Love the sound of silence? No, not the lonely sound of serenity, the newly vacated space behind you after you’ve just dropped your mates on that tough climb or lost them on that wild descent. Do you love to match it with your mates and push your mind and body to new levels of speed, concentration and endurance?
Whether your mouth froths at the thought of competing toe to toe with a fellow rider or you just like to get out on the weekend amongst like minded mountain bikers, there’s a place for you.
Canberra Off-road Cyclists has a venue, race, distance, gender, speed and age to suit anyone who ever rode a bike. While nationally there is an infinite number of races you can do, this article will focus on CORC’s local events. Namely cross country, short track/crits and downhill.
Cross Country
Cross country racing has long been the competitive arena for the common trail rider. With distances of between 15 and 40 km it fits within most peoples usual recreational ride time and distance. Also the cross country trails must cater for all levels so are never too intimidating.
While it seems all ‘elite’ and ‘competitive’ at first thought, the local cross country scene has an extremely relaxed atmosphere and ‘elite’ riders make up a very small percentage of the 200+ riders who turn up on the Sunday mornings. Everyone’s there to enjoy the friendly competition and test themselves in a fun environment.
Doing you first race is surprisingly easy. Just check out the CORC website for the next race date and turn up to register around the given time. On arrival you’ll see a registration tent and a line of smiling entrants. If you don’t have an MTBA license the volunteer behind the table will give you a day license ($15). From here just pick the category you’d like to ride in (they can help you decide) and attach your given race number to the front of your bike. Easy.
The race director will call up the categories one by one and you’ll begin the course. Expect between a 5 and 8 km loop taking between 15 to 40 minutes per lap depending on your ability. Also depending on your chosen category you’ll do between 1 and 5 laps.
During the race riders from all categories are on the trails at the same time. Since everyone travels at different speeds overtaking is a regular occurrence and with some courteous communication the process flows very easily. This is why it doesn’t matter how fast you go.
Top 5 Tips for you first XC race:
Take the race at your own pace. Don’t worry about anyone else, just have fun and enjoy your own challenge.
Don’t worry about what bike you have, mountain bikers aren’t out to pose and don’t judge others on their equipment. So long as it gets around the track that’s all you need to worry about.
Take a spare tube and pump so you can fix a puncture. If you can’t fix a flat tyre it’s only going to be a 10 min walk home from anywhere on the track so you’ll be fine. – See Ride Canberra article on fixing a flat
Take your kids. CORC has races for kids as soon as they can balance on a bike. They’ll have their own race course and you can give them all the help they need.
Take the necessary clothes and water for the conditions. You don’t want to get cold before and after the race. If its hot you’ll need to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
Short track/crits
Held on Thursday evenings from the beginning of November to April, these races are a great introduction to MTB racing. They’re short, fast and just like the cross country races have a relaxed atmosphere.
Just turn up, put your name down in any grade (A-D/Juniors’) and get out for a few laps of the track. A lap will be between 2-5 minutes long and it changes every week. Races are between 8-15 minutes long depending on your grade.
Just like the XC races you’re free to ride your own pace. Get out for a few practice laps before your start to get the hang of the track. Once it’s time for you to start your category will be called up and the race director will send you off.
Once you’ve completed the laps someone will be at the finish to take your result. It’s a 17 week series so you turn up to as many as you can and get some points for your tally.
Downhill
For those who love the thrill and skill of downhill riding, a downhill race gives you the chance to see how your speed compares. CORC runs regular events at many Canberra locations including Majura, Stromlo and Kowen Forest.
You’ll must have a full face helmet but further protection is optional so if your just going to check out the scene for the first time you won’t need to have all the latest gear.
Races generally start at 12:30pm and it’s a good idea to get there early for a few practice runs. One of the best things about riding at a downhill event is the transport. No more pushing your way back to the top, there’ll be a bus waiting for you at the bottom.
Registration is on the day and the people there will help you with choosing a category and inform you of your start times. There are categories for everyone including for hard tail so you don’t need a full downhill rig for your first outing.
