With athletes claiming glory after plummeting down a trail at 40kph+, all while hitting huge jumps and incredibly technical terrain, racing is widely recognised as the pinnacle of our sport. However, racing starts at home. Not only is a grassroots racing event an excellent place to grow as a rider, but it’s a brilliant way to feed back into and become a part of cycling’s wider community. It’s not just for immensely skilled riders, and I reckon that everyone should have a crack at an effort between the tapes.
- Enduro mountain biking – everything you need to know
- MTB enduro racing for beginners – how to prepare for your first race
- “I love running races for people that enjoy doing races… I never want to stop doing it.” Scott Fitzgerald at Southern Enduro on the state of MTB racing in the UK, and how riders can keep the scene alive
Before I bang on about why racing is so good, this is a bit of a 360 from what Rebecca said in her last blog. She discussed that riding bikes isn’t always about pushing yourself and getting better, and while I absolutely agree with that, racing makes for an excellent place to hone your skills. However, there’s a lot more to racing than just becoming a better rider.
Although races are dwindling in the UK, we’re still very lucky with the range of events and series that we have to pick from. From the Southern Enduro Series to the Bolly Skyline Enduro, Ard Rock, the EX Enduro, Gorrick’s XC events, and a growing number of gravel races located all around the country, the race scene is still very present. That’s not even mentioning the sportive style days out from folk like Channel Events and Trail Break Mountain Bike Events.
The best thing about all of these events is that they’re not all built for top-level athletes. In fact, very few of them are. Organisers often have a profound understanding that seriously talented riders are a tiny percentage of the cycling population. As such, many of them cater to those who may not have the skills or confidence to take on EWS-style efforts. A solid example of this is the ‘Lite’ portion of some British National Enduro Series events, which welcome riders who don’t want to take on a full BNES event, but are looking for a shorter and more approachable day out on the bike. Most races also have a ‘fun’ category, for those who just want the experience, rather than the competition.
As I mentioned earlier, this aspect also caters to rider development. Many races are designed to test a rider’s full roster of skills, so they make an excellent opportunity to find pitfalls in your riding to improve upon, if that’s what you’re looking for.
To face facts, there will be intimidating features in any race, which can be a good thing. If you’re committed to scoring a fast time, the pressure of the clock will tempt you to throw risk to the wind, and you may do something you’ve never done before, which will reward you with a serious boost in confidence to take home with you. However, many of the riskier features will be signposted, and there will likely be a route around that feature. Riding under pressure is also a completely different ball game from your Sunday bimble, which brings fresh but fun and interesting challenges in itself.
Importantly, that pressure is 100% optional, and for the most part, organisers of grassroots events focus on delivering an excellent time out on the bike, rather than gold medals. Again, most folk aren’t looking to earn enough points to take on an EDR, or UCI XC World Series, so it’s more about your perspective, personal goals, and what you’re looking to take away from a solid day’s (or two) riding.
But the very best thing about racing is the community aspect. Regardless of your confidence between the tapes, you’re riding with hundreds of like-minded folk who are also there to have a great time above anything else, especially at the grassroots level. Gather a bunch of mates, and a good race event garners stories and memories that’ll feel a lot better than nailing that frightening jump or winning yourself a podium.
Many of these events welcome brands and pro riders to mingle with, and it’s all very refreshing. These people are readily available for a chat, too, which is great if you’ve had a niggle with a product you’ve recently bought or if you’re keen to get a selfie. It’s surprising, but it really goes to show how small and welcoming our sport can be. I mean, how often is it you go out for a spin and end up sharing the trails with one or some of your favourite riders? That’s regardless of the level of the event, too, whether it’s a smaller leg of the Southern Enduro circuit, or one of the most famous races in the country, Ard Rock.
Better still, a lot of races around the UK take place on private land. Land that’s otherwise difficult to reach, or outright illegal to ride without permission gained by the event organiser. Some races, or some parts of races at least, do take place on legal tracks, showing you the very best of what an area has to offer. Once you’ve done such an event, you can go back and ride some new-found trails. For me, that’s what I enjoy the most about a race – riding somewhere new.
Additionally, paying your race entry supports an industry that’s experiencing an incredibly tough time at the moment. All event organisers, sportive-type or race-type, rely on early entries to help put together the best weekend they can. It also keeps that community going, because without races, how else will such a breadth of riders get together for a good time? Also, the UK is renowned for developing incredibly strong talent and a range of champions. Without grassroots racing, the country’s budding talent won’t have anywhere to grow and make their names.
Racing any kind of bike isn’t just about winning podiums. It’s so much more. It’s community. It’s fun. It’s exploration. For the average Joe, mountain bike, gravel, and road races should be seen more like a day at the bike park, or even a cycling holiday. Sign up to one, and you’ll find out what I’m getting at here.
