Thursday 6 November 2008

Top Ten Reasons (that I won’t accept) For Not Doing The Broukevale Cyclocross Race

10. I don’t know when it is.
Information Here

Now you do!

9. I don’t know where it is.
Information Here

Now you do!

8. There wasn’t a category for me.
The are 2 or 3 races, each subdivided into groups by ability and bike type (i.e., Citizen, Cat B and Cat A). Hopefully you will fit into one of these ;)

7. I don’t have a Cyclo-cross bike.
Don’t worry if you are not one of the 5 or 6 people that actually have a cyclocross bike. Use a road, mountain, BMX, courier style bike, or a Sears Supercycle. Just remove the ba-ends and aero bars.

6. I don’t know how to do cyclo-cross.
This is Winnipeg. No one knows how to do cyclocross. Everyone looks ridiculous. Come join the fun.

5. The weather will suck.
Yes it will. Last year it snow sooooo hard that.... This race will run rain/snow or shine. Bonus point for snow, then it might actually seem like a cyclocross race. Belgian knee warmer are optional however ;)

4. I don’t have a license.
Good news friend! You don't need one!!!

3. It will ruin my off-season training base.
Yeah whatever! If you are really that concerned about getting those miles in, ride to the race, race, and ride back. No one is in race shape now anyway. Come out and suffer with your friends.

2. It will be too expensive.
It is less then the cost of a medium pizza, and better for you. You probably spent more in extra cell phone minutes this weekend already! Gas rebate for out of towners!

1. The Barriers are too high.
Don’t worry we trimmed them. Someone suggested we cut them down to where the blood stains were. They are now a much more hopable height of 12” ;)


What is Cyclo-cross

Cyclo-Cross takes place during fall and winter, a time of year when most cyclists have decided to hang up the bike for a while. But the "off-season" is actually a time for cyclists to add and improve skills, power, bike handling and technical awareness, while maintaining cardiovascular fitness - and cyclo-cross is a great way to do all these things. Cyclo-cross requires you to ride hard on skinny tires in less-than-ideal conditions, making split-second decisions on which gear to push and whether to ride or run; every little mistake costs you energy. Imagine how much more efficient an athlete you'll be on mud-free roads or comfy fat tires once you've mastered the intricacies of cyclo-cross.

* Cardiovascular fitness. A cyclo-cross race takes anywhere from a half your to one hour, depending on your category. You'll probably hit your anaerobic threshold within 10 minutes after you start; you'll also go anaerobic many times, requiring you to back off and recover. Just think of the fitness you'll carry over into your road or mountain-bike season.

* Strength. When you're trying to ride across a soggy meadow, you are fighting more rolling resistance than you could ever dreamed was possible. When you ride or run that short, steep hill that seems to get longer every lap, you are exerting repeated efforts of strength. Think how easy that next criterium with the slight sprinter's hill will be.

THE IMPORTANT STUFF

Even this bike will do!




Bottom Line:

“Argue for your weaknesses and they will truly be yours”

Coach Dave

3 comments:

  1. Another great post, coach.

    I have one reason not to do the Broukevale CX race.

    Crashed hard in training and have bruised/cracked left ribs.

    A stick mysteriously flew up to between my front tire and fork while in a turn, stopping me dead.

    If I'm up to it by Sunday I will race.

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  2. Sorry that you were hurt. That sucks, especially so close to the very very end of the official race season. They could always use volunteers if you are too banged up to race. On the other hand you could just suck it up and race anyway.

    All the best Tim. Get better soon so you can kick my butt!

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  3. Hey Dave, awesome post!

    I just caught up today with checking the blogs after being away from town a lot recently. It was great to see the large turn out at our Bourkevale race yesterday ... your post here must have helped cement a few folks moxie and metal!

    Thanks for the impromtu ecorting of some of the kids riding the snowy course ... future racers need a little nudge here and there.

    Oh yah ... well done in the race dude!!

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