I had managed a reconnaissance ride the day before so I was feeling more relaxed than if I was racing blind. However, my main concern was that not having ridden in an event in a few years that my rusty bike handling skills may not keep me upright throughout the race. There was a large parking section allocated for the race event and getting to the start line was pain free. Whilst all new to me, Anstey Hill is very popular for walkers and the general public and understandably so as its extremely green and lush in winter and very hilly. There seemed to be quite a good turn out of race participants and as is always the case with mountain bike events, everyone is relaxed and friendly. I think if you’re going to turn up to any sporting event as a total newby, have a go at a mountain bike event and you won’t feel too out of place. There will be others there in the same boat. There were participants older than me who were both faster and slower. Possibly thanks to the hugely successful Tour Down Under, road cycling is extremely popular in Adelaide but I’ve often considered mountain biking to be the poor cousin in terms of popularity. Hopefully this is changing and this event was a good sign.

As I take off from the start line without enough of a warm up I’m reminded of the adrenaline fueled high heart rate which can really impact on ones ability to ride hard for the full duration of the race. My average heart rate for the race was 172bpm peaking at 190bpm. There is a reason the pros are spinning on a trainer before the race kicks off. A younger first timer told me at the start line that he had squeezed in a full lap a shortly before race start which made sense as he sped off ahead of me subsequently passing the finish line first in Mens D grade. As I alluded to in my previous post, I haven’t had a positive experience with the XCO race format in the past but a few minutes into this race and I was pleasantly surprised that the rest of my grade weren’t hounding me impatiently close behind through the single track. I think I was placed somewhere in the middle of D grade from the start and for the most part I held my position. It wasn’t long before I was being lapped by A Grade riders but it wasn’t too stressful and everyone was courteous. I took the first lap fairly steady and didn’t try to push too hard and I was relieved that, as the race organisers said, there was nothing too gnarly. My trusty 26″ hardtail even coped ok with the rocky section.

Each lap was about 5 and a half km and took me somewhere between 20-25 minutes per lap. Whilst I think I was riding fairly hard at my level of fitness I wasn’t pushing to the limit. I do want to see how far I can go with my fitness and racing performance but I don’t want to lose my mind and crash out or suffer a heart attack. The experience was overwhelmingly positive, all the competitors on the track were courteous, it was a well-organised event and I definitely now have something to work towards. My goal for the three scheduled XCO races is to finish 3rd or better in D Grade so I’ll be back for round 2.

Mountain bike racing has finally resumed with the Adelaide Mountain Bike Club scheduling the XCO series due to kick off at Anstey Hill in the north east of Adelaide on June 28. Many years ago I attended a couple of races at Prospect Hill, a couple at Fox Creek (Cudlee Creek), one race at Craigburn Farm near Blackwood, one race at Mount Torrens and a few races at my least favourite location, Eagle Mountain near Crafers. I’ve never ridden at Anstey Hill so it will be all new and exciting for me. The XCO series is not my favourite event, being a little too intense and sharing the track with pros, semi pros and very serious enthusiasts can be quite nerve wracking. I have found that the enduro 4 and 6 hour events attract a much more mellow and relaxed crowd. If my ageing 26er is up to it its going to be great to put my new healthy lifestyle to the test with a new competitive edge. As I’ve said previously, I’m not a competitive person but my new goal is to see what this 40 something body is actually capable of. What better way to do it that organised bike racing. I’ve checked out some previous race results for Anstey Hill and it looks like the D Grade Mens (3 laps) will be around 1 hour of racing. Judging from my last XCO event all those years ago where I don’t recall finishing and regularly pulling over for serious bikers, I think D grade will suit me well. My aim is to ride as hard as I can for an hour and not finish last.

Getting the bike ready

after cleaning up my trusty 26 inch hardtail and checking the chain wear for the first time (quite a few years late), I discovered that the drivetrain was well past it and in need of either a replacement cassette and chain or an upgrade. I have enjoyed my full XTR groupset and I think it was well worth forking out the extra dollars for ease of use. My gears have always just worked as they are supposed to and I don’t recall ever needing to make adjustments. I did, however, fail to keep up with the maintenance and also didn’t prepare for the future by purchasing extra chains and cassettes. Unfortunately parts for 10speed XTR are no longer available so an upgrade is in order if at all possible. With a little encouragement from my friend Stefan who’s more knowledgeable than I and who knows I’m partial to going a little overboard with gear, the 1×11 groupset challenge was set. So I promptly headed to BMCR to see what master bike mechanic, Pete, had to say about the matter. As it turns out 1×11 is no longer available so Pete suggested some 1×12 options which included some fancy Shimano XTR parts – I think I’ll hold off on full XTR at this stage to see if I stick with the trusty 26 inch or are tempted to upgrade the wheel size with a totally new bike. Anyway, whilst I wait for parts to arrive I’ll be grinding away at my worn out groupset for the first and possibly even the second XCO race. I’m now eagerly awaiting a new 12 speed XTR derailleur, XTR 12 speed shifter, DT Swiss Rotor kit, XT 10-51 cassette and Wolf Tooth chainring to extend the life of my old bike for a couple more years.