Mudsters of the Universe is a Brisbane based blog aimed
at raising Cyclocross interest in South East Queensland

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Exact Radiology QLD State Cyclocross Championships 2013

With Cyclocross participation growing and more racing this year than ever, Queenslanders are starting to get some skills, just not the skills to feel comfortable in the mud. We normally train and race in perfect sunny weather, not considered good enough for Cyclocross. This year the conditions at Jim Finimore Park were more than good enough for Cyclocross. With perfect weather two days before the race I put on file treads, on Sunday I took them off for mud tyres. The call rang loud 'THIS IS CYCLOCROSS!'

Course setup was fast and the crew had an opportunity to get in a few laps and discuss the usual, tyre pressures, racing lines and tactics. Plan A disappeared quickly under a layer of mud, and during the race my lines changed every lap. I've never had to think so much about how I was going to stay upright.

Photo taken by Mike 'Dogtank'

Even though I had a hand in the design of the course, it has been my favorite course to ride on. Open wet grass that sucked leg strength, long concrete path for speed, creek crossing followed by the technical, muddy, off-camber craziness kept the riders on their toes. Hepatitis creek was 'clean' this year but it caught out many who elected to ride the concrete section only to end up with a pinch flat, some multiple times.

ESI Sports Photography

The kids race was fun to watch as always and I am continually impressed at how brave they are on the sketchy sections and how they solider on towards the end of their race, even when they look completely done. In the Open division the mountain bikes had all the advantage through the technical sections thanks to their wide tyres. Mens B and the Womens A/B was a combined start and as usual had the biggest field with plenty of banter before the start.

ESI Sports Photography

The A grade men were led down to the start line by a bag piper, shielding their joy with race faces. The race for the QLD State Championships was plagued with broken rear derailleurs and more flats from the creek. The hill section of the course was now 100% mud with no clean lines remaining anywhere. At the top of the hill coming back to the club house, a one man hand-up team worked hard to lighten the mood with a few cans of XXXX. Eventually the race faces dissolved and the A graders started having fun - next year we will have to work on the commissaires.

ESI Sports Photography

A big thanks, as always, to Scott Kirton and the many hands from the Ipswich Cycling Club. For me, and I'm sure other QLD Cyclocross volunteers, it is always nice to be able to attend one race a year where we can stand on the sideline and cheer, free from official duties.

All the results for the grades can be found at the CQ website.

More photos from the day can be found at the ESI Sports Photography site, Dogtanks Photobucket or by searching #qldcx on Instagram.