Just a quick report. Third place for Lupine, mid-pack for John B. and Patty (Dr Catfish was actually 4th in First Timers Men, one step from the podium. Dr Cramer was 5th in First Timers Women. The race was stacked with many serious racers with sculpted legs, so both John and Patty did really well.), and a 5th for me on Saturday and 2nd on Sunday. Both days I was racing the same guy (His name was Dave Saurman, a very good rider from Wilson, WY.), on his wheel in the barriers and turns, getting gapped on the straights. I need more power to be a real cross racer. Do they sell that stuff?
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| Dr. Cramer is a serious cyclocross racer with complete focus on the race. |
Hey Rob,
ReplyDeletePatty just sent a link to the blog. Good stuff! You were in a very familiar position this weekend, chasing that Fitzgeraldian CX racer around. Meanwhile, I was decorating the dirt and gravel around one particularly hairy corner for most of the race it seemed. He and I have been chasing one another for years. I'll check back - curious what wheel/tire combination you would recommend for someone considering their first Cross rig?
Hamilton! Thanks for the kind words. Patty forwarded the email you sent her. Plain and simple, Dave Saurman is just a stronger rider than I am. No excuses, but if he rides as much as you say he does, he should be strong. I'll try again next time.
ReplyDeleteI was looking at the results. You were right behind Kory, my bud who owns Joyride Bikes here in Loganistan. He is a good rider, so you get a solid slap on the back too.
Tires? If you are going to do this cross thing, get a tubular wheelset and a pair of Tufo or other good tubular tires. You can run them at low pressure (30 to 35 psi is what I like, but others run even lower) and slam all the turns.
Cyclocross Magazine did a great review of tubular wheelsets in Issue 8. Some are quite inexpensive. You can get the issue online at their site.
You may also consider tubeless. At Moosecross, I was running Hutchinson Tubless Ready tires with a tubless Alex 900 somthin' wheel set at about 45 psi. The set up does not work all that great. At pressures below 40, they burp pretty easily. Even at higher pressures, if you hit a big rock they can burp. But, it's better than clinchers and tubes.