Category Archives: cyclocross

Kona Jake

Ribble Estuary nature reserve.

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I rode CX with MapMyRide+! Distance: 60.5mi, time: 05:35:56, pace: 5:33min/mi, speed: 10.8mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/878561051
Had a grand day out in Lancashire. Saw many kestrels and oyster-catchers. That area by the Ribble estuary is utterly beautiful. In today’s light, it couldn’t look better.

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To the right, farmland, and left is a nature reserve. That’s where the oyster-catchers were in huge numbers, and other flocks that I didn’t recognise. On the north west horizon was Blackpool Tower; north, Lake District; and east, the Pennines.
I don’t really know how to compare the day’s ride with one on the road. 60 miles in five and a half hours is quite slow, but this wasn’t on tarmac. Riding cross is perhaps less demanding of the legs, but takes far more concentration.
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Towpaths and punctures.

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5°C, lighter, calm.
Unwanted side-effect, punctures. Just patched the tube that went down yesterday, it had two holes and needed two patches. One was a snakebite, probably from the moment the nail punctured and pinched the rim against the road. It’s not so obvious that the tyre is going soft on soft round.
In the meantime, both tyres on the bike have gone soft overnight.. At least two more punctures!
That averages out at nearly two per ride. Sigh.
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Tyre liners, change tyres or some of that goo that seals from the inside? What’s the best idea?

Dense fog.

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4°C, dense fog, no ice.
Rode CX with MapMyRide+! Distance: 38.9mi, time: 03:32:00, pace: 5:27min/mi, speed: 11.0mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/869121807
Horrible day for a road ride. Dense milky fog and cold. On the route to the canal start I crossed a few small groups of roadies.

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My conclusion from today is that cx rides are quite viable when otherwise I would have to return home. Canal towpaths, though a place to pick up punctures, are much safer than the road in poor visibility.
In all, I probably clocked up about 5 miles on tarmac. Just as well because the surfaces were so greasy and slippery.

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Today’s puncture was a nail, not quite what I expected on a canal but at least it happened near the end.

Mud and a dyke

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3°C, strong NW wind, Clear blue and dry.
I rode CX with MapMyRide+! Distance: 47.03mi, time: 04:16:06, pace: 5:27min/mi, speed: 11.02mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/862070367

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The canal section left me with a puncture to fix. I rode a good 2 miles before it needed a top-up. This tactic didn’t work for long, as ever. Deflation accelerated so the tube had to come out. Ironic because I stopped to chat to a guy who had just repaired a flat by the canal.
The calorie counter above may need some adjustment to account for the slow surfaces today. Average speed was only 10mph, about 5 lower than a road ride. At least the speedometer agrees. I shall write a post about this speedometer another day.
Anyway, I can now see why mountain bikers are often the last to change shorts for longs in the autumn. Off-road seems to offer the best shelter from cold wind; speed is lower too.
Maybe 6,000 miles this year is unrealistic.

Mud and sand.

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Rode kona CX with MapMyRide+! Distance: 42.30mi, time: 03:31:38, pace: 5:00min/mi, speed: 11.99mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/854663071
Slow average speed, but hey, it’s off-road. I took a canal towpath to to the Sefton Cross pennine route. It’s a disused railway line which runs up to Southport. Perfect terrain to try out my new cyclocross bike.
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Then on along Southport sea front to the north. At the end of the sea walk is a short track that usefully cuts out a busy roundabout. But I witnessed an unfortunate scene. A hawk, disturbed and took flight along a ditch, in its claws it carried the still live body of a songbird.
After passing the familiar landmark Martin Mere, I made my way back along the same canal towards the start. The bridge I left the water looked like the first one but led to a public footpath. I hope I was legal riding on that route between fields.
Negotiating paths like that demand non-stop concentration, especially the bit past The Saracen’s Head. I really didn’t want to fall in the canal in front of that audience. Next time, make sure your phone is in a waterproof bag.
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The whole route was within the bounds of familiar routes, but it felt like I was travelling on new territory. Often, I could not be sure where I was, which canal bridge was coming up or how far remains.