Feel like doing something a bit more competitive than just club rides and wondering what steps you need to take to start doing some trails centre / cross country type riding competitively? Where can I find information regarding races?

I’ve only been properly riding since october but I feel like I’ve progressed enough not to completely embarrass my self now 🙂
Hopefully someone knows!

http://www.xcracer.com/

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*cough http://www.brownbacksracing.co.uk/ *cough 8)

where are you based. gorrick races (southern) are a great way to get into it.

enter fun – do a lap – get a feel for the race & hang around later to see the fast guys go off.

Where do you live? the Friday Night Summer Series in the East Midlands would be a good place to start

The Evans Ride It series could be a good place to begin – no mass start, timed, well organised – technically not a race mind. The CRC marathon series has some shorter options – great atmosphere. These offer a more relaxed introduction than Regional XC series which can be a little daunting – even the ‘Sports’ class is fiercely contested.

British Cycling also have a events calendar on their web page.

Yes, where you are is the key thing! There’s plenty of races locally, and it’s very inclusive, it’s just about finding something near you!

Cheers! well I live in loughborough in the midlands most of the time, hopefully there’ll be something nearby, the friday night summer series sounds like it could be nice and close.

Will I be outclassed by other peoples super lightweight carbon bikes, or should I be fine with a 12kg steely steed?

Will I be outclassed by other peoples super lightweight carbon bikes, or should I be fine with a 12kg steely steed?

You’ll be fine, there’s a bit of everything.

There’s the Midlands XC series as well the Friday night series. If you’re South Midlands then you’re potentially not that far from the Gorrick/Southern XC races either.

Will I be outclassed by other peoples super lightweight carbon bikes, or should I be fine with a 12kg steely steed?

it’ll be fine. the fastest guys will have ‘race’ bikes but in the othe cats you’ll see bikes that would be more aligned to a DH race than an XC race.

majority of the people will be, like you, just bike riders in it for a good ride.

Midlands XC series and Friday night series look fairly close from the few races I googled, gorricks a bit far but there looks plenty to choose from to give me a taste, cheers!

majority of the people will be, like you, just bike riders in it for a good ride.

That’s all the fast guys are too, they just tailor their kit to it a bit more!

I’ve seen a bloke in the NPS XC on a 6″ FSer with piss-pot lid and full body armour. Needless to say he wasn’t worrying the leaders….

I’ve seen a bloke in the NPS XC on a 6″ FSer with piss-pot lid and full body armour. Needless to say he wasn’t worrying the leaders….

Really? All I saw were people about half the weight of me riding bikes worth twice as much as my car…Well, I say ‘saw’, what I mean is ‘watched them disappear into the distance as I fumbled clipping in’….

run what you brung will be fine

it will hurt

it’s addictive

it will hurt

it’s addictive

never a truer word spoken 😉

Really? All I saw were people about half the weight of me riding bikes worth twice as much as my car…Well, I say ‘saw’, what I mean is ‘watched them disappear into the distance as I fumbled clipping in’….

Margam Park 2007 (I think)…

It was prob in Masters as I’d have finished by then, so would be watching the Masters / Vets race.

Not doubting you – just wishing I was in that race!

i think it is something i am really keen on too,sounds a lovely idea.

There was a bloke at Sherwood racing on Saturday in full body armour. I can almost understand it at Margam!

All of the above true, just go along and do a few laps in a Fun category, never experienced anything but positive welcome from organisers of the Eastern/Thetford races……people genuinly glad to see you there.

However. Has anyone ever entered a XC race and not been shocked and sickened at how fast people set off? My cherry was Drumlanrig in about 2006, lots of proper Scottish hard men tearing the place up.

I started when I was 13, and came 3rd in my first race, I was pleasantly surprised!

Oh hark at her!

I started at 23, I did one race and didn’t finish DFL (2 DNS’s and several DNF’s behind me, I just did more laps than those DNF’s :P), then decided to retire on a high and got fat like Eddy Merx.

then decided to retire on a high and got fat like Eddy Merx.

That had me properly laughing….

If you fancy driving, there’s RD2 of the British Mountain Bike Series at Dalby this weekend, sat has fun races with Elites etc on Sunday.

Linky

Has anyone ever entered a XC race and not been shocked and sickened at how fast people set off?

Still shocked me in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th race i entered…

Need a licence for all the Sunday races and no EOL at Dalby