I have for a while felt like giving XC racing a go - albeit in the novice category 😉
I'm thinking about some of the Thetford races throughout the year.
Now here, for me, is the quandary......
My general fitness is okay (could always be better) but I am more suited to the rugby field shall we say ...... 6' 3'' circa 95kg ( I played a lot of rugby up until uni 😳
Having been to watch a couple of races/events and after observing the hardcore racers up there at weekends I realise a lot of the riders seem to be .... well .... skinny buggers 😆 I am not fat but even after cutting some weight I reckon I would still be 90kg+
This is turning out to be a case of needing to [url= http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=MTFU ]MTFU[/url] I know but .....
I would be planning to race what brung (sic) i.e. my cotic soul circa 28lbs ... again would this be a problem? )
Why would it be a problem per se?
just have a go on whatever bike you have, enjoy it. after one event you'll know where you stand and whether you want to take steps to improve.
give it a ago - I by no means fast and i beat lots of people at gorricks.
any decent bike is acceptable (i've seen coil sprung hecklers go round)
You'll be fine. Particularly around Thetford where there's no hills, courses like that don't favour the light guys.
You probably won't win, but you won't be last either. If you want to win you need to ride (a hell of a lot) more, you'll likely lose weight as a by-product of that.
Skinny whippets will murder you on climbs, luckily Thetford has none, so its all about raw power. Improve your power to weight ratio with some interval training, then go race.
If you like it and want to get into it properly, [u]then[/u] put the cotic on a diet or buy another 'race' bike.
Nothing you mention will be a problem 'having a go' in the novice category.
Well, if you can cycle fast enough at least you can barge people out the way. 😛
IMO I wouldn't bother trying to get a light bike until/unless you are pretty lean yourself.
Cheers for the comments folks.
Really want to give it a go.
Poppa - Do like the idea or barging 😉
cynic-al - I'm guessing folk will be turning up on their lighter alloy/carbon steeds 😆
Recommended kit is a Guantanamo style orange jump suit, and a white full face helmet.
Just go for it.
My riding buddy and I have competed in most things over the last 5 years, from short 1 hour stuff through to all day-ers (especially at our pace).
Before that I hadn't ridden a bike for 20 odd years.
You won't win, and it'll be hard work - but it will help build your fitness and stamina up plus give you a baseline to see how well you are doing. We started off at taking at least twice the length of time as the race/distance winner on short stuff, now we are down to one-and-a-half times on all-day Enduros.
But I'd suggest that finding yourself a like-minded pal will really help you.
And yes, a lot of riders are bantam-weights on light-weight XC bikes - so what.
Think I'm in a similar position - wanting to give it a go and have a laugh in the process. So it's a choice of either my 32lb 5" trail bike or my fully rigid canal commuter - I'd be amazed if I pass anyone but what a kick I'd get if I did 🙂
Having never met an uncompetive rugby player 🙂
The competion of a race adds a whole new element to riding your bike.
Just do it ... You'll love it
Only just getting into racing myself (only my 5th race this week) and think it is excellent fun.
Recommended kit is a Guantanamo style orange jump suit, and a white full face helmet.
Haha, yes!
XC racing isn't as intimidating as people imagine. There's a vast amount of banter that goes on at all levels, if anyone comments on what you're riding they're a knob and aren't worth the time of day.
Most (all?) of the Thetford races are even more relaxed, with fewer categories, particularly the time-based winter series. Just go along and ride. You will probably beat some people on £4000 carbon bikes, it's quite possible there'll be someone on a £300 Hardrock ahead of you! If you get into it you can start making your bike more racey.
Right then...... need a riding buddy in the Suffolk/Norfolk area 😆
Please form an orderly Q 😉
Ro5ey - MemberHaving never met an uncompetive rugby player
I think that is part of my problem - I won't usually give it a shot unless I know I can do it!
Not to be taken out of context I don't mean always win ... well in this case anyway! 😈
Apart from picking a guy you dont like the look of to race against(simply based on the top he is wearing or the bike he is riding), there'll always be one. You have to race against that most unforgiving of competitors.... yourself
Get out there as soon as.
