw riders off corners, I feared I might be one. On the practice laps I did overcook it a few times, but held it up. A very pro type course with Belgian features! Corners around high banks to gingerly negotiate, rutted, to run or just rideable? As the start time approached I looked out for my parents who were to bring my second bike to the pits (very pro!). Nowhere to be seen. The start pack had assembled and names were being called out. Still, I looked out for my folks, to pass them my fleece. Three deep had gridded, before I saw them casually wheeling my bike and Matt’s. I wandered over, passed my fleece and directed them to the pits asking them to make themselves seen. Meanwhile I returned to the pack, and with some concern realised I’d missed my name?! Back row, very disappointing. The whistle went and off we hammered along tarmac, while I made up some places. A big surge. Many riders bundling into corners, bottle necking. The top twenty or thirty disappearing off into the mist. Out on the lap I starting picking off riders one by one, trying to get into a rhythm, minded to just enjoy it, like a ride in the park, my race seemingly over, well out of contention. Through the woods the rims rolling over the roots, no problem on tubs. On the penultimate lap the vet 50 national champ passed me (having started two minutes after). Impressive stuff. On my last lap I took a tumble down one of the high banks, remounted and pressed on realising my front brake had dislodged, tried to hook it back in while riding. Into the woods felt I needed it, stopped, tried to hook it back on but couldn’t. Several riders passed, as had my mojo, ho hum. Out.

Anything can happen in CX!! Gotta get back up and on!!! Next weekend back in the local leagues please.. Matt came tenth I think. A great ride as ever!

[Chris Clague]

Good stuff - see you at Davy Down next week for your weird (but clearly effective) bike spear carrying up all those steps.

[StevenDrew]

Gah, back luck, Damian. But TOP job for giving it a go and a good experience, I hope? I've been hammered every time I've tried a National event but it's always been quite enjoyable to part of something a bit bigger than usual.

Have you entered for Southampton?