Lenzerheide as above, short flight to Zurich, then a very efficient train and a short bus ride. Hotels in the town are cool and a short walk to event. Racing from Friday through to Sunday and I think we paid 40 Euros for a weekend ticket

It’s definately worth trying Raceware – if they don;t list the one you want just drop them an email and they can probably make on for you
Raceware Direct – Custom Cycle Components – RaceWare Direct supply custom made 3D printed cycle products manufactured in the UK

I know lots of you have enjoyed the Vittoria MTB Marathon at Pippingford in the past – it’s had a change of name this year and will be known as the XTERRA MTB Marathon but it’s the same event and now has a monster 90km option – all of the details are here

And the details for the eMTB event on the same weekend are here 

I’m one of the organisers so if you have any questions please fire away

The SouthernXC series is starting on 31-03-24 at Matterley Basin. All of the details and other round dates are at Home – southernxc

The Pippingford Park MTB Marathon will be on 6/7 July with the eMTB Challenge on saturday and race for analogues on Sunday – details out very soon.

I have the XC ones and they’ve been brilliant so far. I can use light tyres and at my prefered pressure without squirming about and so for the protection of the side walls has been perfect

It might be worth seeing if you can get a Giant XTC frame, really good quality and loads of clearnace, comfortable with 2.4s. The standard build is good value too

I’ve not tried either of the two you suggest so they might be even better

Hey guys,Sorry for the lack of updates about XC racing stuff in the south.Th SouthernXC is back up and running, following a bit of a bumpy autumn where it was all up the air a load of cycling clubs and other great people have come forward to get it back on track.

This brings with is a new domain which is southernxc.online, it is a work in progress so pls don’t look too closly yet.

For 2024 the series has 5 races (note that race 3 is a little TBC), entries should be open 1st feb and you can get all of the updates on Facebook (Facebook)

The (Vittoria) MTB Marathon at Pippingford Park is back for it’s 4th year in 2024, with a new headline sponsor and entries should be open mid feb. The weekend is 6/7 July with the eMTB Challenge on Saturday and the Marathon on Sunday. More news soon

Another for Speedrockers. I use 38mm tyres and find them perfect.

I have some of the lightweight XC style ones and have round that I can run a lighter tyre (which I wouldn’t have in the past) and still have decent protection in terms of rims and pinches. I think all in it weighs about the same as a slightly heavier tyre with similar protection but the insert and lighter feels more supple and there for grippier – in an xc way, not rock smashing

Love seeing these bikes, real purpose and great fun!

Keep the pics coming

I understand that Mavic have been very good at offering a decent discounts to replace broken Hunt wheels when Hunt haven;t been able to warrenty, I’m not sure on the details but may be worth asking at local Mavic dealers.

What do I wear? I’m always cold anyway at the best of times. I’m going to freeze to death stood in a pen awaiting the gun… any tips?

Put loads of layers on and leave them at the start area, just remember to collect them before heading home.

A quick update re SouthernXC, I’ve just had a message from the organiser to say that it sold out last night so there will be no entry on the day

Kryton57
Full Member
Thanks Adam, I’m wondering whether getting away with a Mezcal might be in order with the dry/cold weather of late. I will await your report…. 🙂

Sorry I’m late with this. I was at Matterley on Friday and it was super dry with the top layer being a bit crumbley and will probably get quite loose, however since I was there is a rained a little with more showers forecast so while I very much doubt it will get at all muddy it will probably be a slippier – if you like the reassurance of grip stick a barzo or similar on the front, if you’re happy to risk it a bit in the name of speed go for something like a mezcal front and rear – just don’t don’t blame me if it’s a bit challenging…

The organisers have stuck a video up on they’re Facebook page with a weather update.
SouthernXC Facebook Video

Great write ups. So, what tyres for Matterly Basin…

I’ve got to go to Matterley this week to drop some stuff off for the first round of the SouthernXC so I’ll have a look around and see what it’s like. The surface there is usually pretty reliable and weather proof but the top layer can get slippy. I’ve never known deep mud there and it does drain very well. Typically something like a Barzo on the front the same or something a bit quicker on the back.

Glad to see the fields at Gorrick races so busy, it’s getting to be like ‘back in the day’!

If any of you are planning to race at Inside Park near Blanford Forum this weekend at the Off Camber Cycles XC race and were hoping to enter on the day it’s not going to be possible. Due to more riders than expected preregistering the organiser has decided not to offer on the days. Details for the race are at https://my.raceresult.com/230592 and the pre entry closes at midnight on Thursday

I’ll be there doing the chip timing so come and say hi, also feel free to ask any Q’s about the Vittoria MTB Marathon or the TrailX eMTB Challenge while you’re there.

Good luck

amazing bike and one of the best builds I’ve seen – tough, light and hopfully fun, the perfect do it all!!

Where are you guys getting Barzos for at reasonable prices? They seem to sut what I’m after perfectly, but call me old school, but I still find it hard to stomach 50 quid a tyre.

