Riding the TorTour UltraCross Cyclocross Stage Race
Three days of mud, gravel, sub-zero temperatures, and flat-out racing. An invitation to ride the world's first ever cyclocross stage race, seemed like an opportunity that couldn't be missed...
Race Report: Stage 2 - 74km - 1,530m elevation
I pushed from the gun - trying to hold my own in the front group.
I didn't quite push hard enough though; before long, the five front-runners had got a gap, and I was left in the chasing pack. Nothing for it... solo bridge time.
It turned out to be a long bridge to cross. Almost an hour of sitting at threshold, trying desperately to regain the wheel of the last rider in the group ahead.
Eventually I made junction. Exhausted; I clung to the wheels. By now the two professional riders were long gone into the distance, and our small second group comprised of two Swiss junior riders (one the U23 National Champ), a super-strong German, and myself.
Up. Up. Up. Today was a day of hunting vertical. From vineyards, through forest, and then up above the snow-line.
Ice and boulders lurked beneath the thin layer of white dusting. I took caution, after the German rider wiped out in front of me. The two Swiss juniors were fearless though - long gone on the technical descent.
Fortunately, there was more climbing to come. A chance to regain some of the ground lost from my timid descending.
Chasing wheels, running up stairs, hurtling round corners, praying for grip.
The last twenty kilometres flew buy. Joined by two Frenchman racing in the team classification, we powered on down through the valley, on cycle track and single-track.
In the last 5 kilometres our small group splintered. The two Frenchman sprinting off, whilst I managed to draw out a small gap too. Legs burning, I eventually crossed the line.
I finished 4th on the stage, and moved up to 4th on General Classification as well.
What an incredible event. I need to race 'cross more often...
Solo bridge across to the lead group - it took a good hour at threshold
An hour at threshold, to make the junction
Stage 2 took us up... into the snow
Proper snow
Incredible scenery, to distract you from burning legs (Photo: APIX)
The finishing 20 kilometres took in some fast paced cycle paths and blue skies
What a race
Sun on the finishing straight
Final Rankings - Spot the Brit
Race Report: Stage 1 - 80km - 830m elevation
Endurance bike racing is a battle of attrition. You've got to know your limits; ride within those limits; and hope that your limits extend further and deeper than your competitors'.
It makes for a rollercoaster ride.
You might start at the back of the pack, and spend the first part of the race working your way up through slower riders. You'll find a small group of similar ability riders, and hopefully you'll work together - to make progress on the lead group. Then, as bodies tire, and will power fades, the group will get whittled down... leaving you sprinting against a small group of riders, whose limits are similar to yours.
That was how today's stage of TorTour CX panned out: There was no let-up from the word go, and before long I found myself in a good group. We worked together through open fields, forest roads, sharp inclines, and muddy single-track. By the time we reached the final 10 kilometres though, what was once a group of 15, was now a two-up time-trial.
The legs felt good, and the everything seemed to work well. I placed 5th on the stage, moving me up to 5th on Solo Male General Classification, too. Tomorrow, we head to the hills...
Kit choice for the first stage of TorTour Cyclocross
Working my way up through the field
Racing on the open flatlands (Photo: Apix)
Challenging riverside trails
Stairway to Hell (Photo: Apix)
Superb trail conditions (Photo: Apix)
A stunning day's racing (Photo: Apix)
The weather conditions proved favourable again, with the sun coming out in the afternoon
Refuel - after a chilly, but enjoyable day's racing
The sound of pedals clicking into cleats, and knobbly tyres buzzing on tarmac lasts only a handful of seconds.
Then you hit it. 'The Wall'.
Pebbles ping from beneath tyres; heart rates jump to high heaven; lungs are shocked into a frenzied gasping fit. The prologue of the TorTour UltraCross might only be 23 kilometres long, but each one of the 8 laps starts with a 25% leg burning kicker.
The first ascent of the climb instantly strings out the field; riders jostling for places, just as they are scrabbling for grip.
I start mid-pack, in the 200 strong field. By the top of the first climb, I can see the Elites riding off into the distance; but I've placed myself in the forward ranks of the following pack.
Lap after lap, 'The Wall' continues to cause havoc. There is little time on the top of the hill for your body and mind to recover, before you swoop down, and hit it all over again.
