Marathon racing in summer is wrapping up, with just a couple of events left for the year, notably the Hellfire Cup and Husky 100. But that doesn’t mean you need to hang the bike up (although if you need to, you should). Just about everyone who focuses on marathon racing could be guilty of not really being that sharp off the start line, lacking some ‘snap’. If you’re likely to say “oh I’m more of a plodder”, or “it just takes me a while to get started”, or “I normally do hard races, not short ones” – maybe you need to rethink things. Why not mix it up?
In mid-December, the 2014/2015 Subaru Australian National Mountain Bike Series starts, and there are five Olympic Distance cross country rounds, plus a National Championship. The racing is across Australia, which is both good and bad. It means there are National level races in three states and a territory – but XCO fans need to get all the way to the world’s most remote city (Perth) and then drive a long way to Pemberton.
Jared Graves uses XCO to prepare for the Enduro World Series – so why not use XCO for XCM prep?
Of course, many of you might have left XCO as the races are too short, and you don’t get ‘value’. Well, the event themselves offer a lot, being able to see (and race with) the countries best, potentially ride somewhere new, and even race the XCE (Eliminator) event at the National Champs for a real challenge for Marathon legs. Many (if not most) of Australia’s best XCM racers are accomplished XCO racers – along with being top athletes anyway.
Sometimes one of the best things you can do is remind yourself of your weaknesses – so why not look to add some XCO racing this summer? If not the National Series, maybe a local chipper will serve the trick?
Jacob’s Ladder. Photo: Mike Blewitt