Hi,

I am considering getting into XC racing and am wondering if anyone else on here does it at novice/beginner level? How did you get into it and where do you find out about events?

I have completed this year’s Scott Mountain Marathon series and took part in the last 2 Bonty Twentyfour12 mixed team events and i’ve really enjoyed them, so i’m looking for something to try next.

I’ll be moving to Trowbridge in a couple of weeks so will be South-West based.

I am aware that this could be a mid-life crisis/reason to buy a new bike/optimism over talent moment!

Cheers in advance.

Chris

british cycling website, xcracer.com, http://www.southernxc.net etc… all good points to look for events.

just go and do it! They hurt, the pace can be mind bogglingly fast, but there will be someone with similar abilities to you to race against.

pretty much what CP said, they’re the best sites for keeping up with events and just crack on, turn up, have a go, you’ll soon work out where you fit in the pack and start recognising some faces and who your ‘targets’ are for the next round 😉

Just go and get stuck, depending on your fitness/endurance enter the fun or open categories and see how you go. Make sure you give yourself time to pre ride the course so that your comfortable with it and then crack on. The speed of some of the fast riders will blow you away but don’t be put off by them, it’s just something to aim at.

Depending which direction you want to travel in I guess either the Southern XC series to you East or I think there is still a South Western Series the other way, their course have a great reputation.

Well worth doing. I got back into it again last year after not cycling for years and its been great fun. Everyone is super friendly normally (even the crazy fast people).

No need to buy a whole new bike (unless you’re desperate), I’m racing on a trail bike, albeit a xc-ified one. Its addictive though. Be aware you might start ‘training,’ and wondering if it is reasonable to spend muchosh cash on saving a few grams!!

edit. kind of getting to the end of the xc season unless you travel up for things like the gorrick autumn classics. It is getting towards cyclocross time though – that’s my aim for the winter and definately a way to buy a new bike!

Little else to add. Soggy Bottoms are south west based, good events. It’s great fun, have a go. Even if you’re the slowest there’s no shame, someone has to be!

Just do it, and don’t be intimidated by lycra clad intense looking people (ahem). As above, enter a race and you’ll find out how fit you are / want to be.

Its fun, even when you end after 90 mins at near max HR looking like death, honest… 😀

Here’s a clip from Sundays Mud Sweat and Gears race in Essex, thats me at 3:33 approx (red kit white helmet) performing an overtake, see hoe much fun I’m having?

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuCpyMEQQy4[/video]

njee20 – Member

Little else to add. Soggy Bottoms are south west based, good events. It’s great fun, have a go. Even if you’re the slowest there’s no shame, someone has to be!

I’d forgotton about them, might give one a crack this winter

Its actually great being slowest to start with, when you reach the dizzy heights of second slowest it feels like you’ve podiumed!! 😆

just go and do it! They hurt, the pace can be mind bogglingly fast, but there will be someone with similar abilities to you to race against.

This is the fun part^^
If you do a series, or races in the same area, you soon start to recognize ‘your group’.
It won’t matter if they are at the front,back or middle of the pack .They will be the ones that you look out for at the events ,whether it’s catching them or staying in front.

Oh ,and they will be watching out for you 🙂

That looked like a good course.

First race we entered we packed lunch, and stopped half way around the first lap, 3 laps of a 3.5 mile course… No idea what we were doing.

By the second year we progressed to not getting overtaken (leaders did 3 laps to our 2 laps) and slowly dragged our way up to the top half of the finishers.

Good fun and really improved our riding fitness.

Soggy Bottoms are south west based, good events

These are indeed good fun, they will destroy your drivetrain, make a mockery of your tyres, perma-brown every item of clothing you own, force grit into cracks where grit should not be forced and leave you a hollowed out shell of a human being, but you’ll be grinning the whole time! 😀

They will be the ones that you look out for at the events ,whether it’s catching them or staying in front.

Oh ,and they will be watching out for you

So true! I got a wink and a comment Sunday , because I’d changed my helmet to a white one after damaging the old blue one a few weeks ago between MSG rounds.

That looked like a good course.

Yes, the MSG guys provided an excellent course. Although with 81m elevation over 1:40 of riding it was very flat, therefore meaning much pedaling!

