So I’ve been sitting under the air conditioner having a look at the events calendar on Enduro Pulse reminding myself what I’ve committed too this year. It struck me as I was trying to piece my calendar together that the real challenge was going to be cutting races out so as not to over cook myself to early in the season. At this point it’s nearly possible to race at least once, almost every weekend of every month up until June, and if you’re lucky enough to live somewhere like Canberra in some instances you can race three times in one week!
What a year it’s shaping up to be then! In NSW/ACT alone we have two state enduro series’, and the Real Insurance XCM series as well as a host of other stand alone events like the Ginga Ninja 250. Admittedly I was focusing on those events as they’re the ones I’m most likely to get to, but I do have an interstate bucket list and scanning over some of those events it was pretty quickly apparent that those of us in NSW/ACT aren’t the only ones with a plethora of races to choose from. Both Victoria and Queensland offer state enduro series’, as well as a host of stand alone marathon and enduro events that sit enticingly on the calendar, trying to lure unsuspecting interstate riders into a cross border sojourn.
Having made the trek to a couple of races in both Vic and Qld I can vouch for the value in heading interstate to strap on a race number. One oft overlooked bonus of spending 12 hours in a car (and the extra money associated with travelling to race) is the extra motivation all the effort of getting there provides on race day. If you’re having a horrible day, say if conditions don’t suit you or you can’t seem to keep the rubber under the rider, knowing that an epic road trip was wasted if you pull out can certainly inspire you to struggle on. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to meet new people and get a guided look at new trails. The first marathon I did was the Otway Odessey and it was one hell of an effort for me to get there. I went alone, was completely disorganised and had to drag my bike all boxed up half way around Melbourne on public transport before I picked up the car I was borrowing. The race itself was a pretty epic journey for me too, typically I had chosen one of the hardest races of its type in the country as my first outing, but I had a fantastic time, met some excellent people and wouldn’t change anything about the experience.
So enjoy choosing! And while you’re scanning through the events calendar trying to make the difficult decision, try to throw at least one adventure in there this year, be it a multi day stage race somewhere or a weekend trip interstate to do a one day event. After all, it’s usually the sense of adventure that initially attracts us to Mountain Bike Endurance Racing and the people who keep us coming back for more.
Happy Trails!
