Another great vid. You capture the feel of a cyclocross race really well, and yes, useful for novices, as you know it’s all quite intimidating the first time you try. Thanks for taking the time to video, edit, etc…
It was weird, it turns out the bike shop replaced the chain but didn't tell me, then gave me a warning that the cassette was worn. This all makes sense in retrospect, I guess I've had a lot on my mind 😂. I rode it around the block when I picked it up and it seemed ok 😆 Anyway once I had put it under the load of a cyclo-cross start and realised it was a new chain, I swapped my new cassette over from my other set of wheels, problem solved. It also explained why my other set of wheels never meshed well with the old (obviously worn) chain. Long story short I've bought a better (park tool) chain checker and I'll keep more on top of it. Cyclo-cross is obviously going to wear my chain more then my road bike 😂
The professional quality of the graphics displayed certainly impressed me. Without going over it with too critical an eye, the camera work was impressive. The editing could be tweaked if you were more conscious of giving it a cinematic appeal; different angles, more footage of you from a static camera, low shots, high shots etc. But it is clear and informative and helpful. That's the video. The actual Cyclo Crosser part has me confused. Are you an absolute beginner to Cross or cycling or competition. Or are you some one seeking to improve and if so how serious are you? Once you commit to this it can become all consuming, constant training, riding, stretching, weight training, diet, equipment updates, money and time invested, dedication ramped up, single minded focus. That's what you're up against when racing the best and Cross is so well set up it combines regional, regions and National. The guys who dominate this sport are not there by chance. The fitness required is something else; mainly pain. Short, explosive efforts and the ability to hold a high threshold for the hour. That really doesn't transfer across to much else in cycling. Then there's the technical aspects or skill set required, again, totally removed from road racing. There's a reason you won't see guys jump the hurdles. They can't. Apart from it being fast access to A&E, it takes skill, technique and hours of practice. Cornering, much neglected, is the same. Allow me to say your 'crash' I think may have been due to the line you took, the speed in, the braking zone you allowed yourself, the lean angle, your position according to the apex. Add in your tyre choice and pressure plus your centre of gravity and the combination is almost impossible for anyone to state it happened because of X. What is certain is that you are a long way off knowing how fast you can corner. That comes through repeated practice on the same corners, building up speed and confidence until the point where it breaks. That's how Jim Clark used to explain cornering. Taking it up to but not beyond the limit. The same applies with Cross and the best guys practice, practice, practice cornering. Foot in foot out. Weight on the outside pedal. Weight distribution between front and back. It's endless but the best know it and do it. They will have a technique and the power. Otherwise, and we saw it happening to you, guys just power past you. No skill. Just faster. There's a lot to work on but the beauty of Cross is that it welcomes everyone, is not judgemental and is great fun even for the serious competitor. To reiterate; your videos are easy on the eye and I enjoyed it. Keep them coming. As for the Cross, keep riding, seek to improve, concentrate on technique and build your fitness. As for Family ....... everyone needs a pit crew and a second bike!
Wow, thank you for taking the time to write all of this, I appreciate you taking the time to do so. The video stuff is just a bit of fun, and hopefully a way to share this great sport with people who might not even know what cross is! Thanks for your feedback. As for who I am as a bike racer? Yes I would put myself in the camp of near total beginner. This is only my third season riding cross. And before that I'd never raced competitively in anything, or ridden a bike off-road at all. But I am seeking to improve and I do take it fairly seriously within the limited time most amateurs have balancing work, family and training. I am definitely aware of how much commitment, time, cash etc it takes and definitely do not underestimate that. Hopefully my clumsy words in the commentary did give the appropriate respect to the guys who are clearly on a different level in this race, but imo everyone can improve and get better results, with a bit of targeted work - and cross is great for that, as theres always something to race for. Less true, with road, where I am looking to be more competitive next season in my circuit and masters road racing - I am even less successful in that - but at least I am giving it a go, and haven't given up (yet!) The tumble I took wasn't so bad, I just took my mind off the ball and took a sloppy line and leaned too much. Thanks for your suggestions around the repeated practicing of cornering - its such a tough sport though to recreate the conditions and lines in training, since they are so varied and different every time , but with time and practice particularly in racing, theres hope to learn and improve :-) I completely agree about cross being welcoming and inclusive. This is something I am keen to highlight to everyone who asks me about getting into racing bikes. The Lincs league was the first place I came to do a competitive race in any sport a couple of years ago in the "Novice" race - and everyone was so friendly and encouraging. These little videos I hope will help others think about giving it a shot. If I can get around and enjoy it and improve, then others might give it a go! Thanks again.
@@billywilliamsacou I guess what I would say is don't over think it too much, give it a go, don't take it too seriously (like I probably am here 😂) You will learn and improve over time and figure it all out. Don't worry about where you finish, just try to get round and have fun. Make sure your bike is set up to handle a muddy field, start from the back and just try to gradually catch other riders. Which is your local league? When's the next race? Good luck!
Quality heckling from your family 😂👏🏼👏🏼
@@Lazy_Jay_Racing thank you, I'm sure it comes from a place of love. 😂
Thanks for watching, it'll be great to support each other's channels.