Depending on how fit you think you are and how much you want to do it and continue doing it I’d enter the correct age related class rather than Fun/Novice. Yes you’ll get your ass handed to you on a plate but it’ll be for a proper race distance rather than a lap or 2.
Be it Sport/Master/Vet etc.

If you want a gentler introduction go for Novice/Fun but there will be some pot hunters racing so the front will still be pretty fast.

Really useful responses, cheers guys.

I have a CX bike that i’m using for commuter duties, i can look to put the knobblies back on and give that a crack over winter.

I had saved up to buy a Gryphon as a commuter but Sam has run out, hence looking at a new bike (http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m1b65s155p5411/CANNONDALE-F29-5-(FLASH-ALLOY)-2014). I have a 26″ Soul with Hans Dampfs, 1 x 10 and a reverb that i would like to keep as my “fun” bike, but it was a slog at this year’s Bonty and ran out of gears at the Wantage ride a couple of weekes ago.

I am just convincing myself to go N+1…….

Just put some faster rolling more XC biased rubber on the soul or get some spare wheels, it won’t hold you back to begin with (if at all).

that ‘dale is niiiiice. really nice for the money 🙂

At an entry level – and as prep for next ‘season’ – come and ride a few cyclocross races.

The experience is the same but it isn’t as long, its cheaper and you’ll be able to race pretty much every weekend from the start of September all the way through till Christmas. That way you’ll know if you like the intensity and you’ll be able to race your MTB too.

Next XC season will be so much more familiar after that.

This is a good place to start, turn up and pay £10 on a Friday night – might be a bit away from you however.
http://fnssmtb.com/

Come and ride the last Southern XC of the season at Checkendon near Reading.

http://www.southernxc.net/round-6.html

It is a flattish venue, lots of woodland single-track style trails, nothing to technically difficult.

For a newbie just enter the Open Category race. This is the more ‘fun’ orientated race and good for a first taster.

During the Autumn/Winter ride some Western Cyclo-Cross races. You can do them on a MTB. They will be great for fitness and race experience.

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/?series_id=46

First one is Bradford-on-Avon on Sept 7th, you can ride there from Trowbridge 🙂

Sean

As above just do it, I got into XC racing a few years back after 20 years of being a roadie, first race 5th from last, worked out what I needed to do and a few years on I’m happy to mix it with the fast guys. I found the whole scene real friendly and have met some great people who are now good friends away from the sport.

seanbolton – Member

Come and ride the last Southern XC of the season at Checkendon near Reading.

http://www.southernxc.net/round-6.html

‘Last’ as in not continuing next year?

‘Last’ as in not continuing next year?

Thankfully no 🙂

Just went on their Facebook page and read the post from the 2 July. Looks like the series won’t be on next year.

It’s just that some of the organisers have decided to give up but others are stepping. The series should run well for 2016. Do you think there is enough course with good parking down your place to run a round again, 2014 was great put a lot of parking issues.

Drop me a line at adam(dot)buckland@hotmail(dot)co(dot)uk if you fancy have a chat about it

Sorry for the hijack – as you were chaps.

It’s just that some of the organisers have decided to give up but others are stepping. The series should run well for 2016.

That’s good news.

Do you think there is enough course with good parking down your place to run a round again, 2014 was great put a lot of parking issues.

Parking is the issue for our enduro’s too. The main park would be better for an XC race but it would be hard to get a race in there because of other users. I will ping you an email.

Have a look at Westbury Wheelers, although predominately a road club they have a very keen/succesful vet racing the southern xc series among other mtb stuff. Sure he’d welcome you along! Also, a bit more local to Wiltshire – Offcamber series in Inside Park (no dates for this winter yet though) and there has also been a ‘fun’ hr long race around a track in Stourhead over the winter months on a Sunday morning organised by Gillingham Wheelers – will be on their web when dates sorted.
Also very local to Trow’ is this years (delayed) Erlestoke12 on Sept 19th, which I think I’ll be at.
(also from Trowbridge)

Hi Chris, here at Gorrick we’ve been welcoming new riders into racing for more years than we’d like to remember. Our very well attended, friendly events are based up the M4 from you in Berks, Hants & Surrey and we pride ourselves on great courses and organisation. Have a look at what we do http://www.gorrick.com