Have a look at the Mud Sweat and Gears series of races they are in your area (well they were... the next couple are in Essex)
I'm planning on being there... you'll probably not like the look of me... "came and have a go if you think you're ard enough"
🙂
I would just ride on whatever bike you are used too. Have fun and go in with the attitude that you want to improve etc.
You dont have to be skinny to win (does help though) and the bike is only secondary once you get to a certain level.
I started off on an old alu spesh, but have progressed onto a fairly light carbon rig now. I would imo just go for broke though, no point just riding round the course, pitch yourself against some others and see if you can have a race with them. if you cant then just alter your strategy to another racer. The best races are when you have a good battle with someone!!
I gave XC racing a whirl this year to help focus on training and getting fitter. (done 5 races now)
You do fairly quickly realise where in the pecking order you need to start even in the novice categories. First few I started right at the back only to get really hacked off with not being able to get past people in the singletrack sections. Last short course race I started in the second row of the fun category and finished 8th (pretty much where I started) and was a really good challenging ride as the guys around me were about the same level.
The other thing I realised is set your bike up for straight line fire road speed. I was much quicker than alot of the guys I was racing against in the singletrack but there was no easy way to get past them and then on the fireroads they just put the hammer down and I still couldn't get past them!!! Very frustrating!
Go for it.
I reckon they should do away with all this age category nonsense in bike racing and have weight divisions like boxing anyway.
If you want a personal challenge, take a look at my post near the bottom of this page.
http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/hit-the-north-under-threat/page/4
Don't know what racings like at Thetford, but if you're worried about being embarassed then don't because after a while unless you're a front runner no one knows where they are on the course.
I reckon I'm just about an MOT pass in the engine stakes but the bodywork is holding me back a bit. I managed about mid pack in the 2hr 40+ at the Army Enduro this past sunday, riding my Trek FuelEx. So you'll be fine.
I beat my mate by 5 mins but just failed by 19s to catch the bloke in front. If only I hadn't fallen off and rolled in the brambles for quite so long.......
I was 8 seconds off lapping you Jon, damn 😉
Just ride as hard as you possibly can, it's quite likely that you'll either find yourself with another rider, or yo-yoing with them, they'll be quicker on the fireroads, you'll be quicker in the singletrack or whatever.
Just enjoy it, then go back and try and get nearer the front.
I reckon they should do away with all this age category nonsense in bike racing and have weight divisions like boxing anyway.
Your post on the other thread suggests your serious about that, seems a bit daft really! Perhaps not at 98kg, but it's a dangerous assumption that lighter is faster! I know a lot of guys who can destroy me who weigh more, I know several lighter ones too!
So you [u]failed[/u] to lap me then?
TBH, that says far more about your racing prowess than mine..... Take it as you want 😉
I failed to lap you ergo I'm a failure? Seems reasonable 🙂
[i]The other thing I realised is set your bike up for straight line fire road speed. I was much quicker than alot of the guys I was racing against in the singletrack but there was no easy way to get past them and then on the fireroads they just put the hammer down and I still couldn't get past them!!! Very frustrating! [/i]
Disagree tbh, I went down the XC bike cul-de-sac after a while and have now ended up racing a 140mm HT. They might catch/pass on the fireroads and hills, but no way are they getting past on the downs 😆
The other thing I realised is set your bike up for straight line fire road speed.
As b r said I'm not so sure about that. People get away from you on fireroads because they're fitter/stronger/able to push themselves harder, that's where fitness comes into it.
no way are they getting past on the downs
So your the mince monger who always gets in the way, elbows out and wobbling all over the trail 😉
There's [b]always [/b]a way past those people! 😉
I didn't say you were a failure, i said you'd failed to lap me. I also said you can take it as you like.
But at half my age, about half my weight........
I'm taking the P, don't take it to heart. For me the winner is the one having the most fun, and it was gold medal stuff all round on Sunday.
Don't worry I wasn't even remotely serious!
I race for fun, I've not won a race since 2007, I'm never going to make a living out of it, I race for the banter and the company of friends, to ride interesting places and to stay fit!
