[BHV] cross kicks

[George Hluck]

This was my first cyclocross race. Bottom line, it was a blast and I  
really enjoyed the race (although it was exhausting). Bobby and I  
were there to represent the BHV flag.

Last year I decided to try out cyclocross, so I purchased a  
cyclocross frame (Redline Conquest Pro) and built it up primarily  
with left-over parts. Here are some notes:

The Course
The course was a combination of grass, man-made obstacles, road and  
gravel, forest trail and even a woodchip whoop-di-do. No really muddy  
portions, and you only had to dismount your bike in two sections.
It was interesting how the course slightly changed during the race.  
Some turns got more worn-out during the latter portions of the race.  
Also, an occasional rock would sometimes move to the most inopportune  
location on the trail. There were some very tight turns so you had to  
set yourself up for the next turn and shift properly.
The woodchip w-d-d was tricky at times. If you hit at a high speed  
your rear wheel could pop up pretty high. I know that my rear wheel  
went pretty high at least one time since I heard one the spectators  
gasp when it happened. Luckily I kept it going.
Very important to pre-ride a cyclocross course.

Also, I now hate tree roots.

The Race
This race was run for close to one hour, plus one lap, which I  
believe is the typical cyclocross approach. I am not sure of the  
distance of the course, but I think I managed to do it 8 times within  
the alloted time.
Apparently there was a great turn-out. Usually there is only one  
start. But, the field was approximately three times larger than  
normal, with 95 riders. The race organizers did allow the women to  
start 30 sec behind the main field. As you can imagine the race was  
congested at the start. I was content to start in the back since this  
was my first cyclocross race, and I was here to learn.
My technique for dismounting and mounting the bike did improve  
throughout the race, but near the end I was getting tired so I was  
getting a bit sloppy. I fell once during a tight turn (tire  
fishtailed), but I was generally able to stay up-right.

The Weather
The weather was atypical cyclocross weather, being warm and sunny.  
Cyclocross racers do not usually have water bottles mounted on the  
downtube since the bikes need to be carried. So, for this race I took  
a small 6 oz bottle from an old fuel belt, filled it with water, and  
placed it in my middle pocket of my jersey. I did have the  
opportunity to drink during the road part of the course.

The Equipment
The bike held up fine. I may get a slighter softer seat since the  
terrain can be jarring at times (I have a old Sella Italia Flite  
saddle) and I think my prostrate felt it (hey, I am in my 40's). I  
used Time ATAC XS pedals, and they worked great. The course was not  
muddy, so the mud-clearing ability of these pedals was not tested. My  
drivetrain is an FSA compact crank with Campy Athena ergo-power and  
derailleurs. The brakes are canti-lever Cane Creeks. The wheels are  
standard Mavic clinchers with Ritchey cross-max tires. I also had the  
top-mounted extra brake levers, but really did not use them. I  
suspect I will get rid of them eventually.

There are many more cyclocross races coming up. I highly recommend  
you try one!  Can't wait for a muddy one...

george

On Sep 24, 2007, at 8:33 AM, Bob Nunnink wrote:

> Hey Bill,
>
> You didn't need to go to Holland to see that kind of action,  all you
> had to do was travel to Mecklenberg.  Yesterday over 95 cross nuts
> showed for a fantastic 1.8 mile course at Buck Hill. George Hluck and
> myself represented BHV.  You can see some picture here
>
> http://web.mac.com/steve.edgar/Cross/BuckHill.html
>
> This was my first cross race and while I wasn't on the leader board at
> least I didn't hurt myself..  Ok I did crash three times.  Once in the
> whop di dos made out of wood chips on the warm up.  Trick was not to
> go too fast, you endo.  Too slow you cause a crash.  Second crash was
> unclipping before the log pile slipping in the mud.  Third crash was a
> tigh turn on wet grass. I looked just like your Dutch crashes.  Each
> time I got up and rode harder.  The course included a bit of
> everything.  If Jeff was there he would have stolen the race. It was
> his kind of course.  I was happy to pass one of the greybeards of FLCC
> who I had been chasing the entire race.  Ok he dropped his chain but I
> was ready to pass him in the final downhill stretch.  George did one
> more lap then me. Nice job George.  Next week is the Swandome and
> after that we go to Ommegang brewery for beer...... I mean cross.
>
> Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger
>
> Bobby
>
>
> On 9/24/07, William Lodico <wlodico at stny.rr.com> wrote:
>> How not to take a slippery s.  Lots of spectacular get up and walk
>> away crashes, but at least one pretty bad injury.
>>
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXQMw4n29qU
>>
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>
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