Cyclocross Racing - Tips for Newbies

...from a newbie (to start with at least).

I posted this a week or so ago on the main cyclocross forum, and somebody there suggested a sticky post. I've been dragging my feet, and now it's really late in the season, but here it is anyway. What does it take to get a post made sticky?

I had just done my first race the previous Saturday, and I thought about writing up a "newbie tips from a newbie" or something like that. This is a really mixed bag, and a few of these will probably seem strange to experienced racers. Maybe if a few of you who know what you're doing add to this the thread will be worth keeping around.

1. Do it! It's a lot of fun. I was unprepared in every possible way. This was my first time racing, and I'm very slow (everyone else in the race beat me by a full lap), but it was really fun anyway, and everyone was really cool about it.

2. Get help pinning your number on. The human arm just doesn't bend in the way necessary to pin a bib number on the side of a jersey by yourself. If you're absolutely too stubborn to ask for help (like me) take your jersey off and pin the number on.

3. Use run ups for recovery. This may seem counter-intuitive, but it worked really well for me. As you're riding through grass mud and who knows what else, your heart rate is going to be elevated. If you know you're not going to place well anyway, take the time off your bike as a break. Walk up the hill and catch your breath.

4. Nearly anything can be a run up. Just because the other guys are riding up a hill doesn't mean you have to. If you want to get off the bike and push (see 3 above), do it. Nobody will think the less of you for it.

5. Stick it out. You can do it -- really. There was a moment in the first lap when I thought maybe I should quit. But I stuck with it, and pretty soon everywhere I went people were cheering for me. When you're obviously sucking wind but you stick it out anyway, people root for you. It's very cool (and I can't tell you how much I appreciated it). One of the volunteers out on the course even pushed me up a hill.

6. Don't worry about how bad you're doing. There were only nine other riders in the race I did, and right off the starting line I fell way back. I felt like an idiot. But just after I finished the second lap, the leader passed me. From then on I was distinguishable from the other racers only by how badly I was sucking wind. The guy who finished next-to last passed me in the last 100 yard (despite a flat tire) and he had no idea I was a lap behind him.

7. Watch the lines other riders are taking. When you've got somebody ahead of you in stretch of mud, sand, gravel, water or what have you, watch where they ride. If it looks like it worked well for them, take the same line. If not, try something else.

8. Keep pedaling. The absolute worst thing you can do in the mud is stop pedaling. You won't get started again, and mud isn't fun to run through.

9. Don't overdress. When my race started, it was about 38 degrees out. I wore a thin thermal undershirt, a short-sleeve jersey, bike shorts and tights. That was about right -- maybe a little warm. Over 40 degrees and I'd probably have been regretting the thermal. The other guys were mostly using short sleeve jerseys, but they did have their legs covered.

10. Know when to stay out of the way. At my pace, I was more of a roving obstacle than a racer, so when I saw a faster rider coming up behind me, I made sure to give him plenty of room. It was appreciated.

Most of this list is right on. Especially the part of just friggin' doing it, seems like a lot of folk overthink it.

Everyone has their own number-pinning mojo. Some guys like to crumple, some don't. Some use the holes, some pin through the paper. Just make sure you pin it in the correct location and in the correct orientation. Only ask someone to pin your jersey if you would be comfortable asking that same person to pick you up from the airport; yes, it is that personal.

I disagree with #3. In order to ride the fastest overall race you are capable of, there are places to burn matches and places to take it easy; a run-up is a place to burn matches. Same deal with hills, people intuitively know that it's smarter to spend a bit more effort on climbs than on descents, and this intuition turns out to be correct.

Regarding #4, you can waste a lot of momentum if you dismount too soon on a partially rideable climb. Learn to carry momentum into the climb and dismount just before you come to a standstill. There's a bit of a knack to it.

Most of this list is right on. Especially the part of just friggin' doing it, seems like a lot of folk overthink it.

Everyone has their own number-pinning mojo. Some guys like to crumple, some don't. Some use the holes, some pin through the paper. Just make sure you pin it in the correct location and in the correct orientation. Only ask someone to pin your jersey if you would be comfortable asking that same person to pick you up from the airport; yes, it is that personal.

I disagree with #3. In order to ride the fastest overall race you are capable of, there are places to burn matches and places to take it easy; a run-up is a place to burn matches. Same deal with hills, people intuitively know that it's smarter to spend a bit more effort on climbs than on descents, and this intuition turns out to be correct.

