Lungs, legs and head – 3 key elements to a good mountain bike race, if one of them is slightly below its par then the whole experience can change from being one of the best feelings ever to feeling like a lot of hard work and suffering.
We arrived at Dalby a few days before the race with plenty of time for training on the already familiar course and chance for some pro-style race preparation with the WXC team staying in some super comfy cottages alongside the Merida Multivan and Trek Subaru teams. The run up to the race went according to plan and I was all set for a showdown with the big guns of xc racing.
photo by Toby Rose
Race day. Good warmup, nerves starting to build up. With 15 minutes to go we get herded like cattle into the starting pens and I sat pedalling on the turbo to stay warm. Finally called up to the starting grid, surrounded by crowds and heart is pumping like mad. Loudspeaker calls 15 seconds to go, oh god its really happening now! Bang, we’re off, pedal like crazy. I got off ok until suddenly someone crashed in front of me, I saw Mel get caught in it and swerved to avoid the worst but lost a few seconds. After a bit of elbows out aggression queueing to get into the first singletrack it was just a case of following the wheel in front until the start loop was over, a flat first part of the course means there is little chance to split the field up.
photo by Danny Elliott
The first lap was really frustrating, a mixture of going really hard and stopping in queues when the course narrowed, so no chance to get into a rhythm at all. Eventually things began to string out a bit and I was able to ride. The atmosphere and crowds were pretty cool, people lining the course and huge roars at some of the more technical parts as riders went by, it really helps to motivate you as you struggle up some of the horribly steep climbs along the course.
photo by Danny Elliott
By lap 2 I was into a racing rhythm but it wasn’t the speed I wanted to be going, things just didn’t seem to click and the race felt like a real struggle. The descents at Dalby are always great fun but I didn’t feel the sort of buzz you get from a good race. I spent a lot of the race gradually closing a gap to downhill world champ Tracey Mosely and towards the end of the 4th lap I almost had her. I was psyching myself up for a real all out effort on the last lap but as I approached the start/finish area I was pulled in due to the 80% rule. Not impressed, a real anti-climax I wasn’t expecting and I felt like slamming my bike on the ground. I finished 72nd (results here).
photo by Danny Elliott
I’m not sure what was the problem but I felt like I just couldn’t reach top gear all day. Even worse is that I did a race pace lap on Thursday that was over a minute quicker than any of my laps on race day. The number of competitors and the significance of the event meant that the race felt more about learning to deal with the pressure of competing and fighting for position as I scrapped around at the back of the starting field than about going out and racing hard as you normally would. Next week will be better!
A huge thanks to WXC World Racing for all the support over the weekend, the racing didn’t go according to plan but it was a fantastic experience and it’ll make me work hard so to get more of it. Also thanks to the Elliott/Wilkinson family and Yorkshire supporters for cheering me on, always a big help!