Hi, bit of a general one but a few questions regarding cross country racing. I’m doing round 1 or the southern xc series which will be 13 days from now. I did a few of the series last year, however i didnt do as well as i wanted to and have moved up an age cat…hence the questions.

Firstly, i was in the youth cat 15-16 yrs but now just in the junior (17-18 yrs)… is the standard a lot higher? I know its 3 laps now as apposed to 2 but does the pace drop a little?

Regarding training ive been doing more 25 mile-ish rides at a fast pace to try and ready myself for the jump in number of laps and ive also been doing a lot of short (8-10 mile) circuits locally which i try and recreate race pace on. Is this decent enough training? Can i do anything better?

Finally, this last week i intend to try cramming a load of hard rides in mixing up shorter and longer ones, then next week (week before the race) i plan to mostly rest with 2 – 3 short and steady rides… sound okay/ could i be doing anything bettter?

If any of the stuff ive been doing is crap please do let me know what i can do better as i’ve got 5 more races to prepare for! Also, any race day tips (i.e. nutrition/ stratagies etc…) would be more than helpful!

Thanks very much!

Cant really help on the training front as its pretty similar to what i did last year (presuming you did lots of longer miles over winter)

but one things for certain , at the sharp end of racing the pace does not drop even with the addition of 1 more lap , I have had 2 laps added to my race now with a catagory change and thats gonna be hard as hell at same pace….

Hiya i race the same cat and have been raceing for 2 or 3 years now, the pace is much higher and the honest truth is it wont carm off, short xc races like that is all about attacking constantly, every oppertunity you have step out of the saddle and really push.
as far as your trainning goes it sounds like your doing the right things, longer rides at a more steady pace are also a great idea and maybe introducing some gym sessions to build on core strength and musculer endurance can really help.
2 or 3 days before the race you really want to stop the trainning and focus on relaxation althought short rides where you just spin your legs can be good.
plenty of sleep the night before and make sure you have a good brekfast like porridge or something simular, plenty of fluids on the way down there and maybe even a bottle of torq with in the hour before the race.
but most of all enjoy it.
i wont be raceing that race as i have to do a triathelon 🙁
best of luck.

oh one thing to add…. mate of mines whos pretty sharp when it comes to riding a bike reckons its the night before the night before that counts for a good nights sleep…. not to say the night before isnt important but it seems 2 nights before is just as important … i used to work at the bar till 2am on a friday night then try and race on a sunday ….= piss poor performance … but i can work at the bar on a saturday night and race the next day no bother and put in just as good as if i hadnt been working so either its psychological or he tells the truth ….either way i stopped working at the bar 😀

You’re doing about the right things i think. Try to go for rides that are race distance + 10 or 15 mins all at race pace, this will mean you have plenty in the tank come the last lap. If you can find anyone faster than you to chase as well all the better.

Nutrition wise, lots of water and electrolytes before the race (day before and the morning before) to ensure you are fully hydrated and won’t get cramps. I bit of carbo loading from 2 days before helps as well to build up the energy reserves.

Hi ttf,

About 10 years ago I was in a similar position to yourself, moving from youth to junior. There is no easy way to say this, but it is likely to be a big jump (at least at the front of the pack). Some of the guys in juniors can be almost 19 years old, and if they are good enough would be elegiable to race in the elite category. Not everyone is that fast or serious but the strongest guys dictate the pace at the front and soon string things out. My experience of junior racing is that this category has some of the fastest lap times but a relatively short total race time (1 hr on average). I was ‘lucky’ (or not) to go from junior to elite straight away, the elite races seemed a little slower than the previous junior races – but way longer (5-6 laps vs. 3).

Advice wise, I am now doing an exercise physiology PhD and without actual ‘data’ it is very hard to prescribe training for you. However, if I were to put some suggestions verbally, the training you describe sounds pretty good. One thing I would add is a selection of ‘interval’ sessions.
1×1 mins, 1×4 mins, 3×2 mins, 5×5 mins and 10×5 mins – with the first number being the ‘on or fast’ stage, the latter being the ‘off or recovery’. The shorter the ‘on’ phase the harder you need to be working, the recovery bit is just spinning the legs. Aim to get up to 7-8 reps of each, when you can do the 8 then up the pace next time out.

With the races, ride at your own pace, don’t forget that you are on of the youngest in the field and oevr the next two years you will be one of the oldest, and likely much stronger than now. Don’t give up and do your best and most of all – ENJOY IT!

Best of luck!

Jon

To try to answer the first bit. I’d have thought pace will be pretty similar – and will keep it up for 3 laps.

Re training. I’d recommend that if you’re serious about it, find a coach / local club who could direct you better. Being blunt here – unless you’re ‘blessed’ as some are you might be limited what you achieve. Until you’ve done some proper evaluation, you won’t know that but again being blunt, at your youthful age if you’re going to be quick chances are you’ll be naturally quick at that age already. As the phrase goes, you can’t make a thoroughbred out of a donkey – but you can make a fast donkey.

