And here we go again – finally! Australia doesn’t lack for Marathon Mountain Biking opportunities, with a plethora of classic races, and an ever growing calendar of Stage Races. But is racing somewhere within a days drive enough to satiate a desire for new experiences? Probably, for some. That’s how I started finding a love of mountain bike racing. Traveling to the NSW XC State Series races with housemates and mates who lived nearby. Different course, different locals, but a similar field of contenders! These days I prefer to head a little further afield – albeit frequently to events that I have competed in before.
Many amateur sports create opportunities for travel and self discovery. But certainly it is the lifestyle sports that can give the most: rock climbing, mountaineering, surfing, skiing or snowboarding – and of course Marathon MTBing and Stage Racing. All of those sports require a devotion of your time and energy. Often this comes at the perceived neglect of loved ones, or tasks and goals that friends and colleagues may think should take more prominence – such as ‘real life’. And what is that exactly?
Six months at home in Sydney is an amazing time. The ability to feel settled, sleep in your own bed, earn an income and see friends and family is fantastic. Not needing to think about four days ahead for months on end wondering where you will stay, where you can source fresh bike parts and how you are going to travel between regions is hugely refreshing. But sitting at an airport, with my Scott Scale 29er packed and checked in, with a bag of Subaru-MarathonMTB.com Team kit and a smattering of casual clothes – this is living. It is like an electric current coursing through my veins. Although this trip takes in the ABSA Cape Epic and the second round of the UCI Marathon Series in Laissac (FRA), the racing stops for the next few weeks. This is where the racing and travelling for life experience takes over. A wedding for a friend who I met whilst training before the Euro 2008 season, a bucks party on the French Riviera, and countless dream mile-ups in that part of Europe. So many of the threads of previous trips have been woven into a complex tapestry of friendships around the globe. So why do some people think this isn’t ‘real life’?
The challenges that lie ahead are pretty daunting. The ABSA Cape Epic looms dangerously on the horizon. With my team mate Will Hayter honing his form through a snowy UK winter, the 29km Prologue on Sunday may see me looking a bit sheepish. But we are mates, and this is a mateship that was forged at a stage race, and developed over pre-season training in a chilly climate. More gifts from a Marathon MTBing lifestyle.
So waiting to board the first of many long haul flights for 2012, it is hard to discern what part of the world, or what stage of my life, that I should feel settled in. Is it all a transient existence? The thought of staying in one place and not finding new experiences where Mountain Biking can take me is an abhorrent concept. So although I will miss all those that I’m leaving for the next little while, I know that I will be back. After all, there is some great racing on the cards in Australia for May and June.