After the cyclo-cross practice session on Monday evening, the group asked me to send them an email with the key “tips and tricks” for each thing we practiced. I thought this information might be of use to you as well….

So, here are my tips and tricks to think about and focus on when working on cyclo-cross skills. Hopefully these will be useful to you. If you have some of your own tips and tricks – lets read them – post up in the comments so others can learn from you.

Dismounts:
– think hip – turn your hip – this will help your left foot unclip easily and provide momentum when picking up the bike
– big step – take a big step with your right foot – this will propel you forward and get your feet moving quickly
– stay relaxed – take whatever speed you feel comfortable with into the barrier or obstacle

Mounts:
– sneak a peak – look for that pedal – take a quick glance down to find out where the right pedal is
– drive the leg down – really think about getting that right foot to the pedal as fast and as powerfully as possible
– spring don’t jump – use your left leg as spring to get you up and onto your saddle – but don’t jump – this will cause you to miss the saddle or worse!

Turns:
– move around – move your body around on your saddle – squish yourself forward to the nose of the saddle and push your bum back – find what works for you
– look ahead – always anticipate what is coming around the corner – eyes up looking around the bend – the bike follows the eyes
– stay loose – keep your hands loose – your shoulders relaxed – remember to breathe – and smile!

It is official, it is full on cyclo-cross time in these parts. We don’t have any races here in Ottawa yet, but it seems that everyone has got cyclo-cross on the brain. So, it is time. Cyclo-cross time!

Had a great training session with the fast boys last night. The four of us hit up my favorite training grounds for some hot laps, some even hotter laps, some skill work in the sand, and then some super hot laps. It was a great time. We all practiced a few key techniques. Marc helped me out with my remount – I’m not sprinting into my remount which is causing me to loose momentum (uber-critical when facing a steep/sharp uphill). Then it was full-on attack and recover mode – each of the guys would take turns attacking while I held on for dear life. I can tell you I’ve never gone so fast on my ‘cross bike or had so much fun! To cool down we worked on the dismounts and mounts. Great night of riding, good conversation, some laughs, some stories – all in all a great way to spend a Wednesday evening.

Marc and I closed off the night with a stop at the Heart and Crown for young Luc’s going away party. It was a long day, but definitely worth it. Can’t beat an evening of riding the ‘cross bike, some good food and then hanging out with some cool people.

Today I held my first cyclo-cross practice session. Well, I had a blast. It was so much fun to start my day with some cyclo-cross skill work. Andrew and Kim came out and we had an action packed 90 minutes. Warmed up with some follow the leader which resulted in some time spent working on sand riding. Then it was time to get down to basics when we worked on our dismounts and mounts. Andrew and Kim asked some excellent questions about these crucial cyclo-cross techniques. To round out the session, I showed them how I set up my flags to practice turning, bike control, and flow. The time flew by – I think we all could have stayed out all morning just riding, practicing, asking questions, and having fun. Thanks Andrew and Kim for coming out and making the first session a success.

I will be holding another cyclo-cross practice session next week on Thursday morning. If you’re interested or want to find out more about the sessions, drop me an email.

As for the rest of the training day? Well since I just had two big double days in a row, today is all about recovery. I’m going to hop out on my road bike for an easy spin to loosen up my legs. Let me tell you I was feeling the full on ache last night while trying to keep up to the fast boys!

I’m so stoked for the cyclo-cross season to start. There is nothing quite like the feeling of the body coming around and of everything just clicking. Fitness is really good. Bikes are awesome. My brain is screwed on straight and is in a perfectly confident place. Now I just want to race! See you at Trexlertown!

(If you’re looking for some racing this Sunday – check out the Ride with Rendall Team Time Trial. This is an awesome event. The riding is fast and hard and the event is well-organized with everyone still smiling by the end of the day.)