Rapha Super Cross - Broughton Hall

Pic: Ed Rollason

The Rapha Super Cross series has been in many ways a game changer for UK cyclocross. My first introduction to ‘cross was in the fields outside a windswept farm near Macclesfield in the 90s and the course, facilities and atmosphere were consequently somewhat agricultural. To be fair, my next race was held in some slightly more salubrious Northern parkland but the concept of small, facility-lite, muddy races around non-descript bits of grassland and watched under (usually) leaden winter skies by a faithful band of willing and more likely, un-willing spouses and kids was pretty much what you got in standard League ‘cross. They call ‘cross ‘Veldrijden’ in Flanders – field riding’ – and this is where most UK ‘cross seemed stuck (even at National Level where it wasn’t much more exciting either).

Except in Belgium and Holland it’s different despite the field riding origins. Frenzied crowds of 20,000 are common at big races especially over Christmas, beer tents are everywhere along with ubiquitous frites vans and there’s a pumping euro-techno soundtrack much of the time. ‘Cross is big business there. And so, with a nod to the Euro scene, some of the elements for the Super Cross series were born, adapted subtlely for the slightly less rabid UK ‘cross fan.

This year’s Northern Super Cross weekend was hosted at stately home Broughton Hall, nr Skipton and the following day, within sight of the Velodrome in Manchester. A series finale is next weekend in Alexandra Palace, London. On offer this year was racing for regular weekend warriors, followed by the UK’s finest riders slogging it out in teams for the Eilte race, the usual beer/frites combo, a Spiral of Doom, bands of various description, and a foam wall over the course and the ever-popular tequila shortcut for the fun race. And lots of atmosphere with plenty of spectators coming simply to watch and not participate.

I opted to ride the Broughton Hall round on the Saturday (heading to spectate at the Manchester round on the Sunday) and my front row gridding for the Vets race ensured that maximum effort would be required at the start on the rolling but tough course in the grounds of the Hall. What it lacked in technicality it made up for in off-camber, greasy corners. Low tyre pressures would be critical to avoid being dumped on the outside reaches of many of the bends. Seeking out alternative lines became important later in the race as the course cut up and muddied significantly – it’s always good to remember to look for how the course evolves over your race, especially if you are one of the early races on the day. A quick bike change toward the end and I rolled over the line in a reasonable 16^th. Normally a swig of water suffices at this point, but this being Super Cross it was a treat to have a large glass of Belgian beer thrust into my hand, obtained from the beer tent we had just been racing through.

Not all ‘cross races are like Super Cross and nor should they be. Grassroots ‘cross is still about volunteers putting on great races in local venues, on a shoestring budget. But for a couple of weekends a year, a little taste of Belgian ‘cross really does the trick.

Planet X Pro Carbon XLS - team bikes 2013

I'm fortunate to be riding two new Planet X bikes this season, both Pro Carbon XLS disc bikes.

I rode the sample XLS last season and found it superb for flat-out racing - click here for my initial review. This year's builds are Ultegra based with some dedicated Shimano 'cross equipment in the form of top-pull front mechs and 'cross specific chainsets.

The frame at the heart of my XLS is a full carbon monocoque, hand-laid up to optimise strength and stiffness in the areas that count. It has a tapered headtube, wider at the bottom than the top, that makes a big difference to the handling in bumpy or technical sections, allowing you to ‘point and steer’ much more than with a conventional ‘straight’ headtubed bike, which can allow you to be knocked off line more easily.

The bottom bracket area is beefed up with extra carbon and also in size, and you can really feel this stiffness when putting pressure on the pedals and in technical riding. Whilst coloured paint finishes look great, the glossy black 12k weave finish on the XLS helps hide the inevitable scratches and scrapes that a season of muddy cross races brings. One of my favourite aspects to the XLS frame is its top tube. Flat on the top and bottom, it makes for really easy grabbing and very comfortable shouldering during the running sections of a race. Additionally, the cables are internally routed through the top tube – less maintenance as they are protected better from water and grit and contribute to less scratching of the frame in that area.

 As with many new generation ‘cross frames, the XLS has disc mounts to allow full disc braking throughout. The debate on whether discs are better than cantilever brakes for ‘cross still rages. Certainly they are more powerful, but do you need the power? Some say yes, some no, citing a little extra weight for disc systems as a negative. For me the debate is less about the braking power, weight, or feel, but about two main advantages over cantis. Disc brakes mean no rim braking, and in ‘cross where rim and brakepad are covered in a fine coating of grit or mud on a constant basis, this means no rim wear. Which means your nice (expensive) wheels don’t get trashed every time there is a muddy race and don’t need replacing so frequently – a big advantage to the cost conscious ‘crosser. Furthermore, discs give clean lines around the fork and seatstays where on other traditional bikes, the cantilevers are sited that cause a big build up of mud and vegetation. In certain conditions, I have ridden disc bikes that kept working for longer than their cantilever rivals due to the reduction in build up of clag in those places. For someone with one bike only, or a lack of willing pit crew, a disc bike can be crucial in getting to the end of the race without grinding to a muddy halt. Whilst there are newer and pricier part- or full-hydraulic systems on the market, the mechanical Avid BB7 brakes make for super easy maintenance, predictable modulation and if used with harder sintered pads, great wear even in the worst of conditions. For 1 hour ‘crosses, I personally don’t feel the need for anything more complicated.

With crisp white graphics against the laquered carbon weave of the tubing, my 'crossjunkie' edition bikes should look fairly smart. For a lap or two, at least.