New (old) XC racer

Neilio

Hi.

I used to race XC as a Youth and Juniour between 92-97 and havn't done much in the way of XC training since then, i moved onto DH until i quit in 2001.

I want to do a few local races next year after spending this year training, i am reasonably fit although i'm 6'3" and 15.5 stone due to spending a couple of years bulking up. So my plan is to trim down to just under 15 stone and see how it goes from there.

Now, what am i to expect, no doubt i have the technical ability to keep with almost anyone i'm just unsure on fitness and how really to start the training properly. I understand races have got alot faster these days, are they getting any more technical or is it still fittest = 1st place.

Any ideas on the Cat i should ride in, i think fun would be out the question, is sport and expert still going?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks.
Neil.

Neilio

Anyone

anton_spb

Hey, man! I think you should just sign you up for any foreseeable non-pro XC event and try that out! No one training can be replaced by the race ;-) Next step is to connect with some riders to train together to get understanding of your current fitness level. For me it is very worthwhile to do training with riders who bit stronger than you are - you just get the way of improvement.

Whats about technical vs fitness - I dont know about UK xc routes (have heard that you guys easily can have 1 meter drops on the track - we dont) but in Russia fitness form still be a deciding factor. You know, the key thing here is to do not get pissed of when you are goin to do difficult descent...
So in my country we have a winner who is the best in climbing.

Cheers

amt27

Neilio wrote:

Hi.

I used to race XC as a Youth and Juniour between 92-97 and havn't done much in the way of XC training since then,

sounds like me, I did my first proper XC race a few weeks back, since 1996,
I just went into Masters which matched my age, but could have done Sport,

pretty much every one there was 10 stone and lycra clad, I looked a little out of place in my baggy shorts,
the race was the usual sprint to the first singletrack, the top riders can hold their own with the best downhillers, so it really is a case of who has done the most interval training,

personally I am more interested in the endurance racing which is much bigger than XC now,

4ndyW

First post here !

I am the same as you guys in the way that i used to race alot back in the day, but only just coming round to getting back out on my bike alot.. Went to a local Southern race that was within stumbling distance of my house last weekend and thought, hmm i could prob do this still ! lol
Basically i am just getting back out on my bike as much as possible and getting miles back in my legs, still have the racing mentality, just need to convince the rest of me that it can be done !
I would fall into the masters too, but noticed aswell that they all seem pretty 'lycra'd' up compared to what i wear these days !

njee20

Masters is a difficult category, the top guys are very very fast, but it tails off quite quickly and there are a lot of not-so-fast guys!

Sport is much slower at the front, but tends to be a bit more consistent through the field. Open is a safe bet to get back into it. Some courses are relatively technical, some less so, there's very few of the 'race around a field' tracks that XC racing is often associated with!

Aren't you near the Brownbacks race serise? They're meant to be good for folk getting back into it, give it a go. Or... if you want to throw yourself in at the deep end there's a National XC race at Dalby on Saturday 3rd July, see how you get on there! Frankly the Open category is still very manageable. As a downhiller you'd probably do alright there, more technical than some.

Neilio

I will be starting of doing the Brownbacks races at Lee Quarry but i am waiting till next year as this year is all about the training.

Its wierd, my legs know what they need to do, they just can't do it but i'm sure the strength will build up quick enough.

njee20

I'd just do one, sod waiting for next year, they're a laid back series. You'll have a benchmark then too. If you were wanting to do an Elite NPS race I can understand the merit in getting 9 months training first, but I'd just get out there if I were you!