Recently in 2010-2011 Category

It would have been a great day to race, sadly I didn't make it. Went downstairs to fetch the Ridley and discovered the hubs had seized. PANIC!

After much trying to figure out what was wrong, I just prayed and sprayed with WD40 which seemed to free up the hubs. The front feels like like it's full of gravel , the rear is a bit noisy but the Fulcrum 7 freehub is like a klaxon so it's tough to tell.

The bottom bracket has gone a bit stiff too and might need replacing. But it's rideable at the moment which is a relief.

The cause of the disaster? Jetwashing the bike after the last race and not taking the wheels off first. So I blasted all the lube out of the cartridge bearings and then they dried out and got stiff. I've not actually ridden the bike since then, a fortnight ago. Schoolboy error.

So lesson learned: jetwashing at the local garage is a fool's errand. It might save a bit of time but if I hadn't cut corners then I'd have been riding today.

So instead why don't you read the London League Round 5 report on Team Here Come The Belgians.

Once you've done that you may resume pointing and laughing at me.

Incidentally, how the heck can it be that It would cost me less to buy an entirely new set of Fulcrum 7s than to get replacement bearings for the existing ones and get them fitted?

In future I'll be buying Mavic wheels I reckon seeing as how the bearings seem easier to replace. I've been meaning to replace those Ksyrium Equipes that got trashed about this time last year for ages. Might just get a pair of the Aksiums instead.

(Picture by Cross Crazy)

I only got lapped once. I didn't come last. I beat Rene and TeeCee. But for a mechanical I would have beaten my bearded nemesis.

Andy Waterman reckons Hog Hill is rubbish for cyclocross:

"Hog Hill is just plain unsuitable for cyclocross racing"

He argues that "12min+ laps are too long esp when you have a single pit. Descent loop after pit was unnecessary imo"

Yes, the lap feels long but I disagree about the suitability of the venue.

3.4km does feel like a long lap in a cross race, but I would have preferred to go without some of the top end of the course which criss-crossed pretty dull off-camber grass banks rather than the descent loop.

The hazards/obstacles are what makes Hog Hill an interesting course. The lumps, bumps and berms mean it works for me as it allows me to use good handling skills to hold on to riders who get away from me on less technical circuits. For example, the fast descent after the pit allowed me to put a gap into more timid descenders.

Then there is the mud which rates up there with the off-road circuit at Penshurst for filthiest of the season. Again, I was able to put pressure on riders by being quicker through it and not afraid to ride on the edge of control.

The mud was fine while it was raining but once the sun and wind came out it got dangerously heavy. Result was that I dropped my chain a couple of times and jammed the rear mech which probably cost me a few places in the last couple of laps.

Also tried out the Rapha Embrocation for the first time. Didn't use much on my legs but, to use a phrase, it ain't half hot mum! Great while you are riding and racing, not so great for standing around afterwards before riding back to the station. On the flip side I didn't feel like I needed kneewarmers for the race and didn't feel cold at any point. I'll be reviewing that and their Chamois cream soon.

On the way home, after an abortive attempt to get my bike clean in the tub at Hog Hill, I stopped at the garage and, for all of two quid, got the bike almost perfectly clean with the jetwash. Best two quid I spent on Sunday.

Matt at The Inner Ring has recently posted about Why he hates cyclocross as a spectator and Scott over on Velocast has replied with his reasons to love cyclocross as an activity, So I'm adding to the mix with why I love cyclocross as a competitor (I use that term advisedly).

That's me looking "competitive" shortly after being lapped for the umpteenth time. The picture is from Cross Crazy which is an excellent resource for all things cross related.

No matter how rubbish my result - a cursory glance would tell you "rubbish" is unduly kind to my performances - I never fail to enjoy the lung-busting, leg-searing rollercoaster hour that makes up a cross race.

I've been suffering a cold which has kept me off the bike, or at least off serious workouts. It had shifted enough to be bearable by the time I got on the train down to Brighton but still felt a little constricting.

Happy Valley Park is a new course and was largely open parkland with one hurdle and a rooty section of woodland that I couldn't get my head round. That's one of the joys of cyclocross:

• If you make a hash of an obstacle you get several goes at getting it right on subsequent laps

So after the usual bunfight at the start and good-humoured wait for the first bottleneck to clear, it was down to finding my equals in the race. A group of about half a dozen riders who I would spend the next hour measuring my performance against.

• In cross, you can always find a good race, no matter where in the field you are

Fo the first half hour I was able to hold the wheels and stay with a nice little group. Then my back pain flared up and I had to ease off.

About the same time I was lapped for the first time by the race leaders who were going as fast across the grass as I go on tarmac. I finished three laps down in the end which is about my usual distance back, so form is consistent.

After 45 minutes I was digging in, mostly to the bag of Colin the Catepillars in my pocket. TeeCee got hers, Stu and Conrad both missed theirs. See:

• In a cross race, you can have a bit of fun and hand out sweets as you race along with encouragement.

I was, however, very glad when it was over because my lack of training and fitness was starting to tell and I was flagging a bit.

I love cyclocross largely because:

• The racing is competitive
• The racing is positive and not the "sit in until the sprint" of 4th Cat racing
• It's mixed ability and no one minds if you're not Sven Nys
• It's great for handling skills
• It's all about keeping up that intense level of effort that gives you punch on the road in summer
• It's far less boring that turbo-training or "winter miles"
• It's far more social that road racing