You also need to be honest at what your limitations are. Do you get left for dead on the singletrack? In which case practice it. Do you do OK on the ST but left for dead on the hills – then you need to toughen up to be able to really hit hills hard – intervals and hill reps, etc. Stay with the pace OK but then just fade? More longer rides at or near race pace will help to build stamina but that comes with age too.

Failing that – buy a superlight carbon race bike and then blame it all on having an off day / wrong tyres 😀

p.s. If you are mega serious about racing, we have a whole host of kit in our labs at the University and we offer a relatively cheap consultancy service (plug) and could prescribe specific training sessions designed for you from test data. Of course it would depend upon where you are based and how far you are prepared to travel. I am in Aberystwyth.

my email is jrb07@aber.ac.uk – Jon

Bear in mind that Junior races have a HUGE range of ability – I knew a guy who won everything in Youth racing cos he’d matured early, once he hit the Junior ranks he got left for dead and very soon gave up racing altogether. As mentioned, there’ll be guys there who’ve been racing at that level for 2-3 years, know all the tricks and tactics and have the staying power to be well up there in Sport or even Expert.

As this is your first Junior race I’d use it solely for experience. The preparation you’re doing sounds perfectly reasonable but the only way to tell what race nutrition/strategy works for you is to experiment at the sharp end for a race or 2. Practice getting a gel or similar down you while still hammering away at race pace. Pre-ride the course so you know where the ‘easy’ bits are where you can ease up and eat/drink. Actually eat & drink! Sounds obvious but so many people don’t. Try your best but don’t be disappointed if you blow up or crash or finish mid-pack – it’s all valuable experience and one day you’ll be the one at the front dishing out the pain to the others!

Lastly, best of luck and remember to enjoy it. 🙂

You’ll be alright at the Southerns, there aren’t that many riders! Steve James will absolutely blow the field away, so don’t worry too much about him! Then there’ll be some big gaps.

You sound like you’ve got the right ideas, just ride as hard as you can and see how you get on!

I won the Southern XC series as a 1st year Junior without ever winning a race, turn up to them all and you’ll go ok!

Cheers for all the advice guys!
njeee20 – yep… steve james was in my last races and was fairly speedy! I’ve only raced twice and came 8th or something in my second (1st was a bonking mess) but im just really desperate to be good! Must sound stupid but i do want to be good more than anything…

Any other advice guys? Even just general tips in the races… my starts seem okay – i can be up in the top 3 for the first half a lap maybe but my problem is tapering off and just dropping back… Also i sort of “lead” our mini group in the middle of the pack out so i had to do all the hard work… I guess sitting behind someone for the 1st few laps is a good idea?

go out slower ….

lots of riders do this go out hard and blow up …

go at your own hard pace but try.

lot of the top placers dont come through till the last lap.

watching the expert cat at last SXC , oldham was off like a rocket (comparible to your steve james in junior i reckon) …then behind that for the next few laps were the young uns creber and gallacher….but it was all change in the last 2 laps where paul smith and James FM who never seemed bothered the young uns took off at pace and reeled them in with ease by the looks of it and none of them went at oldhams pace as they wouldnt have finished had they

We can all do podium for the first half lap but its he who finishes wins !

Any other advice guys?

Patience. Both now and during the race. 😉
I’ve won races before simply by pacing myself and gradually picking off riders as they blow. Juniors (especially in road races) have a reputation for chasing down anything and everything then dying with 5 miles to go.
With an attitude and commitment like yours I’m sure that in a year or so you will be winning and placing regularly but it’s very rare for a rider to be able to come in and win right from the off – don’t get disheartened, watch and learn from your competitors, use the experience you’ll gain. It’s worth hanging round after your event to watch the Elite and Expert riders too.

It’s also worth acting professionally. Don’t go off on one if you’ve had a bad day, these things tend to put off prospective sponsors who may be watching! You never know: showing up regularly, doing well and being committed/polite/chatting to the right people and you could find yourself with a shop deal.

“Don’t go off on one if you’ve had a bad day, these things tend to put off prospective sponsors who may be watching! “

Going off on one just makes you look like a cockend anyway! ….if i have a bad day i have a laugh about it. Aint the end of the world for me …different if id put my life savings into it …but id have to be pretty stupid to do that anyway at my level !

some good advice already! I moved up a few years ago and what i found was the first year was just getting used to the longer distance and higher standard of racing.Then in your second and third year as a junior its your time to be at the front of the race.

With regards to training if you can ride with a faster/ stronger rider this will push you a bit harder and make training a bit more fun. if your not in a club or team try and join one.

Most of all enjoy it, A lot of youth and juniors loose intrest when cars,drinking and Girls come along.

good luck