cluelessgoon

Fitted some new handlebars to the bike this weekend. I don't want to spend any money on getting the bike race ready except for tyres and the barest safety essentials. The old bars were 7 years old and I'm not ready for searing intestinal / gonadal injury just yet.

My offroad training course is 2.6 miles and I'm going around it in about 13 minutes at the moment.. Although I'm knackered after this effort it still feels quite slow. It's got a good mix of fast sections (tarmac), deep effort sucking sand, mud, leaves, gates and hills which I carry the bike up. As I don't have a heart rate monitor I'm not sure how my effort really compares to my interval work in the gym, but I feel quite bad - much along the lines of how jpearl suggested I should feel . I feel also that I could keep that up for 40 minutes, in fact I think I might be prepared to suffer slightly more on race day.

It's difficult to get out and ride the bike a lot more due to light conditions during the week, and more recently very cold weather/ice. I could ride to work, but it's all tarmac (I suppose I could 'cross it up a bit on singletrack tarmac 'pavements' which sometimes run along the route). I've contemplated doing sprints on the way in (12 miles) and just riding back slowly on the way back (another 12 miles) - this is how I generally ride anyway.

I tried descending on the drops and that scared me even more! I think I'll be using my top mount levers for the steep stuff - they feel really good.

Measured my RHR at 51 today, but still not seen a MHR of over 180. According to the simple formula of 15.3 *(MHR/RHR) = V02max that gives me a guessimated V02max of 53. I have no idea if that's good

cluelessgoon

My time for the 2.6 mile course is now down to 12mins 20 seconds, which is a good improvement from about 13 mins. I'm riding more efficiently and really suffering on the ascent / recovering on the descent. The course is kind of split in to an uphill / downhill circuit. The ground was frozen today which probably helped a bit, plus I was chased by a dog which scared me into descending faster than I would usually dare!

I've noticed that training alone is really quite miserable - it's painful, freezing cold and there isn't much of a reward for all the effort - at least on the road there is speed. There's no satisfying pump or huge weight to look at like there is in the gym either. Hopefully race day will be different and other riders will spur me / try to kill me, which might take my mind off the searing lung/testicle pain for the hour.

Also I've not been training legs in the gym (which I miss greatly) as I do interval or actual bike work almost every other day. My legs feel weaker and worst of all I don't dump many calories in the gym - as a result (it's nearly Xmas too), I'm actually fatter than when I started!!

Ronsonic 

It's the hollering people with the cowbells that'll try to kill you.

'nother

Or air horns. Man, those things...

cluelessgoon

I could mount my own air horn to get revenge?

'nother

That could backfire; not recommended.

Earplugs, on the other hand...

cluelessgoon

Good thinking. I'll shove plugs into anyone's ears who blasts me with a horn.

Iffacus

https://www.wmccl.co.uk/results/boxingday/sen.rtf

For the startsheet for the event at Kenilworth that cluelessgoon is doing.

cluelessgoon

It's true - and I'm starting as close to the back as anyone could get without actually being at the back! Still, that's probably a good thing really

It looks like Cross is a lot harder on the bike than I reckoned with as I've already burnt through a set of rear brake blocks (don't think I've ever actually changed a set on my road bike). Also the chain is now slipping when I really put the hammer down. Usually I never come out of the saddle, but I've found that it's very useful off road, or up hills to do that, so I have been. I can't sustain it though so it might do to get me to the top of a big descent. Not sure what's causing the slip - probably maladjustment of the rear mech, but for all my adjusting it won't stop. Chain is only about 4 months old.

My times had come down even more today - down to 12.15 whilst taking it fairly easy. I think the key for me is basically to take it easy and not go nuts at any point during the race. Apparently it's going to be an hour, so I'll be wishing for death after about lap 3.

jpearl

Don't start too far in the back; move up just a bit at the start, and let the adrenaline and endorphins sweet you up into the action after the whistle goes off. If you start last, you are last. If you start with other riders around you, then you are in the mix. You'll see after the start that some riders will take off like a shot, and others will slow down and play it conservative in the opening laps. Being in the midst of other riders in the opening minutes of the first lap gives you a better idea of what is going to happen, and who to ride with. From the vey back you'll likely miss a lot and get left out of working with and being around riders which can be very helpful as the race unfolds.

Iffacus

Cluelessgoon - how did you get on?

Full results here if anyone is interested

https://www.wmccl.co.uk/results/boxingday/sen.rtf

cluelessgoon

The results and some good race photos are now up on the BritishCycling website as well.

