If you have raced Cross Country within New South Wales, Australia in the past decade chances are you have heard of Nick Both. A talented athlete, Both has turned in many fantastic performances within his local region both on- and off-road. However his experience runs deeper than this. MarathonMTB.com caught up with Both after his recent 12th place in the Elite race at the Highland Fling, to chart the turbulence that had proceeded that result.
To do so, we are best to look back a few years, to late 2007. Both had a fantastic race at the 2007 Crocodile Trophy. Not only did he get up the road in a breakaway on a stage, but he also ended up 9th overall while riding at the service of Tim Bennett.
2008 was a particularly strong year for Both. He traveled extensively for his sport, and started that overseas sojourn by racing the BC Bike Race with then teammate James Kennedy. Despite suffering a mechanical within the first kilometre, Both remained calm and managed to repair the problem well enough to complete the stage. Kennedy and Both finished that race in 10th overall. From here Both flew to Europe, and came 21st in the Swiss Bike Masters. After a brief spell of recovery within London, Both raced L’Hexagonal in France in support of Alban Lakata (2010 UCI world marathon champion) and finished 15th. Once home again soon after, Both followed on from these strong performances and came 2nd in the Epic in Queensland, one of Australia’s most grueling marathon races.
In his own words, Both describes 2009 as disappointing – but mostly due to one race. With the XC World Championships on home soil in Canberra, many Australian racers were racing abroad in an attempt to gain Australia more starting positions and in turn qualify for them. With the benefit of hindsight Both believes his decision to focus solely on the World Cup round in Canada was a risky strategy.
“It was disappointing. There was too much focus on the one race, which for a World Cup is likely to end badly,” he said. Both was one of those to suffer at the hands of the ongoing dilemma over 200 rider-strong fields at World Cups. Their impact is well documented, and the UCI is currently working to find a solution.
2010 a new team brought fresh motivation for Both, as he joined Swell-Redshift. Aiming to help top Australian talent compete at home and abroad, Both would be one of their more experienced riders in the squad, along with Andy Blair. With another long overseas season planned, Both first headed to Victoria for the Australian National Marathon Championships. Training with James Kennedy on the Friday before the race, Both miscalculated the actions of a Kangaroo – and ended up briefly unconscious and with a badly shattered collarbone. No three months overseas. No World Cup XC races. No Marathon World Championships.
“I was so relieved!” exclaimed Both, somewhat surprisingly, when asked about how he dealt with such a dramatic change to his racing season. “Realistically I was underform, and would have had a really rough first month just getting shelled in races, and trying to get fit. I had a lot of pressure, and it meant I could just let all of that go.”
Recovery has taken a while for Both, due primarily to the intrusive surgery required to repair his collarbone. The 2010 Highland Fling was one of Both’s first races back and he said – with no pun intended – that his goal going into the race had been to “give it a crack”. Better than that, he was able to race with no pain from previous injuries. And so where to from here?
“I want to compete in in the National XC series, but I wouldn’t say it’s a major goal. That said, I do want to race well at the National XC Championships. That’s a big goal.”
Both knows he has work to do to get back to a high level of fitness. His Swell-Redshift teammate Andy Blair says this period ought to be a positive period of preparation. “At least when you need to get fitter you know what you need to do. Training around an injury doesn’t work. It is great to know that each time you head out training you will end up stronger,” Blair told MarathonMTB.com.
So with a flight to Europe to use, Both has a slightly different plan for 2011 and it’s likely to include some longer-form races.
“The [cross-country] World Cups won’t be my number one goal. There is just too much relying on one race. I still want to do as well as possible at them, but you can’t focus solely on them. There are other top level XC races I would like to do, and of course plenty of the marathon races over there. There is so much on, and I just want to experience a great variety of races. I will definitely look to have a varied program.”
And so we left Both to prepare himself for the first National Round at the You Yangs this weekend. And from there? We may well see Both in Australian colours at Montebelluno in June. MarathonMTB.com will keep you updated on his progress.