Regarding #4, you can waste a lot of momentum if you dismount too soon on a partially rideable climb. Learn to carry momentum into the climb and dismount just before you come to a standstill. There's a bit of a knack to it.

+1 - some of this is from my newb cross experience and some from my longer road experience.

Can't crumple numbers here. I used to back in the late 80's and early 90's, but now with the cameras at the line the officals will slaughter you if you crumple.

Don't use the holes in the number to pin. Take a stitch with the pin through the field of the number and the jersey. The holes punched through the numebr will tear out. I personally use 8 pins - 4 corners and half way in between along each side. With uncrumpled numbers it is the only way I have found to keep the number from flapping.

Also....yes, everyone has their own thing with numbers and for many it's their superstition/pre-race routine. For me I take the jersey off and lay it on the floorboard of my van. I line the number up with either the arm panel seam or lettering along the side panel under the arm. I make sure it is high enough to clear the pockets, and low enough to not be completely in the armpit. Sometimes it is hard with the huge numbers they give out now.

I use sections where it is nearly impossible to pass as recovery. I nail every uphill and seem to be passing a lot of people there. In run-ups I just try to maintain position - not falling back, but not trying to jump ahead. I sometimes gain ground right after remounting if there is a technical section right after.

I am short so I have found I can use my size to cut under limbs near turns and cut quite a bit off of corners. I have also found it easier to have a lot of speed going into off-camber sections and not pedaling while on them.

Best lesson yet - yesterday before our race one of the Cat1/2 racers on our team told a fellow 4b teammate the following while they were talking about the crappy weather, "yes you're going to be cold and hurting, but so is everyone else. the key is to be cold, hurting AND angry....":thumb:

I figured I'd get some flack for the resting run-up thing. Obviously, it's a tactic only to be used by people who are strictly out of the running. For me, I can't run worth a lick and while I'm pitifully slow on the bike, that is (relatively) my strength, so I figure it doesn't make sense for me to hold back while I'm on the bike. But, what do I know? I finished last. :)

For me, I can't run worth a lick and while I'm pitifully slow on the bike, that is (relatively) my strength, so I figure it doesn't make sense for me to hold back while I'm on the bike.Here is one way to think about it. Given a level of fitness, imagine two competing strategies:
(1) Aim for the highest constant speed that is physically possible, vs.
(2) Aim for the highest constant power output that is physically possible.

For a perfectly flat, windless time trial, strategies 1 and 2 coincide. With varying terrain, however, it turns out that the optimal strategy falls somewhere in between the two. During climbs, for example, your speed should be less than average, but your power output should be higher than average. This applies to sandpits, runups, etc, as well. So it's natural to be really huffing and puffing at the top of a run-up, but you shouldn't run yourself into oblivion (obviously). It's a matter of carefully doling out those matches.

http://sportsmedicine.adisonline.com/pt/re/spo/abstract.00007256-200737080-00001.htm;jsessionid=JG3QTLT1sjB8DwH37V4dQ1pNbsvb93ZzpBRvZ6MSDphDXXzgHKcB!-1891305337!181195628!8091!-1 (http://sportsmedicine.adisonline.com/pt/re/spo/abstract.00007256-200737080-00001.htm;jsessionid=JG3QTLT1sjB8DwH37V4dQ1pNbsvb93ZzpBRvZ6MSDphDXXzgHKcB%21-1891305337%21181195628%218091%21-1)
When environmental conditions are relatively stable (e.g. in a velodrome) and the TT is >10 minutes, then an even distribution of work rate is optimal. For a shorter TT (<=10 minutes), work rate should be increased during the starting effort because this proportion of total race time is significant. For a very short TT (<=2 minutes), the starting effort should be maximal, since the time saved during the starting phase is predicted to outweigh any time lost during the final metres because of fatigue. A similar 'time saving' rationale underpins the advice that work rate should vary in parallel with any changes in gradient or wind speed during a road TT. Increasing work rate in headwind and uphill sections, and vice versa, decreases the variability in speed and, therefore, the total race time.

Any more tips?

Any more tips?When it comes to turns, barriers, etc, think smooth, not fast.

Figure out the parts of the course where drafting would help. During the race, make a point of closing gaps before those sections, even if it means burning some matches.

I think building a set of barriers for $15 is a great investment. Being smooth in your dismount/remount can gain you a good number of places over people that struggle.