I can’t match the Bike Inn prices but I have a small amount of Vittoria stock left from race shops at events that I can sell for a good price. Any of the below for £80 a pair delivered and including a 500ml bottle of Vittoria sealent.

If you’re interest drop me a mail to adam@eventrexuk.com

Terreno in 29 x 2.25
Mezcal in 29 x 2.25
Barzo in 29 x 2.35
Syerra in 29 x 2.4
except for the Syerra all of them are in the TLR (tan wall) casing

posted in error

As good midway recommendation. I put a pair of Vittoria Syerra’s (Down Country tyre, haha) on my trail bike I’ve been super impressed. TBH I was expecting a heavy XC tyre that didn’t offer trail tyre grip or xc spritlyness but actually they’re brilliant. They don’t feel heavy at all (I think they’re 80g heavier than a TNT Barzo, or something like that) and the low progile tread is grippy in most conditions. The tread is fast and works on most surfaces well but is pressure sensitive,

The sidewalls seems a little tougher than the TNT case, and a lot tougher than the TLR case.

Well worth a look

@drP Thanks for the entry!

Just had a confirming chat with BC and they have approved ‘Non Chaps’ races for Men and Women will start along with the respective gender Champs races. Champs contestants will be lined up first and then Non Champs immediately behind them, and everyone will start on the same whistle.

We will amend the website and schedule to reflect this but it’ll probably be 10:00 start for all men and then 10:15 start for all women.

for me..is it worth entering the ‘proper big boi champs race’ – bearing in mind I’ll have to buy a race licence.. or just go for the normal race?

It’s a bit of a shame they are seen as different races as it might thin out the field in either…i like racing at the pointy end, which there might NOT be in the general race so much…. But also don’t take things deadly seriously (I’ll be on a singlespeed..probably forked for this)…

Yep, this is a shame. The reason for the two races is because strictly speaking UK rider without a license or riders with a license from another country’s federation aren’t allowed to ride in a Championship event, this applied to all disciplines – but given the size of the course and the length we have asked for a bit of leeway here and are hopeful the both races will start together and we’ll be able to show a combined result, as well as the champs, non-champs results. I’ll try to keep the thread updated.

Interestingly the entries so far show good interest in the non-champs races with approximately one 3rd of entrants so far registered to it

Mainly so the eldest can go to the Crank-it U12 training / coaching events they hold at each national and their own series too.

Love this, the coaching at Nationals has been well received

Junior loves an away weekend and we’ll do this instead of 24/12 this year. Saturday morning gives him the opportunity to pit crew for me on the Sunday

Brilliant, see you both in the summer

@Kryton57

Camping is available for Fri, Sat and Sun nights and can be booked when paying for entries, it’s £10 per night per pitch and includes showers.

BC’s safe guarding regs don’t allow us to open the 20k loop to U16’s, while there is a good handful of young riders who can complete 20km and enjoy it there are many more who can’t or wouldn’t enjoy it – however we realised that past runnings of the event could have been even better if there was something for young riders to do, so new for 2023 is the addition of Youth short track XC, the format is being worked on but it will be on the Saturday morning, information will be confirmed and publicised by the end of Feb

Great to see a very enthusiastic XC thread.

I’m involved in some way with quite a few of the events across the south so thought I’d offer a quick summary of the bits I know.

Sadly the Central XC series isn;t happening this year, thanks for the nod about the website – I’ll give the organiser a nudge about changing it.

SouthernXC is looking in great shape with loads of entries flooding in – lots of info on their website https://southernxc.co.uk/

The team behind the SouthernXC are also hosting a round of the National XC Series – more information about that at https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/278393/British-Cycling-2023-National-Cross-Country-Series-Round-3

Off Camber XC at Blanford Forum is on 26th Feb and have already broken their previous entry record so it’s looking like it’ll be a busy race, the course there is great fun. Info at https://my.raceresult.com/230592/

Keep an eye on both the Facobook pages for Scotty Chalmers Cycling (https://www.facebook.com/ScottyChalmersCycling1) and Andy Smith Events (https://www.facebook.com/andysmithevents) as they both have plans for XC racing in the Summer

The Vittoria MTB Marathon is now part of the TrailX Weekender on 8/9 July that includes the TraileMTB Challenge and will also have short course racing for Youth riders – loads of info at https://eventrexuk.com/trailxweekender

Please feel free to leave any questions here and I’ll help where I can

I’ve been riding the Vittoria Syerra for a couple of months and seems a decent balance of speed, grip and protection – well worth a look at some of the reviews.

Where are you based?

There the final round of the National Trophy is this weekend in Kent and the Sunday hosts the UCI registered races. The Clanfield International is on Saturday this coming weekend too, in Hampshire – Cameron Mason and Tom Mein are both down to race

Start list for Clanfield: https://my.raceresult.com/223618/participants

Didnt do this year’s but did the year before, great course, surprisingly challenging and hilly for a southern softy course, hope to do it next year.

