Riding Through Deep Sand
One of my favorite tasks when racing Cyclocross is riding through deep sand. It is a huge test to keep the speed up and navigate the soft, power sucking sand when these beach like sections appear on course. The skill and technique of the great sand riders is amazing to witness. Riders churning the pedals moving chain and wheels simultaneously, which then throws sand up into the air like a rotor-tiller machine, all mixed in with balance and steadiness on the bike. One wrong move and you get off line causing the path of the bike to drift. If you do lose the momentum so necessary to keep the speed up to navigate the challenge you will be forced to dismount and lose precious time. Nor-Cal has some incredibly talented sand riders, and Veronika Lenzi captured some great action from the sand pit section at Coyote Point. Here is a link to Veronika's great photos- http://www.veronikalenzi.com/. And here are a few of my favorites from her collection....Entering a sand section with as much speed as possible helps keep momentum when the going gets deep.....
Just getting a little off balance in sand can cause problems.....
When entering deep sand sections it is pivotal to keep the front wheel light to the ground and not let it dig into the sand- or you could get ejected over the handle bars as your front wheel digs in too deep.....
Here a Roaring Mouse rider shows perfect form and balance when entering the deep sand section. Notice the rider has his weight back in the saddle, legs keeping the pedals turning, and wheels aligned perfectly to cut through the thick beach like sand....
Here you can see the bike lined up just right for drilling it through sand. And the rear wheel kicking up sand as the rider keeps the pedals turning.....
Cal Giant Inc's Steve Reaney gets a little off line but has the power and strength to pull the bike back into a groove and keep the wheels moving through the thick stuff.....
Notice the front wheel raised above sand level to keep resistance down. And the rear wheel digging in deep, and turning over to keep the force of the bike moving forward.....
Third Pillar's Steve Woo is a sand riding specialist......
Sometimes you can only go so far in the deep stuff. so if you remain balanced and keep under control a high speed dismount to keep speed up is still a option......
Keeping relaxed and letting the bike flow with out fighting the steering is one of the keys to riding the sand......
posted by Dusty Downs at 10:16 PM
13 Comments:
Very good stuff Dusty. I really think hitting the sand sections at speed is super hard, but when you pull it off right it feels so sweet!
Alex
The best obstacles in cyclocross are ones that force riders to choose- stay on the bike and pedal or get off and run?
The sand at coyote point was really good; just barely ridable. It was ridable early on, but when a lot of footprints developed it was clearly faster to run. Changing ruts can affect the ridability too; deep sand is fairly easy to ride when a good rut has developed.
Making these kind of decisions on the fly is a big part of why 'cross is so tough!
Another great post Dusty. Your ability to keep us excited about cross is unmatched!
Coyote point got harder later in the day because one spectator was not happy just heckling choice riders, but he continually "modified" the sand distribution.... Great to have spectators involved and all, but.... really?
Watching riders try and ride the Coyote Pt. sand was interesting because for the most part it seemed like people were using a lot of energy and losing time trying to ride that section.
I agree that spectators should not be re packing sand sections, or messing up the lines in the sand that have been created by racers. Where were the USA Cycling officials for that or the UCI Officials. There should be a official monitoring these actions at each evet, or 2 officials!! This kind of stuff should not be aloud in cyclocross racing, it is not in the "spirit of cyclocross". Just the same as all boards should be UCI standard height and placed at exact UCI distance between the boards. This is not about fun racing, this is about UCI standards and protocol, and USA Cycling rules and regulations and dont you ever forget that!
You are right about Steve Woo being a pure breed sand rider!
That guy is one of the very best sand shredders in Nor-Cal.
He was one of the few riders who could make it through the seand section each lap with out having to get off his bike. It was incredible to watch.
Yeh. Who wants to spoil the fun of this spectator! If he wants to mound sand up at the entry (this was on video and observed by others) so riders are more likely to go over the bars so be it! Heck get spectators involved in all racing! Put big rocks in the trail at mtb races, throw beer on the slope of velodromes, pour oil in the turns of crits. and put tacks before downhills in road races!
FYI to those complaining about keeping the sand mixed. At some Belgie races, they've used a roto-tiller on each lap keeping the sand pit churned and fresh...and the spectators at Coyote Point were only doing it before the start of the B's....and they've used the tiller at several East coast races including Whitmore and Beacon cross.
In belgium they roto till the sand pit DURING the race? I'm calling bullshit on that one, I've never heard of such a thing and I can't imagine how that would even work. Tilling the sand between the categories I've experienced, but nobody's running garden tools while the race is going on.
Murphy messing with the sand had very little or no effect on the outcome of the race, but it was lame none the less. It strikes me as similar to the mindset of people who spill beer on the banks of the track, etc. as mentioned by another poster and although it was harmless, it's simply poor form even for a drunken heckler.
Their tort laws are very different in Belgium....so running gardening equipment on the course is perfectly reasonable...as long as it doesn't effect Sven or Neils race.
Tort Laws. Exactly. That is what I am saying. emliminating the lines in the sand perfectly acceptable. Mounding the sand in key places with mal intent is not cool. Doing this on video so it could be used against you later in a tort case = not intelligent.
****** SAND ROCKS, Dusty on sand = fun reading ******
I was there and the best guy thru the sand was Steve Woo. For Sure! you are right about that Dusty D.
WOW I don't know if I can do that. So much sand.. my face is written all over .. jeje :)
xoxo,
Tenerife Cycling
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