Pre-riding the course at least twice will give you an idea of how fast you can take corners and how you want to attack certain hill sections (run vs bike). I find it's good to have a feel for the course instead of riding blind.

I think some 1 minute intervals are good from a dead stop to simulate the start of the race. Being in the first couple of lines helps before the course gets tight and things slow down. Suffer early and then find your rhythm.

Being in the first couple of lines helps before the course gets tight and things slow down. Suffer early and then find your rhythm.

Agreed, go hard off the start and try to get in a somewhat decent position before you hit the first technical portion of the course. Even if you can't hold the pace hopefully you can get in behind someone and draft them or just follow their pace until you find your rhythm. It's way better than starting off at a more comfortable pace and realizing you're off the back immediately, at least in my experience.

It all sounds good to me so I'll make it a sticky.

Went to my first cross race today (as a spectator). All I can say is AWESOME!!!

my tip: find your strength(s) & use it to your advantage.

case in point: this is my first year crossin' & i've spent most of the season training for a marathon. i am also just a better runner than a cyclist. i hold on as much as i can & when the barriers &/or a run-up comes along, i pass more people or gain more ground than at any other point.

(this is not to add to a to-run-up-or-not-to-run-up discussion, just to point out that you should find what you're good at & use it to your advantage.) i know so many people that aren't sure what they are good at (in various sports) & they're constantly lost as to what they should do & when.

also: don't give up at the beginning. a friend of mine was in the lead of a race but held up to get some help from others to pull. from what i've seen, that tactic really doesn't work in cross. put the hurt on 'em early or end up like someone i know (brett).

i hope that helps somebody pass that one person they're gunnin' for.

also: don't give up at the beginning. a friend of mine was in the lead of a race but held up to get some help from others to pull. from what i've seen, that tactic really doesn't work in cross. put the hurt on 'em early or end up like someone i know (brett).

What, whatchu sayin brah?!

Anyway, my biggest struggle is cornering. I can pass people and attack on the straights and I do ok on the climbs and barriers but on the tight, technical sections I loose so much momentum. I am a roadie at heart but any tips on practicing cornering?

hahahahaha.

any tips on practicing cornering?Is this a trick question?

Is this a trick question?

Sorry! Definitely didn't think about that before I posted it. Any tips on cornering? or how to practice cornering?
I really felt like I was losing all of my speed and momentum in the corners.

Practice running the barriers and dismounting/remounting. Your fitness will determine how well you can do the run ups or whether you can ride some of them.

Cyclocross is about endurance and technique.

Your lower back hurts (a lot) during races. You've tried:
- stretching
- core exercises
- bike fit adjustments
- bike equipment changes

... wear two pairs of shorts. It helped me out a lot this season.

Any tips on cornering? or how to practice cornering?
I really felt like I was losing all of my speed and momentum in the corners.
start mountain biking.

Here's what I learned from my second race:

1. Do it again! It is as fun as you remember, possibly even more fun. And you'll be able to start covering over the memories of how badly you did in your first race.

2. Lower your tire pressure. I'm a roadie by nature, and as such in my first race I made the total newbie mistake of running my tires at max pressure (65 psi). Then I came to these boards and read a few threads and found out everyone else is running as low as they can get away with. My tires (Maxxis Locust CX) are labeled with a minimum psi of 50, but I ran them at 45 psi on a soft course with no problems. I probably could have gone lower. Somewhere I read that 25% of your body weight is a good starting point.

3. Mud holes and water features have a curved bottom. If you have to run across a mud hole, two steps, one on each side, might be better than one step in the middle. In my second race, there was a deep mud hole. Sometimes when I went through I sank in up to my knee. Sometimes I only sank in half way up my shins. Thinking about it later I realized in was because I was hitting the center of the creek bed on the deep sinks.

4. Use higher gears. My first race I started in the granny gear and stayed there. In my second race I resolved that I wasn't going to do that, so I started out in my middle chainring and stayed there. Starting out required more effort, but overall it wasn't that much harder.

5. Warm up. This is probably a no brainer for most people, but I didn't do it in my first race. I didn't hurt myself or anything, but I wasn't loose. For my second race, I got there an hour and a half early and had time to preride the course at a slow pace a couple of times, practice some sprint starts to see what the traction would be like and do some stretching. By race time, I felt ready.

