Fixx Supercross Cup Round 3. // race report

Ok, this is more like it: mud, wet conditions and a bit of light rain! But let's go from the start: since I'm having such a good time on the cyclo-cross bike I was really looking forward to line up at the start line of the Fixx Supercross Cup Round 3 in Tymon Park this morning. After a quick breakfast I got the van packed and I was on my way to the race venue. 

The weather was looking kind of grim at the beginning: heavy enough rain and to be fair the temperature was cold enough. But hey! We are talking about cyclo-cross here, these are exactly the conditions we love, hah? :)

Got to the race venue nice & early, perfectly in time to get the registration done and have 2 practice lap on the course before the start. The race course was absolutely amazing: long tarmac sector to get some proper speed going, twisty turns, boards, lovely little drop and a sweet run-up sector. And the best sector was the "Spiral of Confusion"...this thing was totally insane! It was a big spiral where riders went into, they circled around many times and after a very sharp turn they came out the same way but different direction. When I went into it for the first time it seemed like there's only way in but no way out...brilliant!

Sitting in the heated car, can't beat that on a rainy day! :)

Pretty much ready at this point (photo by Dave Harnett)

After the last bit of preparation we were all set for the mud-fest: lined up at the start line and off we went. The pace was serious on the first long tarmac sector, everyone was fighting for the positions before the first tight turn. After a couple of minutes the line has started to strech a good bit and I started to settle into my own comfort zone if there's such thing in cyclo-cross racing. 

Ready to go (photo by Dave Harnett)

Getting over the boards for the first time (photo by Dave Harnett)

Cool sector with a short bridge (photo by Peter Doyle)

Crossing the bridge (photo by Piotr Szeliga)

Hard bastard climb (photo by Piotr Szeliga)

The best corner on the course (photo by Piotr Szeliga)

In action (photo by John Kelly)

Pushing hard for every position (photo by John Kelly)

On the climb (photo by John Kelly)

In the forest sector (photo by John Kelly)

On my own for a little while (photo by Peter Doyle)

We finished lap after lap and the course started to change quiet seriously. The mud suddenly got deeper, the corners got more slippery and the short burst climbs started to feel more painful than before. So, it did get better!!  I felt like I'm about to burst in the first two laps but after that I started to feel better and started to enjoy the race more indeed. It was so nice to hear people cheereing us on during the race. It certenly gave me a good boost that's for sure. 

"Dealing with the mud" (photo by Piotr Szeliga)

Lovin' the borads!! (photo by Piotr Szeliga)

Getting the laps done (photo by Dave Harnett)

Getting close to... (photo by Dave Harnett)

...hop the boards one more time before I cross the finish line (photo by Dave Harnett)

And it's all over, crossing the finish line (photo by Dave Harnett)

After I got the 6th lap done I crossed the finish line with the racing time a bit over the 50 minutes mark. I have finished the race in the 22nd place in the about 60 riders field. It's ok for now but I'd love to aim higher next time indeed!

Wrecked but happy!  (photo by Piotr Szeliga)

Race is done & "dusted" :)

The bike needs to be cleaned a bit...

I am very happy after today's race. I've had great time racing and I'm simply happy with everything: great and very well organized event, brilliant race course, nice crowd and perfect cyclos-cross weather. What else I can wish for?! :)

Just another evening in the cyclocross season

It's CX time again // Spin in the Bushy Park

Another Saturday means another spin and since I'm fully & completely got hooked on this whole cyclocross game there was no other option but hop on the bike and get some proper cross training session done. This time I've  targeted a fresh, new location: the Bushy Park. 

The place is just simply great: tons of cool singletracks everywhere, some looooong set of stairs and massive amount of grass. I have been in the park many times before but I got to explore it properly only this morning. It is definitely a perfect location for cross spins with possibility to do all sorts of cross specific training.  

And the best part is: it's only around the corner from my place! :)

Lovely autumn conditions: damp and sliddery trails covered with leaves. The BEST!!!

So, after a quick warm up I got to the park and started my spin that I was waiting for pretty much all week. Thankfully I managed to get rid of this man-flu that is going around for weeks now, so I finally felt great on the bike. Happy days! 

Enjoying the speed on this mild autumn morning

I picked a nice loop that included all the cross-worthy elements: muddy trails, field crossings, stairs and some tarmac sections as well. I think I managed to find the good balance and mix of all these elements during this loop, so I got a good few of them done.