As we come round to lapping riders, the game intensifies. You try to hold wheels, as you weave in and out of other riders; it's like a conga line going in and out of moving bollards.
I have good laps and bad. The last two aren't so strong, and at one point I have to put my foot out on a loose section of gravel. Valuable metres and seconds lost.
Still, I cross the finish line after 49 minutes of racing; with a finishing position of 7th in the Solo Men's Category.
A decent start... but there's still a lot of racing to go.
Rider briefing - numbers ready
Ahead of the carnage
Calm before the storm
And it begins...
Flat-out racing
Prologue done. Beer in bottle cage. This is a proper cyclocross race.
Crazy light. Crazy compact. Crazy bright. The new Knog Plus bike lights are pretty revolutionary. I have been testing them out to see if the super minimalist design from the Australian brand can deal with the dark onslaught of British winter.
Knog have long pushed the boundaries in terms of how bicycle lights mount to your bike, and also how they perform. I have used their Blinder series of lights for a long time and continue to be impressed by their beautiful simplicity and high level of performance both in terms of battery life and brightness.
The new Knog Plus Light Set is a complete redevelopment of Knog's light design. I was worried that this might mean a loss of some of the great performance, but luckily that doesn't seem to be the case...
Let us start with the fitment system… Knog have created a clever all-in-one combination of a secure bag clip and a secure on-the-bike bracket. A small plastic bracket mounts to the seat post or handlebars using a simple rubber band, t…
"Food always tastes better when you eat outside... and when you add a physical activity like cycling, then it tastes even better..."
This is a superb video accompaniment to the great Velochef 'Outside is Free' book.
Even many high-end models come with hard rubber handlebar grips. One of the best upgrades you can make, in my opinion, is to switch these out to soft silicone foam grips like those made by USA brand ESI Grips.
Silicone foam MTB grips offer improved cushioning, comfort, and grip compared to harder compound grips. Just like tyres, the softer compound increases the contact area between your gloves and the bars, and therefore reduces pressure points. Of course, the softer nature also helps to provide more cushioning from vibrations, which further enhances your ability to hold and control the handlebars.
ESI Grips claim to be the ORIGINAL 100% silicone grip producer, and still make all of their products in the USA. Their range is extensive – with a variety of cushioning levels, and a variety of grip widths.
I have tested the ESI Racer's Edge, ESI Fit XC, and the ESI Fit CR Grips. My favourite of the three is the Fit CR, which is a mix of 'Chunky' deep cushioning and the '…
I have used the Norrøna fjørå Long Sleeve MTB Jersey for everything but mountain biking: as a casual long sleeve tee, as a base layer under a winter jacket, even under a gilet when gravel biking in the high Dolomites mountains (okay, that is probably mountain biking) – in all of these pursuits, it has excelled.
Norrøna is a Norwegian brand, who are know for their superb quality outdoor sports apparel. The Long Sleeve Thermo Mountain Bike Jersey is one of their ventures into the bike world, and it shows great promise.
The fjørå Powerwool jersey itself is nothing extraordinary in terms of features – in essence it is a loose fitting long sleeve t-shirt, without any pockets or zippers. The exceptional aspect of the jersey comes from the fabric, which is Polartec's award-winning Powerwool. This soft blend of merino wool and synthetics creates an insulating layer that is highly flexible and versatile in use, while also being superbly durable.
A gravel biking tyre is distinctly different from a mountain bike or a cyclocross tyre – it should be at least 40c in volume and have a tread pattern that is capable of handling both rock strewn trails as well as gravel and sand. The new Goodyear Connector Tubeless Tyres are a great example.
I fitted the Goodyear Connector Tyres to my 3T Exploro – set up tubeless on a set of Stan's NoTubes S1 Crest wheels. They were quick to mount up and felt robust and well made from first inspection.
The tread pattern on the Connectors is a fine 'micro-diamond' design, and not as aggressive as some gravel tyres that I have tested, such as the Vee Tire T-CX, or the WTB Nano. The clear virtue of this is that the tyres are notably faster rolling and better for asphalt and light gravel sections than many, though predictably it does mean traction is slightly lower on slippery and loose surfaces compared to more aggressively knobbly competition.
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