6. The guy ahead of you is as tired as you are. This really surprised me. Finally getting the chance to pass a few guys, I was surprised to see that consistently, after I'd spent half a lap right behind these guys, as soon as I passed them they fell way back. The only thing I can figure is that they were pressing to stay ahead of me, and then when I passed them they eased up a bit. This was very good because I was afraid passing them would be wasted effort and they'd just pass me back after the next turn. Not so.

For a muddy course you can run as low as 30-35 psi on a clincher, the trick is to adjust it for the terrain.
No point using way low pressure if the mud is so bad you're going to run it anyway.
Yesterday's race was a mix of pavement and dry-ish dirt/grass and total sloppy mud and standing water, so I set my pressure for the dry stuff and ran it when the going got too slippery.

I see a lot of guys using the paved and flat sections for recovery, this is where you want to be going fast, big ring it and hammer, you can recover when you're done...

Here's what I learned from my second race:

1. Do it again! It is as fun as you remember, possibly even more fun. And you'll be able to start covering over the memories of how badly you did in your first race.


+1 - My first race I was 40th/67. I was just trying to finish and not cause issues and learn. My second race I was 17th/45 and third race 14th/55. Yesterday I was 22nd/55, but I chalk it up to a tougher field (cheeseheads from WI showed up), and my bad form/health.


2. Lower your tire pressure. I'm a roadie by nature, and as such in my first race I made the total newbie mistake of running my tires at max pressure (65 psi). Then I came to these boards and read a few threads and found out everyone else is running as low as they can get away with. My tires (Maxxis Locust CX) are labeled with a minimum psi of 50, but I ran them at 45 psi on a soft course with no problems. I probably could have gone lower. Somewhere I read that 25% of your body weight is a good starting point.
I went the otherway and because I had heard so much about how low you can run them I was running them too low on dry courses. Yesterday I didn't seem to be able to relly get them low enough, but I was approx 35psi. The gauge on my pump does not have the correct resolution for this stuff. I probably would have been perfect at 33 or so.



4. Use higher gears. My first race I started in the granny gear and stayed there. In my second race I resolved that I wasn't going to do that, so I started out in my middle chainring and stayed there. Starting out required more effort, but overall it wasn't that much harder.
I have found that while pre-riding the course if I really think I need a smaller cog on the cassette then I am probably geared right. Racing will get you to churn tougher gears. I have found that while cross racing I am always churning a gear that's just a tad tougher than what I would churn on the road - presumably because I feel more comfortable with a lower rpm off-road. I also find I use my smallest gears and high cadence in the technical and switchback stuff in order to fly out of the corners.


5. Warm up. This is probably a no brainer for most people, but I didn't do it in my first race. I didn't hurt myself or anything, but I wasn't loose. For my second race, I got there an hour and a half early and had time to preride the course at a slow pace a couple of times, practice some sprint starts to see what the traction would be like and do some stretching. By race time, I felt ready.Correct.


6. The guy ahead of you is as tired as you are. This really surprised me. Finally getting the chance to pass a few guys, I was surprised to see that consistently, after I'd spent half a lap right behind these guys, as soon as I passed them they fell way back. The only thing I can figure is that they were pressing to stay ahead of me, and then when I passed them they eased up a bit. This was very good because I was afraid passing them would be wasted effort and they'd just pass me back after the next turn. Not so.

This is very true. It is because you can hear/see the guy behind you and end up racing hard to maintain your position. When they pass you lose it and drift back. I love it when that happens when I pass someone. I passed a guy yesterday where it took 1/2 a lap to get by him, and the whole time I was running up his ass trying to get by. When I finally got around I did one tecnical section and then looked back. He wasn't even in sight anymore. Colossal blow up. It was awesome.

The part that sucks is that it goes both ways. After fighting for 1-3/4 laps I got passed on a hill ....because I chose too small of a gear. It took everything he had, but when he finally passed I kind of relaxed thinking, "well at least that's over with. I've got nothing left."

Mistake. It led to me getting passed by the guy behind him with only a few turns left on the lap.:mad:

Get angry. Whatever it takes, just get angry and go take it out with your bike.

Shift down to the gear you'll need coming out of an obstacle or off camber, BEFORE you need it, you can pass by guys that are struggling to get their cadence up.

Shift down to the gear you'll need coming out of an obstacle or off camber, BEFORE you need it, you can pass by guys that are struggling to get their cadence up.

Oh hells yes!

Even in my first race I understood that the whole point of the pre-ride was to determine where to "pre-shift" so that I could be in the right combos coming out of stuff.

