CX Practices

ArmyOfNone

Well-Known Member
*not mtb but not roadie*

The Rutgers Cycling Team will be running cyclocross practices Wednesdays at 6pm on the Rutgers Livingston Campus. The cost will be $30 to attend the practices so they can cover insurance costs and permits to use the facilities. The link will soon be posted on bikereg. Ill try to update when its up.

I had a great convo w/ ChrisG earlier and really am stoked about racing this season. Im planning on having a CX rig very very soon. Dunno who else is interested but I thought yall would like to know.
 

keithsly

New Member
Do you know any other details about this Cross practice ?? I've never ridden cross and a bunch of my Teammates try to talk me into riding cross.... Of course I would need to change my Country Bob over from a fixed gear to a Cross Bike....:getsome:
 

TonyC

Active Member
aon,
what do their practices entail? how to unclip, jump hurdle, and clip back in?
T
 
D

DANSPANK

Guest
I ain't a clever man, what's the pull to this style of riding?
 
D

DANSPANK

Guest
Yeah, and I'm genuinely interested in what is the attraction to CX. I'm not trying to justify a new bike purchase, just interested in the major differences from mtb and road riding. Are the courses different from croos country mtb courses or something? Can you ride more quickly on a CX bike? Do they handle better?
 

TonyC

Active Member
I would like to know, also.

I can say I love my CX bike mainly because I'm basically riding flat dirt/paved paths. I most def. wouldn't want to be going down tricky singletrack because the brakes are squirley.
 

ryderX

Well-Known Member
The intensity level it's way higher than a road race or mtb race. Your going from zero to max hr and back in very short distances. Your riding a bike with rather narrow tires on dirt, grass, pavement, gravel and the other riders fingers, feet and backs. Usually a pretty short loop for "x" amount of time plus an additional lap or 2. It entails running sections, bike barriers, usually seperated a bit closer than a bike length, which means fast dismounting and remounting, hills, and some unrideable sections that need to be run. All in all a very intense 45-80 minutes of racing, using a wider variety of bike handling skills and muscle groups that you never knew you had. I've only watched and never had the gumption to abuse my aged body with such tom foolery. Everyone I've ever talked about it claims the first race is a pretty sobering experience, though highly addictive. Team Bulldog is involve with a CX series at the Augusta fairgrounds every fall, and I'm sure the schedule will be posted shortly. The other cool thing is that the races are normally early on weekend mornings and are over within a few hours.
http://teambulldog.com/
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Man I need to go watch one of these things. Sounds totally insane. Do people drink before the races? During? After?
 

ryderX

Well-Known Member
If they don't want to cramp and DNF. Hydration is an integral part of proper race preparation. Didn't we already have this discussion ?
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Oh several times. I just seem to remember someone bringing up beer and these events. They may have been talking about the spectators.
 

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
Friends of mine have been racing CX since that late 90's, but I'd never bothered to check it out, mainly because it was happening in the midst of soccer tournament time.

Since I stepped away from coaching the allure has gotten stronger, and right now I'm really getting jacked for CX to start. I've begun riding my CX bike on the local singletrack, and last night Chuck E. and I put in 2 hours of blasting around Allaire on the skinny tires. Railing berms down in the drops is more fun than grownups should be allowed to have.:D

I'll be hoping to hit most of the NJ series races, and perhaps an out of state event or two if life allows.
 

walter

Fourth Party
So another question, besides riding a CX on a specific CX race course, if you are out and about at say Allaire or where ever, do you ride the cross bike as you would your regular mtb?
 

anrothar

entirely thrilled
could i ride one of my 29ers in one of these races? if i put cx tires on it? or would i need to run drop bars?
 

ryderX

Well-Known Member
As far as I know you can ride a MT bike in a CX race. I know I've seen it up in Augusta.
 
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