Firstly there are nerves and pressure to deal with (usually self imposed, a week later everyone but you has forgotten your result). You certainly can expect to suffer, it seems possible to tolerate more pain in a race than at any other time but that doesn’t make it any more pleasant. For a beginner completing the distance or dealing with the terrain is probably enough of a challenge and as you get better it it your fellow competitors that force you to push your boundaries further, dig deeper on a climb or ride a descent faster than you ever thought possible. Of course pushing your boundaries brings the addictive sense of exhilaration that makes you forget all the bad parts and want to go back and race again as soon as possible. A good race gives you an enormous sense of achievement that you want to feel again, a bad race if viewed in the right way will give you the determination to train harder so that next time you can improve. Once you start racing the process becomes as important as the race itself. The goal may be to win a race but suddenly each ride has a purpose with little challenges and successes so that riding is just as enjoyable as competing.

A lot of people (especially girls!) get intimidated by the idea of racing. What if I’m not fast enough? What if I come last or don’t achieve the result I want? What if people laugh at me? What if I hate it? What if…? You’ll never know unless you try and by trying you have already beaten all the people who didn’t dare. Even with the worst race imaginable you can always learn something that will make you better the next time, in the long run you don’t fail. I always think the better the competition the better, I would always prefer to be beaten (even sometimes by miles!) than take an easy win in a local race. Rather than being intimidated by people better than you consider a race an opportunity to test yourself, find out where you stand and what you can improve.

To following my own wisdom I’ll be pushing my boundaries this year by trying Gravity Enduro for the first time. Scared? yes! I’ve signed up for a couple of races but it’s hard to tell what I’m letting myself in for, riding a big bike absolutely flat out on technical trails is very different to xc racing. I know I can keep up with most of my mates and I’m technically good enough at xc but realistically I’ve no idea how fast or slow I am compared to any enduro racers. I’m fully expecting to get my ass kicked in the beginning (especially since even the ‘local’ races around here are on the hardest terrain and full of world class people) but that will only make me more determined. Bring on the racing!

On Saturday we took a lap of the trails, sessioning some sections and going over some trail skills. It was a long tough day but the determination, enthusiasm and improvements made by everyone were impressive. The next day we combined with the Biking Blitz race for some competitive experience – talk about throwing them in the deep end, a race with over 400 people and some of the girls had only been on a bike a few times before! Initial fear and feelings of intimidation were set aside and it was fantastic to see everyone getting really stuck into the race. There was a great sense of  comradery and fun within the group and everyone finished with huge smiles having really enjoyed it . With a few podiums and a lot of potential talent hopefully there will soon be lots more women racing in the NPS.

The next women’s skills weekend will be the 6th and 7th of April in Ballyhoura – keep an eye on the Offroad commission website/facebook page for more details.

A big thanks to Think Bike for the loan of a super fast carbon Trek bike for the weekend!