Then I found myself shouting to another rider in front of me telling him when to shift because his lack of pre-shifting was annoying me. "DUDE! Shift into your big ring BEFORE we get to the paved section so that you can actually USE the paved section to race instead of to shift."

Oh, don't be that guy.

Oh, don't be that guy.

:D - It's a long story, but he needed the advice and actually appreciated it.

I also did it in a nice way....not the way I typed it. ;)

In yesterday's race at Discovery Park there was a narrow muddy section where I figured out sort of accidentally that it was faster to run my bike than it was to ride it, even though it was flat. I think that might hold true for a lot places, if you have good foot speed.

On tight turns dangle a foot so you can dab it if you slide, especially right turns where you'll be falling on the "money" side of the bike.

+1 on running if it's too muddy, you don't have to "ride it at all costs" sometimes it's faster to run.

I had my third race today. More lessons learned.

1. Save some energy for the hard parts. The course I did today had a winding, mostly paved section just before what the announcer was calling the "mud pit of death" (he was understating). On the first lap, I rode fast on the paved sections, though at a speed I thought I could sustain. Then I hit the mud. Bad news. I spent the next half lap in the granny gear trying to recover.

2. An Egg Beater to the thigh can draw blood. If you've got more than two barriers to clear, shoulder the bike. If you hold it just high enough to clear the barriers, you've got a really good chance of bashing your leg into a pedal.

3. If you cross a road (paved or hard dirt), it will give you a second or two of extra traction and smooth rolling. Use it to accelerate. It's like a power up in a video game. :)

How about some more tips from the more experienced riders?

The pit is not a Super Mario Kart shortcut.

hahahahahahahaha. rainbow road (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuX5_OWObA0) ftw.

Purchase and study Simon Burney's book. Don't take it as gospel, but read it carefully.

Warm-up to get your body ready for the hard start and pre-ride to learn the course (do a slow lap and try to spot everything, then do a faster lap to see how the tricky spots are at a racing pace).

When you're pre-riding, watch the faster riders from the later races if they're out on the course as well. Don't worry about keeping with their pace, but look at the lines they take. Quite often the "racing line" worn into the course isn't the fastest line through tricky spots. In the last race I did I learned two different lines that were better than the ones I'd been taking just by watching other riders.

Apparently I didn't learn anything in my fourth race last year. Actually, now that I think back I did learn this: riding hard does not keep your fingers warm. If it's below 35 degrees, use long fingered gloves.

Now back to this year. I've already got one race under my belt, and so I'm adding a couple of new things.

1. If it's hot, wear something to keep the sweat out of your eyes. There was a moment this week when I was heading down a hill into an off-camber turn and I absolutely could not see because of the sweat pouring into my eyes. That really sucked.

2. Don't fall off the back of the pack if you can avoid it. As long as you're with the group, you'll push yourself to stay with them. Once you're by yourself, you have no reference point for judging your effort and you'll probably be going slower than you realize.

3. Brake late and hard. There was one section of the course this week that had a fast downhill approach to an uphill U-turn. Consistently, I was catching up to people in this turn who had been 30+ yards ahead of me at the top of the hill, and I was just coasting down the hill. The only thing I can figure is that they were braking early and going into the turn slowly. I went in fast and braked hard just before I needed to start turning.

4. If you can't breath slow down before attempting barriers. Crossing a barrier, and especially multiple barriers, requires fine motor skills and coordination. Those things disappear as you approach max heart rate. I discovered that this week after sprinting up an incline and coming fast into a set of three barriers. I tried to hop off my bike and run the barriers just like I'd been practicing -- except I was out of control and planted the front tire firmly into the second barrier. Every lap after that, I slowed down and took this set of barriers more slowly. It didn't look cool, but I think it was probably faster.

5. Be aggressive. If you never lose control of the bike, you could probably be going faster. This one I actually realized just a couple of days ago. In five races, I haven't had my bike hit the ground once. Generally, that's good, but I realized that I've been extremely cautious in a lot of places where I'm sure I could do better if I took a little more risk.

Since the first post, I've thought of this thread as something that would be helpful to non-racers who were getting into CX just for fun but still wanted to do their best. I picture at least some of the racers as back-of-the-pack guys (or gals) like me. Two of these next four tips are for people like that. If you're doing well in the race, this won't help you. The first two are more general, but may be obvious to anybody with a clue about racing.

