Season 18/19

[StevenDrew]

Photo & earlier caption seem sum up the day's racing nicely.

He's gonna be the poster boy for the Eastern League, eh?

Btw - Bruce was also racing albeit in LVYCC colours. He was a very excellent 3rd in the V50 race.

[StevenDrew]

So last week at Hemel was pretty good.I know the course divides opinion but I like it. Ride up a big hill, ride down the other side. Repeat x 7 (or 10 if you enter the senior race as I think Neil did). I was challenging for 5th with a lap to go but, for the third week running, slid out near the end and came in 7th.

Yesterday at Grafham was less good. A decent start was as good as it got. I subsequently came off a couple of times, dropped my chain twice and then punctured. Went home and sulked.

[Steve Hanks]

A question if I may;

Trying to get Dylan into some London league CX races but the organisers keep asking for membership, which I'm not keen to pay several times over for sporadic racing. Is there a one-time affiliation of membership that covers all or, is there a series of (U10/12) races he can just race on the day that I can't seem to find?

Thanks!

[Chris Clague]

London League require membership for all (despite my best efforts to change that), though it does drop to half price after a certain point in the season (not sure when). The fee is used to cover the number/chip/timing system primarily.

You can race Eastern League which would likely be nearer for you timewise (and presumably your ‘home’ region) without membership though. Also Central. Only difference (I think) is that you can’t score league points, but that’s not really an issue if you’re starting this late in the season.

For all leagues at U12 you can enter on the day though, and membership is a one off which for Eastern & Central makes your entry fee lower.

[Steve Hanks]

Thanks Chris - that clarifies. It means for 3 races across 3 regions we have to pay membership plus race fee x 3. I think CX will have to take a back seat as it'll be too sporadic and therefore expensive with his other sports taking priority. If it was race fee only that'd be so much easier/cheaper.

Do you know if Beastway/Micheal is running a Christmas / Winter series or race?

[Chris Clague]

You don’t need to pay membership for Eastern or Central (I’m not this season), it’s just that entry is slightly more expensive without. I figured if I only rode 4 races it would cost the same.

No Beastway winter series this time round - there’s a lot of work going on in the park at the moment. It may return but not this year.

Summer Beastway should be bigger with the return of the weekend races (the first of which will be points paying). Also summer CX is likely though no dates yet.

[JackCurzon]

Weekend Beastway dates is good to hear. Wasn’t able to ride a single weekday evening in the summer.


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[StevenDrew]

Just to get this thread back on topic, anyone going to Whipsnade Zoo on Sunday?

[Neil]

Hemel.

Ride up a big hill, ride down the other side. Repeat x 7 (or 10 if you enter the senior race as I think Neil did).

i rode Vets and Seniors, so 17 laps. That was fun

anyone going to Whipsnade Zoo on Sunday?

Yes. The Central campaign continues... actually two new venues for me this w/end as on Saturday I'm 'inspecting' the new place VCL are planning to use for London League in January #nothernehill

[StevenDrew]

So Neil and I went to the zoo today. Well, it was Whipsnade Common which doesn't sound quite as fun although we did get to park at the zoo. I was in the Giraffe Zone.

One of those Marmite courses also known as a bit of a grass motorway. That said, the grass was so long and the ground so bumpy that it would be hard to describe it as being a chance to motor along in the fast lane. More akin to the concrete road we drove over on Thursday near Oudenaarde where the tyres buzz and you jolt over the join between sections every 10 metres.

Anyway, I liked it. Lining up with 109 others, for once I got a decent start jostled with a couple of other guys around the first lap until one of them fell off and then just about held the same position for 5 laps. Never quite had enough in the tank to catch the guys in front but kept the chasing group 30 seconds behind. So a 10th place and a BC point which is pretty useless this year as I have no intention of getting my ass kicked in any National races any time soon. Most usefully, I didn't fall off which, if memory serves, might be the first time that's happened this season.

Neil was 7th in the V50 and looked very good. And I now know his cats are keen on Leffe which is the coolest thing I've heard today. A word also for Velobants who've previously got on my tits. I've decided to retract that view and have come to the conclusion they're helping to make the CXL a fun day out. Rather than being my usual miserable 40 something self, I doff my cap to them. *

No racing for me next weekend. MK Bowl in a fortnight is looking like the next instalment.


* However, can we draw the line at singing happy birthday to a Corley Cycles dude on the start grid. It was fcuking freezing and we really didn't need to be hanging around for an extra two mins. Fcuk off, man.

[Chris Clague]

Sunny Saturday up on Bury St Edmunds for me. Having been too slow off the mark with entry I had to ride seniors - a voyage into the unknown for me, having never raced anything for an hour.

Oddly gridded mid-pack (suspecting some sort of favouritism here) did however mean I got a bit boxed in at the start - why is everyone so f*cking slow? Managed to move up a few places ahead of most my starting row but all for nought as someone stacked it in front of me on a course with no discernible technical features save for a small sandpit, and hurdles placed in such a way as to make them irrelevant.

After that I just bumped around for an hour whilst drifting slowly back through the pack. Only excitement being hurdles on lap 1 where the guy I was racing with managed to locate his front wheel between my leg and my bike which made the dismount rather lively.

Some liked it, that’s ok, but not really for me. MK Bowl also next - looking forward to it.

[Steve Hanks]

I'm enjoying these write ups!

I may try and join you at MK - Jnr might race and I'm tempted to get some intensity albeit behind you on the wrong shaped bike.

[StevenDrew]

I may try and join you at MK - Jnr might race and I'm tempted to get some intensity albeit behind you on the wrong shaped bike.

Go for it, fella. CXL have got massive numbers in the V40 (I think 125 started at Hemel). But if your goal is try something else and get some fitness then there are definitely worse ways to spend a Saturday morning.

[Chris Clague]

The bowl is always a bit of something for everyone - short sharp climbs, bit of slippy singletrack, some gravel and/or tarmac and loads of off camber stuff. I may not often do very well but always love it.

One year I started at the back and I reckon most of the leaders were up the hill and back down over the hurdles before I crossed the start line.

[Neil]

Steven. Velobants - no you were right the first time, My cap remains undoffed.