Can I just say this was one of the best events I’ve ever done. Great course (lovely balance & use of fireroad/singletrack) & very friendly. Particularly enjoyed the dry weather this year – not so much the damp the previous!

Thanks guys – it’s great to hear that you enjoyed it.

2023 should be even better – there has already been some soul selling done to sort the weather!

I’m one of the organisers at the Vittoria MTB Marathon at Pippingford Park in East Sussex. The 2023 event will be on 8/9 July with Youth racing and a eMTB event on Saturday and the 80km Marathon on Sunday – it’d be great to see loads of you there. the website will go live on 1st Jan but let me know if you need more info

A massive vote for an Anthem. I have a 2018 version with 130mm (they can be run with 120mm forks) and it’s brilliant fun, though not super XC.

Find a well looked after version and it’ll be great for the more pedally trail centres.

hahaaha, love the AXS woes – I’ve had the same…

Not sure about the changes, apparently there are a few small ones planned but I’m not privy to the details

Awesome stuff guys. Thanks for supporting this little series.

I was doing the timing last night and really enjoyed hearing about the course behind the hedgerow, annoyingly I didn’t get chance to ride a lap.

I’ll make sure that the organising team see this thread as they were pretty concerned following the mornings rain but other than the start/finish area being pretty sticky it seems that the rest held up well.

Please tell your mates to come next time, nothing better than a midweek mates race!!!

Entry and details for Round 2 https://my.raceresult.com/196676/

XC is still happening and has really healthy attendance but the issue is that there just aren’t enough organisers. I’m one of the organisers at the SouthernXC and on Sunday ran our 5th XC race of this year and it was the first that hadn’t sold out (TBH that was because of a number of understandable reasons, most of which were our fault), the combined number of riders who we sadly had to turn away across the first 4 races was in excess of 600 and my fear is that a lot of these are new riders to and if this repeatedly happens they will find another hobby. MTB as a whole is desperate for organisers for events of all levels and there is plenty of support available to those who want to put their hand in the air.

On the other hand there is plenty of love for marathon style events, the full distance event at the Vittoria Marathon on 11th July is very nearly sold out.

Clark and Kent seem to be the big guns in this world with Olympic BMX tracks and 100s of skate parks and pump tracks on their CV, that’s not to say there aren’t loads of other great contactors of there.

That is really nice, a friend of mine has that frame with a Fox Fork and loves it!

Run the pads through a few heat cycles to ensure that the new pads are well prep’d.

My experience between 2 and 4 pot brakes is that the initial bit of 4 pot is a little less but the power is is greater. Also the amount of required lever pressure is less. I seem to remember an article somewhere explaining all of this, it made sense to me at the time but I don’t remember the details.

Same challenge here. My much loved Sworks Trail Shoes have finally given up. I am looking at these from Sidi, they seem available at a decent price, get good reviews. Has anyone tried them?

Sidi Defender 20

A quick update for those of you who were planning to join us at the SouthernXC, sadly but somewhat predictably the first few rounds of the series have succumbed to the dreaded lurgy. The plan is to continue with a 5 round series but the first 4 dates will be postponed to weekends later in the year, we are waiting for responses from landowners to confirm that dates we have proposed to them are possible and as soon as we hear we will let you know.

If you have pre entered an affected round I promise an email with more detail is on it’s way but please bear with us for a few days.

Stay tuned to the Facebook page for updates.

Happy riding guys n gals, even if it’s a little lonely…

As one of the organisers of the SouthernXC I always love this annual thread!

MTB Racing (particularly XC) certainly seems to be in a healthier place compared to 4 or 5 years and long may it last.

Hopefully there are some of you out there with kids who fancy giving it a try, but are possibly a bit daunted by the prospect of lining up in the Youth or Juvenile categories with a load of mini Nino’s, with this in mind we are continuing with Fun/Beginner races for 13-16 years old as well as adults, this started last year with good success so hopefully it’ll continue this year.

For more info about categories just click the below link
https://eventrexuk.com/southernxc/southernxc-categories-schedule

Expect more of the fast flowy course that aren’t World Cup technical but certainly get harder and harder as the speed goes up.

Any queries, questions or suggestions please leave a message here as I’ll check back as often as I can or drop me a mail to adam@eventrexuk.com

Good luck to all of you, regardless of what your season entails!

It’s optional as far as I know, even for league riders – anyone can just sign one out for the day, but it helps the league admin to take this off their plate on race day. Apparently the old timing chips weren’t 100% reliable in heavy weather and riders not returning them was an aggravating issue.

Ah, makes more sense

Have you seen the new transponder set up? I’ve just ordered one for £36 – sounds like you will need a couple at minimum.
Yeah it’s a bit of a bugger to be fair as we’ll need two this season, then one next season.

Whaaaat, that sounds a bit cheek, the chips are expensive (more than £36 in some cases) but asking you guys to spend £72.00 upfront sounds a bit much. How will they manage day riders?