1. Look for places to pass, even when you aren't passing -- Ideally, you'd do this during the pre-ride, but keep doing it during the race. The good places to pass aren't always obvious. When you hit fast/paved sections the guy you want to pass is going to speed up too. Figure out which sections are your particular strengths. I like long slightly uphill sections and barriers. Something else might work for you.

2. Work hard for a pass if you need to -- Most courses have a section or two where everybody rides the same line and slow riders impose a pace on the guys behind them. You can use this for recovery, but if you don't need to you can burn matches and gain ground. For instance, sections of gravel road typically get a single smooth patch worn in them and everybody wants it. Look at the edge of the road and see if there's a little grass in bounds. It might be enough. Sometimes you don't even need to burn matches because the alternative isn't as bad as it looks. There was a semi-narrow section of the course this week that was about half hard-packed dirt and half bumpy looking weeds. Everybody was riding the dirt. During my pre-ride I rode the weeds and had no problems. During the race, I passed someone there on almost every lap.

3. Pass every chance you get -- Last year I made the mistake of following people around for half a lap or more before convincing myself that I could pass them. Do that and you'll only pass 5-10 people in the whole race. (I speak from experience.) Instead, pass as soon as you can. If the other rider is fast enough, he'll pass you back. If not, go after the next guy.

4. Latch on when you get lapped -- This is kind of an evil trick that will work best if there are a lot of riders on the field. In a big group, once you start to get lapped, you end up getting lapped a lot. As a courteous racer, you give the faster riders the best line and let them by you. You don't know who they are. When this happens to you, it's about to happen to the guys in front of you too. So, when a couple of fast riders blow by you, kick it up a notch and try to grab their wheel. There's a good chance that the riders in front of you will unwittingly let you by. You probably only want to do this if you've got enough in the tank to keep putting at least a little distance on them.

Someone else should really add some new tips. Mine can only be so useful. ;)

1. If you drove to the race alone, use a safety pin to secure your car keys in a jersey pocket.

2. A trunk-mounted bike carrier makes a decent workstand.

3. The key to climbing a muddy hill is weight distribution. Typically, you'll want to shift your weight forward when climbing to keep the front wheel on the ground. However, if your rear tire is slipping, you need to shift back a little more to give it some extra traction.

4. You probably don't gain anything by running, or even walking, a hill that you can climb on the bike. We had a nasty hill at the end of the lap, and a lot of people were getting off their bikes. I climbed it the first lap and was really wiped by the time I got to the top, so the next two laps I ran/walked it. The result was, I was still winded at the top, and half a dozen people had passed me. The last lap, I rode it and nearly passed out, but I gained several positions.


My tips are getting pretty lame. Somebody else should update this thread and add something useful.

Totally disagree with you about getting off the bike. It's different for everyone, use whatever expends less energy. This is the reason to run as part of your training. My heart rate used to spike every time I was running. With practice, this gets better. I find it beneficial to shoulder and run in the mud. I end up passing a few people and I feel that I exert less energy doing so.

Sure, there are definitely places when running is better. But in the mud, for example, running isn't slower and may be faster. On a hill, unless you're an amazing runner, it's slower to run, so unless you save a ton of energy, it's not worth it. At least, that's what I was claiming. I could still be wrong.

glad this is a sticky...and it has helped (theoretically)...i've trained (i mean, "trained":p) with another rider who has done ONE race himself...and is a roadie (i'm a mtbiker), but i'll have plenty of real (and quite limited i am sure!) insight in about 2 weeks. when i catch my breath...:rolleyes::)

Sure, there are definitely places when running is better. But in the mud, for example, running isn't slower and may be faster.
It can also prevent you from adding 10 pounds of mud and grass to your bike and clogging up your drivetrain and brake calipers.

The hill Andy is talking about was definitely a "Ride it" hill. It was long and on a gravel road. All day, almost everyone who got off their bike got passed. Your butt needs to go in the seat if the rear wheel is slipping. I even shouted "A$$ in the saddle" at a few people.

It can also prevent you from adding 10 pounds of mud and grass to your bike and clogging up your drivetrain and brake calipers.

yes, i agree. i found out in the last two laps it was a good idea, while riding (since i rode through most everything) to stick my finger behind the brakes to clear about 2 pounds of muck helped. alot. then i started trotting, pushing through...

anyways, here i go with my half-processed insights a day+ later.

my first race was definitely a blast. i found out what i was actually, naturally good at...and definitely alot of the opposite!

let me ramble and hopefully make some sense for others:

*i had ridden pretty hard all week...but not too much the 3 days before the race...but i did a good warmup ride those few days, that morning before the ride, and one good steady lap at the course; if anything, i should've taken the trainer and done a bit more warming up

*i think i did a good job of getting some energy into the body: coffee, oatmeal...then about 20 minutes before the race some fluids...and a hammer gel...my BIG mistake was forgetting to bring water....and plenty of it...i should've hydrated ALOT more...heck, there were plenty of folks actually carrying water, so next time, the camelbak or a bottle! i thought no one did water WHILE racing...