My placing
I was number 82 - which put me 57 of 67 racers on the day. I suppose I'm a bit disappointed because (aside from the race being sheer torture) when you look at the results I am actually in last place of the male seniors although I really wasn't last!. Actually I did have the chance in the last few hundred metres to overtake another racer, but I didn't take it. Maybe I felt as sorry for him as I did for me, or maybe I just didn't fancy any more pain, but I just didn't. After being lapped 4 times by the winners I suppose it felt a bit hollow!

My Expectations
People I spoke to about cross racing simply said it was 'hard' and dirty. From this, I'd inferred that although it was 'hard' you could ride at your own pace and finish albeit slowly. I'd also watched quite a few race clips to get an idea of the likely terrain and interactions with other riders. Although I knew the race location (Kenilworth Common) I didn't know the route beforehand. People also said that cross was hard on the bike - which worried me as some of my components had done 10,000 miles and I weighed in at 201lbs (I'm 5 foot 8) on race day.

My Preparation
My preparation was pretty good, apart from failing to lose enough weight for the day. Making weight for powerlifting competitions used to be reasonably easy for me, but I found eating enough carbs to avoid bonking and training outside in the cold seemed to make me eat more. I knew that my fitness would be my achilles heel and boy was that ever true! My bike handling skills and power were fine though.

My Experience on the Day

My pit man (my Dad) and I showed up early to check out the route and hopefully get a test lap in. Once I arrived at the top of the easy tarmac hill sweating plenty I thought I was in for trouble fitnesswise... until I rode the course to the first 'descent'. As I've said I actually know the common pretty well, and I couldn't believe it when I saw that the route included riding the treacherous 'gravel pit' as we used to call it - a 150ft super steep slope of gravel and sand. I used to make zip lines down this precipitous slope as a kid and remember finding it pretty hard just to walk back up! I just stood at the top basically terrified. Eventually a bunch of other riders appeared and I explained that this was my first race etc. They were pretty sympathetic and at least one was bigger than me, so when he said that it was quite rideable and that I should follow him I did. Little did I know that later on in the race I'd be longing for any excuse to stop peddling including riding down this! Anyhow, I rode two practice laps (this could have been a mistake) and waited in abject terror for the start.

I was actually dead last on the starting grid, so once we were moving I raced past about 20 people up the tarmac hill thinking that getting past people on the course would be really hard. I completed the first lap in really good time - about 5 mins with no-one really coming past me either. Once I got onto the second lap though I was breathing like a steam train and getting a stich in both sides! I always back off when that surfaces because sometimes I can't really recover. This was when I found out that cross is just really really hard

From the 2nd lap on I just tried to hang onto my sanity and safety. The course was so demanding (for me) that I'd reach the top of a hill, come down a really steep descent only to have the last hill's oxygen debt kick in ready for the next hill. Soon I wasn't worrying about the best racing line or traction, but just how to get up hills easier! On the first lap I'd gone up the tarmac hill at about 11 mph and topped out at 21mph along the crest, and the lower trail had showed 23mph, but by the last lap I struggled up the tarmac hill at about 5mph coming out of the saddle and could only maintain 11mph at the top and 14 mph along the bottom.

Although I had plenty of leg power I found that even trying to exceed these marker speeds meant that I'd be too breathing too hard to get up the next incline. My fitness was the clear problem. Also I had no idea how hard I could really push myself (without dying) as I'm not used to this kind of event. The worst parts were where friends were cheering for me because I felt compelled to push harder then which meant maybe not getting up the hill after. By the half way point I stopped trying to race and just tried to get through each lap. Other riders were starting to pass me regularly now and I was definitely more of an obstacle than competition.

I had to stop at two points during the race - once to fix my rear brake (avid shorty 4) which kept sticking on quite hard as the tensioner spring kept slipping out - this didn't help much but was probably only responsible for 1% of my pain. The second time was when someone rode into me on the very last lap! Some riders took a short cut to reach the precipitous gravel pit I mentioned earlier which cut across the less direct but safer line I took. Apparently this exact accident happened a lot and with me caused the two of us to wipe out big time and worse, nearly get run over by more riders. Whilst lying on the ground still I literally chucked the bike off to the side and rolled out of the way. My rear brake cantilever was pushed right under my rim but I managed to pull it back out pretty quick and got going again. I wasn't sure what happened to the other rider but he wasn't happy! The only footage of this race from last year happens to be that exact accident too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9e_t5-pbpc

Post Racing
There were a few times when I thought to myself - what in God's name am I doing here - just pull over before you die! However with supporters out in force and a big lunch nearly ready I really wanted to finish

I'm surprised but grateful that the race organisers allow muppets like me on the track to get in the way of everyone, as it was quite an enlightening experience for me, having only completed in very different strength type events. It certainly highlighted that my fitness is truely awful, which I'll be addressing.

