- XC racing.
It looks pretty brutal.
But what if I could get you stoked by sharing some reasons
to try something you might not know much about?
After all, XC is the most accessible
mountain bike discipline we have.
All you need is a start, finish, and some trails
in between.
And dare I say it, Christina, maybe even make it fun.
- I don't know about all that, but believe it or not,
Tom here has actually raced some world cup cross-country
events in the past, and he's got some experience.
So he's going to shed it upon me today.
He's going to take me back out to my virtual cross country
race course that I did earlier this season.
Give me a couple of reasons to not throw in the towel just
yet. So.
- (Laughs) Exactly,
and maybe you can take something home to try it yourself,
or maybe at the very least have a greater appreciation for
those racers riding really, really hard,
or maybe even just an uplift.
First off XC and XC racing doesn't need to be the
multi-lap suffer fest that we see at the world cups.
It can be a variety of things from your local,
short, after- work club races,
right through to mega point-to-point events.
Basically, an XC event can be anything.
We riders start at the same time,
and whoever completes the course first, wins.
At the Olympics, riders, race XCO,
or cross country Olympic format.
And that's where they will start at the same time and can
race for about an hour and a half completing five to seven
laps of a four to five kilometer course.
- Like we said, we're out here in Whistler today,
but this is definitely not the Olympics.
- Exactly. And rule number one here is run with your brand.
Your equipment, make sure it's safe,
but don't let it hold you back.
You don't need the most lightweight tech savvy XC race
machine to give it a crack.
Everybody's type of fun is different.
For example, today I'm on my aluminum hard tail.
Now hard tails make a great XC bike because the lack
of suspension makes them lighter and can make them climb
more efficiently uphill.
This particular hard tail is a little heavier,
bigger suspension upfront and with heavier tires.
So won't be as quick up the hill as
a more specific XC hard tail,
but I'm still going to have a good time getting it up
and down.
- In comparison, the bike I've gone with
today's a little more cross country specific, but honestly,
either bike, you're going to have a good time.
The reason my bike's a little more XC is we've got a steeper
head tube angle.
So it's going to make a big difference on the big climbs
uphill, just keeping some weight on that front wheel.
And also, we've got less suspension up front than Tom.
So I'm only rocking 120 mils of front suspension.
He's got a bit more, but I do have 115 in the back,
which not going to lie,
it feels really nice on those bumpy courses.
And finally, my tires.
They're definitely not as big and burly as the Enduro tires
I'm used to with all that grip,
but they are fast rolling and they hook up on the rocks
really nicely.
- Exactly. If gunning for the XC.
When is your idea of fun?
Maybe a more XC specific bike is for you.
Help you climb up faster and rip around
and you can also transfer those skills to the bigger bike.
Once you get used to handling the bike with those skinny
tires and smaller suspension, bigger bikes, bigger trails.
Its going to seem like a piece of cake.
Another reason to have a crack is that you can eat like a
champion. Make sure you enjoy it.
Yes, we see the top XC races smashing
NASA inspired tubes of Aero gel.
But if we're not used to that,
then it's going to send your stomach to space and possibly
other areas of your body too.
So make sure you practice with what you're going to eat on
your race or ride day.
Now, whether it's gels, cookies, bananas, sandwiches,
just make sure your stomach's used to digesting it at that
ride length and intensity.
- Totally. Don't pull a Christina
and just shove a chocolate gooey gel
down your throat right before you race,
because you think that's what you need to do.
- Typically for an hour-and-a-half XC race,
you're going to want to eat a solid filling meal,
a few hours beforehand, and then top up the system,
15 to 20 minutes before the start with something that's
easily digestible. Again,
it all comes down to personal preference and always remember
when it comes to food, you're working hard.
So make sure you treat yourself.
Now we've talked about the gear.
Let's address the elephant in the room, fitness.
Get your mates involved, make it social.
Maybe even make a plan.
Now fair play to you if you want to have a crack by
yourself. But personally,
I find getting my friends involved,
helped me stay motivated and keep me on track.
Now, if you've got no friends and looking for some,
make sure you check in with your local mountain bike club.
They'll probably have organized events or races that you can
go along and meet new people.
Let's use an example to unpack
that fitness element a little more.
Maybe you've signed up for your XC race.
That's a great start,
but how long is it?
Maybe it's two hours long.
Can you ride for two hours nonstop right now?
If not, that's fine.
Make a plan to build up to it.
Maybe start with an hour ride once or twice a week,
then build to one and a half hours,
and then two hours.
Also, think about what terrain
the course is going to be.
Is it a sustained couple of climbs for a long while?
Or is it more undulating terrain?
Make sure you practice that before race day.
If you want to take it a little further,
maybe even get yourself a coach or write yourself a proper
training plan.
Either way.
The fitness that you'll take from XC will translate to
other areas of your riding. So give it a go.
Next up is pacing.
It's something we don't talk about enough.
And it's applicable to downhill and juro XC.
The top XC athletes are racing at about 90% or above of
their heart rate max for an hour and a half.
For those of us who aren't top XC athletes,
maybe something more useful to think about is how hard are
you going on a scale of one to 10.
That's often called a rating of perceived exertion,
where one is basically you're asleep.
10 is you're breathing so hard, you're tasting blood
and your eyeballs are bleeding.
That exact race pace will depend on your fitness
and the course, but make sure you go out and
practice, practice, practice,
so you're aware of what that feels like.
There's no denying there's
a little bit of type two fun in XC.
But what we kind of wash over is what's happening up here.
I'm talking about the mental demands and they're
transferable from racing, riding through to life itself.
But in all seriousness, give the mental skills a try.
I find myself, self-talk is a great one.
I say just piss in my wetsuit,
how good are burritos? I had chicken nuggets for breakfast,
Hell yeah!
Like literally talking to myself and you can do it out loud
or just inside your own head.
You'll be surprised by how far a little good work you,
little beauty can go for yourself.
- Something I do as well quite often,
and I know a lot of other riders do,
is practicing visualization.
Sounds easy, but what we mean by that
is literally picture yourself in your head
cleaning that climb that you've never done before,
or maybe you're standing getting strong up out of the saddle
peddling when usually you're,
you're just used to sitting down and pedaling.
So just like physical skills,
mental skills take a lot of practice to get good at them.
So don't give up because literally talking to yourself,
I mean, it's the way forward.
- There it is.
I hope you've taken a few ideas away to get you stoked,
to try an XC event.
Or not, It's up to you.
- And full disclaimer. It might suck a little bit.
It might even hurt, but in a hurt so good kind of a way,
you know what we're talking about. With silly friends like
Tom wacky ideas, give XC riding a go,
you've got physical preparation,
a little bit of mental preparation in your head as well.
All those things are going to help you make the most of your
time out on the trails.
- Exactly. I think Christina,
it's time we walked the talk and gave this final crack
ourselves. So thanks for watching.
Make sure you subscribe because I not so secretly like
talking about XC and might have to make another video.
Let's get on it.
- Eat my dust