*STRONG points: i discovered i was pretty efficient (from my mtbiking) at picking lines of least resistance; i took corners of all sorts great, never fell over or off. good to know that's not something i need to be concerned about...my STAMINA was taxed in the middle of the first lap, but i found i naturally fell into a rhythm without freaking out and watching most of the field shoot past me...eventually, i re-passed a few (who still eventually re-passed me), but i found that i have stamina and reserves...

*which leads to the WEAK points: those reserves were taxed by my lack of hydration...i had to slow down a bit to recover but i never stopped or felt i needed to quit. not at all. and as it went, i discovered that when i had speed, it didn't last long (endurance)...and sustained endurance levels meant not fast and too tired to gear up to a powerful gear. true, the weak link is ME i realized, but inexperience, training and...riding a 1990 non-competitive steel Schwinn is not a way to help yourself! i dragged that monster through all that muck which made everything else quite a chore: barriers, sand pit, mud/straw marshes and the little mucky streams. the bike itself handled corners really well, but the pure weight issue didn't help, esp. going up against aluminum and carbon fiber steeds.

o yeah...and my chain came off right after i let me bike down too hard (after the sand pit)...i lost nearly a minute grappling with the chain as folks whizzed further past me...i thought i had that possible eventuality minimized. at least it only happened once. as much of a negative it was, i see the positive in that i regained SOME ground once i established a rhythm.

so, my advice (to myself, out loud) is:

*lighten the bike you have or (ultimately) replace it. soon. and go clipless. or clips, at least!
*figure out what level you want to do this! fun-fun? serious fun? competitive fun? ... whatever it is, find the amount of effort of training and articulate what you need to do to keep on doing this, whether it is jumping into intervals and all that jazz or..just ride and become one with the bike. either way, ride alot and often.
*heck, i'm 46, but glad i shifted to Cat 4 and not the Masters!
*don't be disheartened that a guy snaps his handlebars but still manages to fall over, get up and ride with a nub and still outpace you...3/4s of the field are really not 'beginners' at all...:rolleyes:
*was it a blast? totally.

anyways, on to the next race. :thumb:


p.s.
i did take advice to ride the start HARD.....and it was a snakey beginning for sure...i held my own through it all, but the first true straightaway, i was tanked....and i got passed by 3/4 of the field in a flash...that was disheartening at first...but it all acquired a rhythm and it all fell into place. of course, 52nd place ultimately (out of 60+ folks...10 of which were DNS!). no complaints.

Nice report. I'm glad to see another newbie updating this thread finally. :thumb:

Are you saying you did this with platform pedals? I saw a guy do that earlier in the year. It didn't look easy.

Nice report. I'm glad to see another newbie updating this thread finally. :thumb:

Are you saying you did this with platform pedals? I saw a guy do that earlier in the year. It didn't look easy.

yes, it was all i had and all the time i had to 'upgrade' a fairly non-upgradeable ride! might should've taken the modified, rigid mtbike, but i think i did ok, except for the intense bike weight (schwinn caliente steel carbon tensile!) and my own lack of speed when it counted and/or stamina!

but yeah, platforms...not ready to jump to clipless for the next race in 2 weeks or so...will put on the strapless clips like i had planned (but thought it might throw me off rhythm). i just like to mtbike free-foot! doesn't work as well in cx as i can attest!

hope my insights help out, even help some more experienced racers point out my own shortcomings

We've had some muddy races this year, but this week's race (Kruger's Crossing) took the cake. Seventeen consecutive days of rain leading up to the race, including 2.5 inches in the two days before, plus another 0.7 inches of rain the day of the race. Now put that on a farm which sits in a bit of a bowl and you've got a recipe for one seriously goopy mess.

Sometime after I wrote post 38 above, I completely forgot that it can be faster to run in the mud. It wasn't until midway through the second lap when a guy who had a flat tire and ended up having to run 3/4 of the race started gapping me that I caught on. To give you some idea what this race was like, that guy who ran 75% of the race didn't finish last -- he ended up 79 of 83. In an earlier race, a dozen or so people got passed by a unicyclist.

