A few days have passed and I’m still reminiscing about the past few years of mountain bike racing, travel and life experiences. There are memories of good times and bad, of tough days and those that were terrific. The most rewarding experiences come from one kind of event though: Mountain Bike Stage Racing.
Years ago, Struan Lamont was talking passionately about the Crocodile Trophy:
“The Croc is a way of life. It has given me so much; friends, bikes, memories. Even this car”, we were driving between Villabassa, Italy and Les Deux Alpe at the time, in a car borrowed from a fellow Croc racers girlfriend.
I agree with the statement though. Stage Racing is a way of life. A quality mountain bike Stage Race will take you through geographically diverse regions. More than this, the towns and people you visit will change dramatically. In general, they greet you with open arms. Cycling and Mountain Biking isn’t for everyone, but it’s a nice change to race into a town that welcomes you with open arms, gives you passes for their spas and showers you with their finest produce.
You are King or Queen for the afternoon.
Life has more than just a highlights package though. And just as our lives have low points or negative aspects, so can Stage Races. A long race may lead to growing tension with a team mate. Who will forget when the Team Bulls magic couple of Sahm and Platt didn’t hug at the end of one stage in the 2010 TransAlp? When tired and mentally fatigued, race officials continual orders can seem overly restrictive. You may snap at this authority. But unlike in real life, you probably won’t end up in prison. But you may be physically trapped in the back of your starting block.
It can be safely argued that life involves continual relationship building and management. Again, a stage race is exactly the same. Firstly, you must keep in the good books of your team mate, lest they put you too far into the redzone. Other teams need to be managed too. Over time it becomes apparent who is riding at a similar level to you. What team is approachable? Who can you form an allegience with? And what team has got on your bad side – destined to sit out in the wind, shoved into a corn field or ridden into a rut at any given opportunity? Rivalries are a part of life, and a part of racing.
‘Camp’ is a loose term to describe the budget accommodation choice for most stage races. This may be a small classroom in a Polish mountain town, a luxurious sports hall in Livigno or a scrubby field in Far North Queensland. As in life, your accommodation options in a Stage Race can be dividing. Those who are faster, stronger, fitter get the best things available. The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. To be one of the first riders into camp means the best sleeping position. You will have hot water in the shower (if it was ever available), and there will be toilet paper in the still clean toilet. Your choice of camping bed location will be open, and you may find such luxury options as a power socket, or even the secret lift to the meeting room on the third floor (Thanks Commune di Madonna di Campiglio!). Life is better if you are faster than your peers.
The result of this compressed ‘life’ can be long lasting. More and more, my close group of friends are cyclists. And more often, they are competitive mountain bikers. Friends around the world have been made through mountain biking. Grovelling on a climb, swapping off hard into a stage finish, sharing turns descending the Umbrai Pass, even comical rivalries can develop long term friendships. And why not? We’re all mountain bikers.
Infact, there is only one downside if this compressed social experience: the come down. Post Stage Race Depression makes a Post Marathon Hangover seem like a passing bad mood!