Hi all,
Thinking of entering my first race, and looking for advice!
I’m not amazingly fit, but I ride regularly and am quite competitive. Should I take part in a ‘Fun ride’ category first just to get experience? Or can I go straight into one of the normal categories? Obviously would prefer that latter, but not if I’m going to look like a complete numpty!

I’m in the South East, so looking at the Winter Series races in Thetford, or the Brass Monkeys Winter Enduros or similar.
And any advice on stuff to take on top of my normal riding gear? Anything that’s invaluable at races? And anything I should know in general about taking part in races?

All help greatly appreciated!
Chris

Fun, it’ll be full of trophy hunters who should be in higher cat anyway, so be prepared to have your legs ripped off.

I would always advise Fun first – if you are that good you will get to win a race ! Always a good start.

Take it steady – don’t end up walking because you went too fast on the early laps. Pick a race that starts early in the day if possible before the course gets too churned up.

DO IT! What’s the worst that’ll happen?! You’ll come DFL (you won’t) dust yourself off again and be more determined the next time!

I entered in Open for my first race this year in the southern XC series. IT HURT – but apparently it’s supposed to.

I’m not what you’d call fast but could hold my own in my group of riding buddies and came 18th out of 60 ish.

I’d just enter and then you’ll get an idea what standard you’re at.

Sport seemed like and different league altogether though.

Go for fun and see how you go.

A long time since I raced but I always went for the sport category because it was a decent length, fun was often only one lap.

As said above the fun category was always full of trophy hunters so the pace at the front wasn’t much different to sport.

Go for whatever the modern equivalent of sport is, hope you like pain!

Enter fun to begin with. If you destroy the field you can always move up for the next round.

Take 2 sets of riding gear + enough stuff keep warm hanging around before and after the race.

If you are comfortable with bottles, use them. Don’t cary more than you need to. My race tool kit is a tube, gas, small multitool with a chain tool, tyre levers, powerlink.

As per Ac282’s comment.

Also, turn up early so you can do a lap of the course and have a look at it (day before if it’ll be marked out)
Take a set of dry and a set wet tyres, not just whatever happens to be on at the time (see that a lot in fun!), they’ll make a huge difference.
If doing fun or open they probably won’t grid you so get to the start line 20 mins before too so you can start at the front. Teef above mentioned pacing for the duration, but you’ll have to do the first 1/2 mile balls out to get ahead of everyone before it gets narrow, then back off a bit and do what he said.

Get a little ping-bell that you can use to alert riders in front, let them know you want to pass.

It’s polite, and it utterly destroys their morale when you come breezing past all cheery like you’re out for a Sunday afternoon pootle. Rack and panniers for extra soul destruction.

I can recommend the Thetford Winter Series races. I wouldn’t bother entering the fun category – just get stuck in. It’s a friendly enough affair and from the sound of it you won’t be out of your depth.

I have done them for a few years and always come fairly far down the pack, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless. I keep telling myself I am gonna get way fitter for ‘next year’ but never find the time.

Advice I’d give would be:

– Don’t change anything. If you use bottles, use them. If you use a camelbak, then use it.
– Make sure your bike works properly so you aren’t cursing that binding rotor or sloppy rear shifting, but equallly don’t over-fettle and balls something up.
– If you take your seatpost out to get your bike in the car, make sure you get it to the right height before you start the race – ahem…..
– Don’t overdress. You’ll probably be cold before the race starts, but once it’s going and you’ve got 2hrs of flat-out riding to do you’ll soon heat up. If you are bringing someone to cheer you on, then all the better. Wear a coat & chuck it at them just before the start.
– If people wanna pass, let them. The usual convention is for them to shout “on your right” or “on your left”, meaning they will come past on that side. Sometimes they will shout a direction to you that will end up with you in a tree, so I sometimes shout back they can come past on X/Y side. But, if there really is no room to pass just keep going until there is. Quite often you’ll end up with idiots who sit behind you on a fireroad and then scream at you to let them pass as soon as you dive into some twiddly singletrack. These are normally mid-pack wannabes. The really quick guys will be past before you know it!
– pace yourself. Better to finish with a flourish, picking riders off, than keeping up with the lead pack and coming to a juddering halt after 20 mins only to limp round for the remaning race time!

The main thing is to have fun & don’t take it too seriously.

Both the Thetford Winter Series and the Brass Monkeys events are enduros rather than XC races, so there aren’t the same categories. You choose your distance and it’s all comers.

There’ll be some very fast people in each category, and some not so fast people. Because of the big fields they’re a good introduction, more anonymity, and more people just having a go, XC racing can be a bit serious, the courses are often easier too, there won’t be anything to catch you out. You’ll be able to compare yourself to everyone else too to see how you’d fair in XC racing.

No matter how hard it feels, get over the line its the best medicine for tired legs there is.
Dont do what I did Sunday. That is have a hissy fit for being put at the back, then tear past half the field only to retire wrecked. Still regretting it now.

cheat 🙂

makes things much more enjoyable

Ive seen cheaterists at enduros and 12/24s. It staggers me that blokes can stick out their chests proud in the fact theyve done well by cheating.

If you can make it the Soggy Bottom Series is a good friendly event.

My race routine is turn up about a hour a half prior to the race, get bike set up register mosey about do a easy lap of the course. Drink a can of Coke, then spin up and down a near by road till 15min to the start. Get to the start, look around at your competition, feel some butterflies flutter check your bike over. Do some poxy talk like ooh I’m soo ill atm not done any training etc. “Race will start in 1min”, butterflies, click one foot in, pretend you know what your doing by breathing out slowly and then quickly… “30seconds”… darn I need a loo…. “15seconds”… whilstblown PEDAL PEDAL PEDAL….

First lap darn that’s a lap!?
Second Lap I hate this!
Third lap.. next time I see that line it’ll all be over!
Finish lap… THAT WAS AMAZING when’s the next one!

Well that’s how it happens to me anyway! Best feeling in the world is that last 15seconds prior to the whistle! shaking just typing this now! (might be the coffee mind!)

Cheating….. I have always regarded people who are blatant trophy hunters in the fun class as cheats. If you are new to the race thing and find you are really fast that’s one thing but the number of people who are very quick indeed and enter fun cos they can win without trying too hard is beyond belief. Sad gits.:(

Wow awesome, thanks for the advice everyone! Seems about a 50/50 split on the category, but I’ve got a much better idea of what to expect.

🙄 shouldnt have joked about cheating.

if you do want to cheat may i suggest using a bungee hook like a lassoo.. throw it forward, hook it onto the bike in front, they pull you along until they brake, the momentum throws you forward and overtake them, repeat on the next bike in front of you until the race is finished.

Yeah thats perfectly fine.

I have calmed down now 🙂

Cheats grrrr………..

Enjoy the event.
Start off slower than you think at a pace you are comfortable with
Eat reguarly
Say “left” or “right” when you pass me.

If you can eat during an XC race you’re not trying hard enough! Even in a 2 hour enduro they’re usually pretty quick, in the higher categories XC races are over 2 hours, so you usually get people riding them flat out.

I’ve done a couple of events now, Ten Under the Ben and the Ae Enduro.

But Sunday was my first proper XC race (The Hairy Coo in Crief) I was surprised how hard it was, I was nowhere near the front, enjoyable though in an eye opening must get fitter kind of way.

Gorrick race series is always a good one too. Same people / area broadly as the Brass Monkeys. Next one is Nov 14th, i think.