I want to have a go at mountain bike racing.

MilitantGraham

Hi everyone, I hope you don't mind me jumping in with a load of questions.
I did a couple of races a long time ago, one near Gloucester and one near Birmingham, and finished somewhere around the middle of the bunch.
I want to have another go at racing and was wondering how I find out what events are on and whether thay are suitable for me.
The two I entered before, I found out about by word of mouth. Is there an event list somewhere so I can see what's on in my area ?
I want to do a cross country race, not downhill. A small local event would be better than a championship round.
What sort of average speed do people do on races ? I know it's going to vary a lot depending on the terrain, but I typically do about 15km/h for a couple of hours mainly on rough forest tracks and access roads. I live and ride in the Wyre Forest and always overtake <i>every</i> other biker I see. I reckon I'm way above your average recreational rider, but equally way behind the serious racers.


Lycra: Helping big, fat blokes enjoy cycling since 1985.

http://www.aecmilitant.co.uk/

MilitantGraham

I'll put you down as a "Don't know" then.

A big fat old bloke in lycra with a mountain bike. www.aecmilitant.co.uk/pictures/mountainbike.jpg

miggillicuddy

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by MilitantGraham</i>

...and always overtake <i>every</i> other biker I see. I reckon I'm way above your average recreational rider
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote"> no need to get c<u></u>ocky [:p]

Have you tried google? That's where to start when looking for local races I'd have thought. Can't help you anymore, sorry.

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hambones

Quite alot on here for starters...

http://baseportal.com/baseportal/numplumz/main

Just one word though - 15km/h for a couple of hours is not going to get you anywhere near the front. Infact in events I've experienced which included plenty of recreational riders you'd be pretty near the rear!

MilitantGraham

Thanks for the replies.
When I said I overtake every other biker I meet, I should have explained that I work shifts and usually ride on weekday mornings. The only other bikers I meet are Mums & Dads with the little kids out for a ride in the school holiday.

That's a good list hambones, exactly what I was looking for. I'll see what's coming up in my area and maybe have a go. Near the rear will do me for now, then I can aim to be a bit less near the rear for the next race.

A big fat old bloke in lycra with a mountain bike. www.aecmilitant.co.uk/pictures/mountainbike.jpg