Cross racing looks like a lot of fun if you are good at it, but for me with my lifting goals I'm not sure it's really possible to mix the two with any success at either. We'll see how my riding improves this year. I'd be very interested indeed to see how I would do the same race at say 10% bodyfat (which is about as lean as I ever get) instead of 18%. I'd be about 80Kg instead of 91Kg.

Photos and Videos
Here are my photos and video from the day. Thanks so much for contributing everyone

Iffacus

Well done Kevin , on completing your first cross race, shame I couldn't be there to give you some competition.

You should think about doing the race at Curborough, Nr Lichfield on 3rd February. A nice flat course that us fat people can get around easily.

BTW: That video clip look like Steve Knight passing Louise Day on the drop into the quarry in 2005 (she didn't ride in 2006).

jpearl

I'll second the Well Done kudos, great job on your first race Cluelessgoon. No matter how you look at it, CX racing is basically trench-warfare on a bicycle, and it's the most painful 40 minutes of fun you can have on a bike, period. Don't fret about the placings. Unless you've been bangin out road crits all season with podium finishes, you should be proud of the fact that you even raced in the first place, and beat ten others to the line. You also beat out the ten thousand million hundred people who spent the day sitting around on a couch watching football (in America) or football ("soccer" in England) instead of getting out of bed early for a painful sporting experience which, for you, was the culmination of commendable preperation.

Now remember, the first race is only the experiment to see what this 'cross madness is all about. What you didn't get in results, you did get in experience, and 'cross is as much a head game as it is sheer physical torture, so take that experience to the next race, and you will begin to pass more and more riders, including the guy in the last few hundred meters!

BrianN

Goon -

Well done. As has been stated, placing does not matter (for now). What you've described, beyond the course, is exactly what most people experience at their first cross race, including me. I think my heart rate on lap two was around 1063, give or take. The good news is there are many, many more races for you to participate in and it does get easier. The panic sensation goes away and after a few races your mind and HR will settle down a bit. It's always hard, but that's why we do it. Cheers or your first go. Wanna try again?

-B

Ronsonic 

Good going and thanks for a fun after-action report.

I tried to warn you about those people who cheer.

Also you should know that unless you suffer from some sort of cardiac problem not even a merciful god will let you just die and end the pain. The gods of cx are not merciful and if you do have a heart attack it'll be on the back side of the course and you'll have to dismount and run to the pits for medical attention anyway.

I would expect that the inevitable conflicts would prevent you from power lifting well and achieving a high level of cx ability. However, if you can use the aerobic training and the acceptance of pain to enlighten and expand your power work then being a mediocre but happy cross racer and excellent power lifter could be reasonable goals.

Ron

cluelessgoon

Thanks for the offer of competition Iffacus, but it's lucky you weren't there or I'd have been 58th!

Although the course was probably one of the more 'mountain biker' friendly courses, I reckon I'd have done worse on a flat course as my power uphills and off road handling skills outshon my fitness by some margin! My bike (a self built Surly Cross Check) held up really well and I'm pleased that I used my 'cross bike in an actual race.

My race day experience would probably have been better if I'd just been in 'better shape' generally and to that end has been very motivating. I realise that I'd have been in just as much pain etc, but it wouldn't have been quite so humbling. I'm sure that we are all motivated by success in activities we are just naturally good at, so I was probably hoping for that! Still, what did I expect after only a month of preparation! I've also discovered that I'm probably not going to drop dead of Cardio Myopathy running for a bus.

I would be interested in doing more preparation this year (I can sort of ride time-trials to work) and entering again next year to see how I've improved. Given the length of the event (60 mins) I'd also be interested in how longer rides benefited me rather than just intervals. During the whole of my training I never actually rode for 60 mins. I generally did the most intense intervals I could for 20 mins, followed by 30 mins of moderate cardio.

There's no doubt that I prefer being in the gym either being squashed or stretched by something heavy, but I still love being out on my bikes.

It's odd how our preferences for sport are set at an early age. Although I've always ridden bikes, I got into weights through martial arts and instantly became hooked (probably because I had more aptitude for it than the martial arts). Although I've tried other sports (rock climbing, American Football, karate etc) these all take a back seat to weights for me, and I can honestly say there's nowhere I'd rather be than training in the gym.

Although cross racing and powerlifting are probably incompatible, I've found that certainly in the lighter weight classes (the lightest I've been in 10 years is 78kg) you can be pretty effective at most weekend-type sports. The problem is in keeping your weight down that low whilst training - ie constant unremitting dieting. I've also had some knee surgery (Vastus medialis/supra patella tendon resection and plica removal ) too so I have cut back on the riding and running deliberately over the last 3 yrs.