The format is ‘best of two runs’ so you have two chances to put down your quickest time and the best one will determine your result. Its an individual timed run so there’s no pressure to ride any faster than your comfortable with.
So if you love to cruise the descents on the weekends or your pushing the limits with your mates after school, take yourself out to a downhill race and enjoy the experience with others.
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Canberra: 25°
Your First MTB Race
Love the sound of silence? No, not the lonely sound of serenity, the newly vacated space behind you after you’ve just dropped your mates on that tough climb or lost them on that wild descent. Do you love to match it with your mates and push your mind and body to new levels of speed, concentration and endurance?
Whether your mouth froths at the thought of competing toe to toe with a fellow rider or you just like to get out on the weekend amongst like minded mountain bikers, there’s a place for you.
Canberra Off-road Cyclists has a venue, race, distance, gender, speed and age to suit anyone who ever rode a bike. While nationally there is an infinite number of races you can do, this article will focus on CORC’s local events. Namely cross country, short track/crits and downhill.
Cross Country
Cross country racing has long been the competitive arena for the common trail rider. With distances of between 15 and 40 km it fits within most peoples usual recreational ride time and distance. Also the cross country trails must cater for all levels so are never too intimidating.
While it seems all ‘elite’ and ‘competitive’ at first thought, the local cross country scene has an extremely relaxed atmosphere and ‘elite’ riders make up a very small percentage of the 200+ riders who turn up on the Sunday mornings. Everyone’s there to enjoy the friendly competition and test themselves in a fun environment.
Doing you first race is surprisingly easy. Just check out the CORC website for the next race date and turn up to register around the given time. On arrival you’ll see a registration tent and a line of smiling entrants. If you don’t have an MTBA license the volunteer behind the table will give you a day license ($15). From here just pick the category you’d like to ride in (they can help you decide) and attach your given race number to the front of your bike. Easy.
The race director will call up the categories one by one and you’ll begin the course. Expect between a 5 and 8 km loop taking between 15 to 40 minutes per lap depending on your ability. Also depending on your chosen category you’ll do between 1 and 5 laps.
During the race riders from all categories are on the trails at the same time. Since everyone travels at different speeds overtaking is a regular occurrence and with some courteous communication the process flows very easily. This is why it doesn’t matter how fast you go.
Top 5 Tips for you first XC race:
Short track/crits
Held on Thursday evenings from the beginning of November to April, these races are a great introduction to MTB racing. They’re short, fast and just like the cross country races have a relaxed atmosphere.
Just turn up, put your name down in any grade (A-D/Juniors’) and get out for a few laps of the track. A lap will be between 2-5 minutes long and it changes every week. Races are between 8-15 minutes long depending on your grade.
Just like the XC races you’re free to ride your own pace. Get out for a few practice laps before your start to get the hang of the track. Once it’s time for you to start your category will be called up and the race director will send you off.
Once you’ve completed the laps someone will be at the finish to take your result. It’s a 17 week series so you turn up to as many as you can and get some points for your tally.
Downhill
For those who love the thrill and skill of downhill riding, a downhill race gives you the chance to see how your speed compares. CORC runs regular events at many Canberra locations including Majura, Stromlo and Kowen Forest.
You’ll must have a full face helmet but further protection is optional so if your just going to check out the scene for the first time you won’t need to have all the latest gear.
Races generally start at 12:30pm and it’s a good idea to get there early for a few practice runs. One of the best things about riding at a downhill event is the transport. No more pushing your way back to the top, there’ll be a bus waiting for you at the bottom.
Registration is on the day and the people there will help you with choosing a category and inform you of your start times. There are categories for everyone including for hard tail so you don’t need a full downhill rig for your first outing.
The format is ‘best of two runs’ so you have two chances to put down your quickest time and the best one will determine your result. Its an individual timed run so there’s no pressure to ride any faster than your comfortable with.
So if you love to cruise the descents on the weekends or your pushing the limits with your mates after school, take yourself out to a downhill race and enjoy the experience with others.