Trials and
Tribulations of Trying XC Racing
Events:
Radsport XC and Point Peter Pounder XC
What:
both XC mountain bike races
Organizer:
Radsport by Long Trail Productions along with MASS and Point Peter Pounder by
StarCrawf along with NYS MTB series
Where: Radsport
Macungie, PA and Point Peter Port Jervis, NY
When:
April 6th and April 14th, 2024
The comments to
me were never ending “what are you doing at an XC race?” “since when do you
race XC?” “did you ride here, going to race, and then ride home?”
You may be
asking why the questions? XC races are almost like a sprint. They are shorter distance (typically 90
minutes to two hours) and are high effort, anaerobic high heart rate the entire
time. What us Nankmans usually do is ultra endurance. Very long distance (12, 24, 30ish hours) and
are aerobic effort, no high heart rate to create lactic acid involved. Joël and
I don’t have a high heart rate function, we just ride our bikes. It often takes
us hours to even feel like we are in the groove.
So then why the
shorter efforts? Many reasons. To do
something different. Can’t pass up a
local race. To support an event put on by a race director who cares. To ride awesome trails. Good training to push that heart rate high.
Figured it would be a an nice day to just roll out of bed, go ride, and come
home.
Well, these XC
races proved to be a challenge to both Joël and I.
Radsport was
just myself racing the Pro Cat 1 women event. I was so excited to ride the
Forever Farm trails, they are amazing, technical and so much fun. Bonus is the event is only about 45 minute
drive from home. I thought it could be a
fun local day on the bike. And well, it
was my first DNF- did not finish- EVER!
By my calculation, between running, swimming, triathlon, and cycling I
have taken part in well over 500 races. This is the first I have not finished. I have raced with fresh stitches, bandages
and wraps, shortly post surgery, or carried a broken bike and have always
finished. My bike was cleaned and
tuned-up the day before the race and all was good. However, immediately from the start my chain
was getting locked in my rear cog set. Many bystanders tried to help me but the
ultimate diagnosis was a something wrong with the rear hub that was causing it
to lock up and it could not be fixed trail side. I pulled out 13 minutes in. I drove directly from the race site to Saucon
Valley Bikes and the problem was fixed- a worn hub spacer. Too much wear and tear and the bike and
unfortunately it decided to break that day. Oh well, better than during a
larger longer event. On to the next race.
Point Peter
Pounder was both Joël and I racing.
Myself Pro Cat 1 women and Joël Cat 1 single speed. The curse of the XC races hit the Nankmans
again. Shortly into the race, in which Joël
was leading, a huge tear in the sidewall of his tire immobilized him. No amount
of repair tactics could fix it. A DNF
for him. At least I faired better at
this race with riding smooth and strong and winning my division. Joël and I
were both looking forward to this race so a bummer that it didn’t go well for
both of us. The course is super technical but super fun. The organizer, Dejay puts on top notch
events with great amenities, a fun atmosphere, and with the support of NYS
Mountain Bike organization good awards. Joël
at least was able to keep busy taking photos and walking Clifford while I
finished my race.
In summary,
seems like XC races are just not for us. Bring on 24 hours of just pedaling
along over 90 minutes of all out effort.
-Words by Jess
-Photos and input by Joel