On one of the many set of stairs

Another one of my favourite run-up sectors

Mud, mud, mud...lovely thing to have! :)

After today there's a definite answer: no turning back, CX is for me! I had such a great time on the bike this morning and because I felt healthy and "fast" the spin was even better. Bring on the Fixx Supercross Cup Round 3 next weekend, I can't wait!! :)

Shimano CX50 cyclocross brakes

When I got the CX bike it has been fitted with a set of Tektro brakes. They were fine except one problem I constantly had: they were way too wide and they hit my calf causing many-many uncomfartable moments. So, I've decided to change them for the Shimano CX50 cross specific brakes to get rid of this issue.

Shimano CX50 // nice & compact they are

 
They are very low-profile brakes indeed, you can tell that straight away when they are out of the box. The main design feature is that the low-profile design keeps the arms out of the way. Exactly what I'm looking for!!

The shape is also very optimal for mud clerance. The spring tension is adjustable and the 155 gramms/pair weight isn't bad either. The set includes straddle wire (which I replaced straight away to achieve easier adjustability), hardware, set of Shimano brake pads and directions, so there should be no problem whatsoever to get these beauties fitted on the bike in no time. :)

The view from the front: nice & narrow brakes with plenty of mud clerance

Now, the proper test spin is still ahead of me but after the first short ride I can tell nothing but good about them: I got more responsive brakes with a lot more braking power. They have a good bite I have to say! I can't wait to give them a proper go on the weekend to see what the real difference would be between them and my old set of brakes.

Cyclocross spin in the Phoenix Park

Finally I could get out on the bike after being sick for about a week and a half, so I wasted no time this morning: dug out all the winter gear (since there was only 4 degrees this morning) and I was on my way to the Phoenix Park to have some quality cyclocross time on the bike. I haven't been in the park for ages since it isn't exactly the most exciting place to go on the bike but I have to say: it is an absolute heaven for the cross bike indeed! 

The Magazine Fort - my first destination this morning

The place around the Magazine Fort is simply great: grass, turns and some steep, kicker climbs as well. I spent about 30 minutes there to get a couple of laps done around the building.

Good training terrain it is

Here is a panorama photo of the place (the lights are messed up a little...)

The park was simply great this morning: still very cold and wet but the sky was super bright and there wasn't a single cloud anywhere. Everything was super slippery so I definitelly had fun on the bike trying to keep it upright in the corners! :)

The trails around the Glen Pond lake are brilliant

My second destination was the Glen Pond lake near the Knockmaroon Gate. There is a  kilometer long loop around the lake that I reallay like so I did not miss the chance to ride around a few times. Also great thing to have that super long set of log stairs next to the river that I could use for some run-up practice at the end. 

Doing my run-up session...man, it is a long way to run like this! :)

After I finished what was planned for today I decided to head home. I have been out only for 1 hour and 35 minutes and got covered the distance of 31,5 km. Short spin but optimal for a cyclocross training session. I had great time on the bike this morning, I really missed to be out and it was nice to get the legs turning. I felt ok for a spin like this but I'm still not well enough for tomorrow's Fixx Supercross Cup Round 2... 

I hate to accept the fact but I need to skip this round. But I think I'm doing the right thing in order to get rid of this illness and be 100% in good health for the next one. Can't wait!

Refurbished Dura Ace (RD-7700) rear mech

After a little digging and some research I managed to pick up this second hand Shimano Dura Ace RD-7700 rear mech this afternoon. I was looking for something nice for the cyclocross bike and I think I can't get any better than this! 

The mech is in a very good condition, there's only some cosmetic damage on the side but mothing serious. So once I got my hands on this bad boy the work to bring it back to perfect working order has started. 

Needs a bit of cleaning

I took the two jockey wheels out and started to clean then properly, also got the bolts and the plate a good bit of a scrubbing because I needed to get rid of the dirt fully before I put them back together. 

Nice & clean now, ready to be put back together

When I was done with the jockey wheels and the plate also I got the tensioner spring cleaned and also lubed all the adjuster bolts before I fitted everything back to it's place.

After all the work was done the display on the scale shows some very friendly number :)

Now, since the general condition of this mech was next to perfect the work I had to put in was about 15 minutes and I ended up with a great and refreshed rear deraileur that is going to serve me well. It is ready for action, the last step is to fit it on the bike and test it out in the rough conditions after it's easy life on the road! :)