Thanks to Sheri Jay we have a report on the cyclo-cross clinic she attended this past weekend in Ottawa. Thanks Sheri for the clinic report!

I enjoyed a weekend cross clinic under the instruction of Greg Reain and have to say I learned a lot. So much so that I hope he does a refresher course in a few weeks as I am worried I may forget some of it. Every one who attended was a newbie to ‘cross other than myself and one other person who had started last year.

The Friday night session was a classroom setting where Ian Fraser and Greg Reain went over equipment, training methodology and a bit of strategy. I learned my first big nugget of information here which in itself made the whole weekend worthwhile. Greg indicated you should pre-ride the course and break it up into segments where you can go hard and then rest a bit. Last year I always pre-rode but thought the reason was to warm up. I would then go as hard as I could until I blew up so this little piece of info is a gem.

Saturday and Sunday was hands on and I relearned to dismount the right way as well as sand riding, shouldering the bike, off camber riding, barriers etc. The shouldering of the bike was hard to master but in the end I got it. The sand riding was a blast. Greg told us to steer with our upper bodies which none of us did until we watched him demonstrate again once there were lots of ruts and you could see how he very obviously leaned to one side to steer the bike. We finished off the weekend by riding up the crazy steep hill at Mooney’s Bay which was my suggestion and once I was half way up I wondered why I would request something like that. All in all I would say the clinic was a success and Greg was an excellent teacher.

This week Glen Rendall’s Wednesday night clinic begins which I will be attending in hopes of learning as much as possible and thus being as smooth as possible for this ‘cross season.

Here is the latest scoop on the latest Ottawa ‘Cross action….

Ride with Rendall will be hosting some ‘cross events that you don’t want to miss out on:

– FREE cyclo-cross clinics Wednesdays until the clocks change (then the times and locations might change) starting September 10th at Britannia Beach at 5.30. For more details check out the Ride with Rendall web site.

– cyclo-cross “immersion” clinic September 19-22 . This will be a 4 day clinic (schedule to be announced) for those wanting to get some extra instructions. Fees for RWR members will be $60, non-RWR members will be $75, Under-17 riders are free. To register, please email Glen.

I’d say these are some events not to be missed. I’ll be out at the ‘cross clinics on Wednesday night for sure. Unfortunately I have a wedding and can’t make it to the ‘cross clinic. But I’m pretty sure that you’re free that weekend. It should be noted that Glen is a very experienced ‘cross racer and did spend some time in Switzerland last year learning from of the leaders in cyclo-cross coaching.

I’ll see you out there next Wednesday. And it would be great if someone would write a report about the ‘cross clinic – we’ll post it up here on the site.

Thanks to Ride with Rendall for organizing these events. Grass roots is where its at.

Dudes, I just had one of the best training sessions of the season. Hit up Mooney’s Bay with Marc and Steve. Our solid training group. We played follow the leader and I managed to actually follow! I did get gapped in the sand but, at least I managed to ride the entire sand section. Cool.

After our “warm-up” the guys set up the grid on the side of a hill. The idea was to practice turning on the camber while maintaining speed and control. Smooth. I think I can safely speak for everyone when I say that we all made some decent progress. I learned a few more things. Tested my limits again.

Also realized (a little late) that my tire pressure was a tad low… But I still managed to turn at speed with the slushy front tire. Cool.

I tell you there is nothing better than seeing and feeling the progress. Leaves me with a glowing feeling.

Heading down to Northfield, Mass. for the Cycle-Smart Cyclo-Cross camp tomorrow. Looks like a good group of people this year. Some solid instructors. Good location. I’m happy to be going. Smooth weekend of drills, skills, learning, new people, and old friends. Plus an overnight stop in Burlington on the way home. I think Moe’s might be on the menu for Sunday night…

The time is now to get the bike out and start doing some riding. The first races of the season will be here before you know it. It seems that people are getting out on their ‘cross rigs earlier and earlier each year. Tied to this is the incredible growth in cyclo-cross.

Grassroots is where it is. Every national champion has to start somewhere.

Just read this article by Josh Horowitz over on Pez.

These little pearls apply on and off the bike. Worth a read. Worth bookmarking.

Just came across this “old” post on Laaste Ronde:Up To Speed. A very useful post about a way to incorporate fun and practicality into a training session.

It is easy to run through drills at less than race pace. Hitting tight turns and getting a perfect remount aren’t worth much if your lungs aren’t burning when you’re doing it. I know, I know – to really learn a skill one has to break it down and start slowly. Yes, I agree and do this religiously. But there comes a time when you have to amp up the pace and find out how you’re really handling the skill. For some skills, the speed actually makes them easier for others, chaos ensues…

Just a little something to think about on this Tuesday morning.

Got out for a good session yesterday. More fun in the sand box. This time we worked on turning in the sand. It is so counter-intuitive to everything I know. Speed is not necessarily your friend when turning in sand – particularly deep grooved sand. Took a little bit but I eventually got it. Gearing is so important as well – if the legs don’t turn, the bike isn’t moving. Did manage to yank my right foot out of the pedal and jam the top of my knee into my stem. Ouch! Ah well, if this is the worst of it this year then I’m laughing. Closed off the training session with more mounting drills – did this on a steapish face of a hill. The idea is to discover where in the mounting you’re losing speed and potentially stalling out. Excellent drill. This one I’ve incorporated into my series of warm-up drills.

Plan is to get out on the ‘cross bike today as well. Have a VO2max session to do first and then we’ll see tonight about the ‘cross bike. Worst case I’ll be out there tomorrow morning. Besides, I gotta say – my knee is a little bit tender.

Well, have a good one. Remember it all comes down to fundamentals.