Lovely course, great hecklers 😄
Another great vid. You capture the feel of a cyclocross race really well, and yes, useful for novices, as you know it’s all quite intimidating the first time you try. Thanks for taking the time to video, edit, etc…
@@ukpipeline no worries, thanks for watching, do you race cross? Which league are you in? Cheers
“You’re doing very well”
“I wouldn’t go that far”
Love kids haha. Enjoyed the commentary :)
@@Yewww244 haha 😂 yes they are so supportive, I'm so lucky
Thanks for the video. Suggestion, replace the chain AND cassette.
It was weird, it turns out the bike shop replaced the chain but didn't tell me, then gave me a warning that the cassette was worn. This all makes sense in retrospect, I guess I've had a lot on my mind 😂.
I rode it around the block when I picked it up and it seemed ok 😆
Anyway once I had put it under the load of a cyclo-cross start and realised it was a new chain, I swapped my new cassette over from my other set of wheels, problem solved.
It also explained why my other set of wheels never meshed well with the old (obviously worn) chain.
Long story short I've bought a better (park tool) chain checker and I'll keep more on top of it. Cyclo-cross is obviously going to wear my chain more then my road bike 😂
The professional quality of the graphics displayed certainly impressed me. Without going over it with too critical an eye, the camera work was impressive. The editing could be tweaked if you were more conscious of giving it a cinematic appeal; different angles, more footage of you from a static camera, low shots, high shots etc. But it is clear and informative and helpful.
That's the video.
The actual Cyclo Crosser part has me confused. Are you an absolute beginner to Cross or cycling or competition. Or are you some one seeking to improve and if so how serious are you?
Once you commit to this it can become all consuming, constant training, riding, stretching, weight training, diet, equipment updates, money and time invested, dedication ramped up, single minded focus.
That's what you're up against when racing the best and Cross is so well set up it combines regional, regions and National.
The guys who dominate this sport are not there by chance. The fitness required is something else; mainly pain. Short, explosive efforts and the ability to hold a high threshold for the hour. That really doesn't transfer across to much else in cycling.
Then there's the technical aspects or skill set required, again, totally removed from road racing. There's a reason you won't see guys jump the hurdles. They can't. Apart from it being fast access to A&E, it takes skill, technique and hours of practice. Cornering, much neglected, is the same.
Allow me to say your 'crash' I think may have been due to the line you took, the speed in, the braking zone you allowed yourself, the lean angle, your position according to the apex. Add in your tyre choice and pressure plus your centre of gravity and the combination is almost impossible for anyone to state it happened because of X.
What is certain is that you are a long way off knowing how fast you can corner. That comes through repeated practice on the same corners, building up speed and confidence until the point where it breaks. That's how Jim Clark used to explain cornering. Taking it up to but not beyond the limit.
The same applies with Cross and the best guys practice, practice, practice cornering. Foot in foot out. Weight on the outside pedal. Weight distribution between front and back.
It's endless but the best know it and do it.
They will have a technique and the power. Otherwise, and we saw it happening to you, guys just power past you. No skill. Just faster.
There's a lot to work on but the beauty of Cross is that it welcomes everyone, is not judgemental and is great fun even for the serious competitor.
To reiterate; your videos are easy on the eye and I enjoyed it. Keep them coming. As for the Cross, keep riding, seek to improve, concentrate on technique and build your fitness. As for Family ....... everyone needs a pit crew and a second bike!
Wow, thank you for taking the time to write all of this, I appreciate you taking the time to do so. The video stuff is just a bit of fun, and hopefully a way to share this great sport with people who might not even know what cross is! Thanks for your feedback.
As for who I am as a bike racer? Yes I would put myself in the camp of near total beginner. This is only my third season riding cross. And before that I'd never raced competitively in anything, or ridden a bike off-road at all. But I am seeking to improve and I do take it fairly seriously within the limited time most amateurs have balancing work, family and training. I am definitely aware of how much commitment, time, cash etc it takes and definitely do not underestimate that. Hopefully my clumsy words in the commentary did give the appropriate respect to the guys who are clearly on a different level in this race, but imo everyone can improve and get better results, with a bit of targeted work - and cross is great for that, as theres always something to race for. Less true, with road, where I am looking to be more competitive next season in my circuit and masters road racing - I am even less successful in that - but at least I am giving it a go, and haven't given up (yet!)
The tumble I took wasn't so bad, I just took my mind off the ball and took a sloppy line and leaned too much. Thanks for your suggestions around the repeated practicing of cornering - its such a tough sport though to recreate the conditions and lines in training, since they are so varied and different every time , but with time and practice particularly in racing, theres hope to learn and improve :-)
I completely agree about cross being welcoming and inclusive. This is something I am keen to highlight to everyone who asks me about getting into racing bikes. The Lincs league was the first place I came to do a competitive race in any sport a couple of years ago in the "Novice" race - and everyone was so friendly and encouraging. These little videos I hope will help others think about giving it a shot. If I can get around and enjoy it and improve, then others might give it a go!
Thanks again.
Lookong at getting j to my first CX race? Any tips?
@@billywilliamsacou I guess what I would say is don't over think it too much, give it a go, don't take it too seriously (like I probably am here 😂) You will learn and improve over time and figure it all out.
Don't worry about where you finish, just try to get round and have fun. Make sure your bike is set up to handle a muddy field, start from the back and just try to gradually catch other riders.
Which is your local league? When's the next race?
Good luck!
fence looks a bit too narrow not really inviting you to do much in the faster sections.
@@seanreilly6618 all part of the variety and challenge of courses here I guess 🤔