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Single Speed Cyclocross National Championships

ProRaceMechanic

Maximum Pace
Dec 31, 2009
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Recently I attended Japans Single Speed Cyclocross National Championships.
Out of the 65 competitors I placed 8th. It was a great day for racing. A little chilly but I feel this is good for me because I work outside everyday early in the morning and cold weather is a part of my life. I could see from the start many people were overdressed. Leggings, long hat, vest, jacket all completely unnecessary when racing cyclocross unless it is snowing. You go so hard and the race is over so fast that as long as you set off with a proper warm up your own radiating body heat will keep you warm. I started in the second row of 10 people. I lucked out as I was warming up until the last possible moment and I entered the group of people from the front. Probably didn't make any friends doing that, but I didn't mind. Cross racing is all about the first corner. If you get held back here you will never see the podium. I was lucky to be near the front and made it through here pretty well. As for the rest of the riders, there race was over from the start. The course was very fast with one mud section, a fly over with 10 stairs and one set of barriers. Each lap took 6 minutes and we races for 45 minutes. After the first corner I held my place and only moved up. I was very happy about this. It is always a blow to the ego when someone passes you. It affects your pace and mindset. In the last 2 laps I started lapping people and getting stuck behind them. It's hard not to get frustrated but I bit my tongue and tried to announce my presence by shouting hidari, migi or sumimassen. All seemed as equally UN affective and passing anywhere possible with the most affective line is what worked best. Next year I will go balls out from the gun because this is where I lost. I have done this and blew up before finishing. However, at that time my physical conditioning was not the greatest. So the answer is to winning cyclocross is being fit and going all out! Duh!
I rode my Ridley Crossbow aluminum frame bike with 32-17 gearing with 50mm Cole carbon tubular wheels with a Vitoria cx mud tire in the rear and a Tufo Flexus Primus in the front providing traction and stability. Easton carbon bars, Campy carbon crank and record levers with internals removed really brought down the weight along with the Thomson post and stem and Fizik saddle and TRP Euro X magnesium brakes. The bike was spot on!
Thanks for reading
ProRaceMechanic
 
Tire pressure was 40 in the rear and 35 in the front, I was just flying past people in the corners and I used Continentals carbon Specific glue, great product much harder to work with but an extremly strong bond. This was confirmed upon tire removal!
 
Congrats.
How to enter National Championships as a gaijin?
Wounder, is Cyclecross with a single speed is fun, guess you have to run even more.
 
Cool pics Chuck and congrats on the result. Where was the race and was this a one off or a series?
 
This race was held in Nobeyama. It is actually the only single speed cyclocross race all year in Japan so it is also the National Championships and the reason why it harvested one of the largest fields of the race (65). There were so many awesome single speed cross bikes. Alot of artesian steel, Ti an even quite a few carbon bikes too. I really was not expecting that. My guess would be that the first Japanese National across the line would be crowned National Champion. Thats what they do for the US National road championships. They let anyone with the teams invited race, but its first American across the line that wins.
 
Thats what they do for the US National road championships. They let anyone with the teams invited race, but its first American across the line that wins.

Interesting, don't know how it is today for road, but 18 years ago (for Juniors/U19) you needed to qualify through a series of regional championships for the national (each state top 20 go to north/south championships, from there the top 30 go to the national).
 
Duuuude! I bet you were one of the few out there actually riding cross pressures! I'm big fan of the old skool 'gutta' too - it's hard to get a good bond - but when you do ! Wow ! Super strong and great road/tire connect.

My fav bike for this type event woulda had to been my trusty Alain, aka, the wet noodle, but alas ,,,, it's not here!

Glad to hear you were stripped down (and I hoped properly em-bro-cated). Whats with riders here wearing more layers than an OL at Starbucks in the winter anyway?

If your lips are red and you can feel your fingers - you're wearing too much.
If you're not hungry - you ate too much. Don't worry, the 'fans' will feed you plenty.

If your shins aren't bleeding - then you didn't slam any hazards - which means - there were no hazards - which means, it wasn't really cross!

Tire pressure was 40 in the rear and 35 in the front, I was just flying past people in the corners and I used Continentals carbon Specific glue, great product much harder to work with but an extremly strong bond. This was confirmed upon tire removal!
 
I used Sports Balm Hot first thing when I arrived and right before warm up. My legs were on fire and I also used Vics Vaporub under my nose and on my chest to clear the nasal passage. I call the scent "fully prepared"
 
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