CX Race Aftermath and Initial Planning
After my last cyclocross race (18th May) I decided that I should make some sort of effort to practice prior to the next race. I wasn't necessary unhappy with how the race went, but I wasn't exactly happy with it either. I figured putting in some extra effort to improve my skills wouldn't go astray, and if I manage to improve my fitness in the process then other styles of racing might benefit too.With that in mind I had spent a few weeks checking out potential CX loops close to Linear Park. The idea being that I (and Miss V!) could get in some practice on the way home from work. Handy!
Also in the back of our minds was the thought that we hadn't gone mountain biking for a long time. A few loose plans to go and check out the nearby Cobbler Creek trails had been floated, but never really got off the ground.
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| Cobblers Creek Trail Network |
Saturday - 31st May 2014
Saturday arrived and we were both still looking forward to heading out to the trails, despite the light, but constant, rain during the day. We bundled our bikes into the back of the car and off we went, heading for the unknown. The car park was fairly empty when we arrived, which isn't a bad thing, since there was hope that we'd have some of the trails to ourselves to explore. We had a basic plan of attack, with a couple of trails targeted to try out first. Of course, as soon as we got there the plan went right out the window. Not that the trails we chose were bad, just different to what we planned to do first up!We had a bit of bash at the beginner trail (KAFNARFA circuit - yellow trace on the map) before heading out to the link tunnel and trying the Ruins Loop (light purple trace on the map). We got a little side tracked and found ourselves on the Valley circuit which we hadn't intended to do (possibly heading in the wrong direction since we seemed to be travelling uphill on a rock garden). After that small detour we rejoined the Ruins Loop and then headed back to the car. On the whole, we were pretty impressed with the park, with each trail very well signposted so we knew which way we should be heading at any time. This is something that I've had some trouble with at other MTB trails.
So what about the CX bike? What I was found was that despite a few pre-ride misgivings, the CX bike handled this terrain fantastically well. I was a little cautious over some of the exposed rocks so as not to pinch flat but for the rest of it the bike took in its stride. Maybe the only issue I had was that the light rain had made the trail surface a bit tacky leading to the tyre treads getting clogged up with mud. Despite this, I never really felt that I was running out of grip. Very impressed!
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| Course Elevation Map - Saturday |
Sunday - 1st June 2014
Sunday had been pencilled in to be a ride around the Linear park CX loop that I had worked out. Probably five loops as hard as I can, or until I pass out, similar to what I had done the previous weekend. Almost looks and sounds like training, doesn't it? Shhh.. tell no one.Plans change though and we convinced Miss V's CycloSportif team mate Brett (aka Nutella Bob) to come out with us. Having really enjoyed yesterdays riding at Cobbler Creek, Miss V convinced me that we should head back there. In reality she didn't have to try too hard to talk me into it since it was a lot of fun. I chose to take the CX bike again, since it seemed to be fairly capable of taking on the trails based on the experience yesterday.
We arrived before Brett, so we did a few laps of the KAFNARFA circuit, before taking off to explore a trail that we intended to ride yesterday (Babbler Loop - green line on the map).
Almost immediately I wasn't having so much fun. A long and rocky ascent just didn't suit me and my CX bike which had me wishing that I had brought my trusty mountain bike with its nice plush ride. After the rocky part though there was some fairly nice trails which zigzagged their way through the trees. These trails were still fairly slippery from recent rains so I had to be careful not to overdo it on some of the corners as the tyres were slipping and sliding all over the place! Getting to the top, and we get a call from Brett saying that he'd arrived. Awesome! We took off down the remainder of the loop to catch up with him. This part too was fairly enjoyable with some nice fast sections, linked up with fast sweeping bends. Once again though, I felt had to be semi cautious to pick my lines carefully to avoid any pinch flats. In contrast to the trails we rode yesterday, this one seemed less well signposted. Fortunately we had a trail map to help us out.
We bumped into Brett at the top end of the KAFNARFA circuit. With time running out until the park officially closed at sunset we decided that we'd take Brett to do the Ruins Loop so we could show him the awesome downhill run at the end. I think we all took a short cut or two along the fire tracks to make up a bit of time as we climbed to the ruins.
All that remained was a long, fast and (mostly) downhill run to the car. Having ridden this section a few times I know what to expect now, so the confidence is getting better and as a results I felt like I could push it just a little bit harder into corners. One final run on the bermed sweeping corners of the KAFNARFA circuit and I waiting for the arrival of Miss V and Brett.
All in all, a really fun weekend trying out these new (to us) trails. Hopefully we can get out there a few more times, and maybe drag a few more friends out with us.
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| Course Elevation Map - Sunday |
A couple of strava links for those interested in such things:
Saturday
Sunday