My first tip here is going to be a repeat. I'm just leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for myself for next year. But keep reading, I think some of these are good.

1. Consider running in thick mud, no matter how long it goes on. There's definitely a feeling of accomplishment to be had from riding a long stretch of sticky mud, but if you're in danger of falling over due to lack of forward momentum, running would be faster.

2. The best tire pressure for grass isn't the best tire pressure for mud. I pre-rode the course with my tire pressure in the low 30's, and it really sucked -- too much float, not enough sink. So I talked with some guys from Bike Gallery and they suggested I bump it up to around 50-55 psi. I did, and it still sucked, but I think it was better. I think I should have gone even highe

2. The best tire pressure for grass isn't the best tire pressure for mud. I pre-rode the course with my tire pressure in the low 30's, and it really sucked -- too much float, not enough sink. So I talked with some guys from Bike Gallery and they suggested I bump it up to around 50-55 psi. I did, and it still sucked, but I think it was better. I think I should have gone even highe


yeah, my second race i made more interesting mistakes that could've been worse...i thought i had planned ahead (drank water this time....even carried a small bottle i slugged on a flat), but i almost forgot to DEFLATE my tires...so on my pre-ride of the course (which i wasn't able to finish), i stop to let air out...by feel (this was a very grassy course)...i let out TOO much! i had to head back to my Tracker to pump up the front tire back to 38 or so....i left the back as it was since IT was a presta and i didn't have time to mess with it....about 29psi....

luckily it all worked out because, as i found out later, there was a gravel/rooty/rocky section that loved the low psi tires...but i'd rather have the front squishier...

ultimately i don't think it mattered since i crossed the line way ahead of the few last....and those ahead i still probably wouldn't have caught...maybe one....it was all me and it was good to get another race under the belt as a 46 year old on a 17 year old bike (25 pounds)...i got some nice comments on my 'rig'...but it really is time to get my engine in top form (enough not to take over my life TOO much) AND...........get a bike that is not a conversion but a true 21st century 'cross specific setup. i know i'm sticking with this...mountain biking will be my 'recreational' time from here on...;)

but the bright side of this new race experience:

+my stamina is still there and a bit stronger...but there's no power, speed.
+off-cambers and tight turns are definitely my strength (thanks i guess to mtbiking)
+going from a rattling old scwhinn bombproof tensile carbon steel ride (31 pounds) to a slightly 'newer' Giant cro-mo i carved down to 25 or less pounds made a difference..still, it rode with one (front) brake, the two top rings removed leaving me with a 30-tooth small ring with 7 in the rear (i was worried i'd be spinning on the flats but i didn't have the juice to test THAT)...
+yes, it is easier to hop the barriers than slowly step over them

Hmmm. Looks like my last post got truncated somehow. I think it should have had six tips. The best ones got dropped. I can only remember three of them now.

3. Puddles of water are often the best line through thick mud. The water dissolves the mud, so it gets pushed aside easier letting your tire get to solid ground. The mud that isn't under water is more likely to be peanut butter.

4. Watch what happens to the mud where the person in front of you rides through. If the mud quickly flows back to fill the track behind the tire, that's the line you want. If it leaves a well-defined track, stay away. More slosh = less resistance.

5. When you get home, grab the garden hose and spray your muddy clothes out from the inside. Too much pressure probably isn't good for the life of the fabric, but you'll be surprised how much of the mud this technique eliminates. Doing this got my jersey cleaner than either soaking or washing. I've been hand-scrubbing the mud all season, and didn't stumble across this until the last race of the year.

For future refernce, here are a few links to discussions I thought were helpful.

Bike handling in various situations
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?606633-Thoughts-on-bike-handling

Pacing strategies
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?589258-Pacing

Training and tabata intervals
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?596143-How-do-YOU-train-for-CX

Barrier technique
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?596903-Barriers-speed-revelations

Did my first race today and man it is pretty darn humbling thought I was a decent rider but I about killed myself to just get 4th from last. the last lap was just pure misery and pain god I hurt pretty much everywhere on that lap. probably took 10-15 minutes after the race was over just to catch my breath. It was a blast though will do again for sure.

the last lap was just pure misery and pain god I hurt pretty much everywhere on that lap. probably took 10-15 minutes after the race was over just to catch my breath.

Sounds like you did it right. :D