WHAT IS CROSS COUNTRY
Cheri’s been riding and racing XC since the late 90s.
Cheri says about XC “I love the buzz of racing, you get to push yourself to your limit, there is always great camaraderie between the riders, and the adrenaline makes me feel so alive.”
What is XC (Cross Country)?
It’s a mass start race with other riders in your category you do multiple laps of a circuit/course approximately 3 to 4K, racing last 1- 1/2 hours.
The courses vary from undulating fast and flowy to steep up and down with technical features, there are A and B options harder or easier lines on technical features.
There are “pits” on each lap where you can leave drinks/fuelling and some spares just incase! Most people have someone in the pits handing out a fresh drinks bottle if needed but it’s not a necessity.
What bike and kit do you need?
XC Bikes are lighter than a trail bike and range from hard tails to full suspension bikes up to 130 mm of suspension.
These setup seems to be the ideal trade-off between having a lighter bike to make climbing easier and a capable bike for the descents.
Generally riders use clipped pedals for better power transfer, if you’re a beginner though flat pedals will give you more freedom and feel.
XC racers tend to wear lycra and nothing baggy, this eliminates drag, the chance of snagging on something and to avoid overheating, the racing is high intensity and you get hot pretty quickly, riders usually wear a short sleeve top and bib shorts or a skinsuit.
How to get into XC?
Don’t worry if you haven’t got the latest kit or the perfect bike, everyone has been there when we are a bit unsure, I would give it a try first maybe hire or borrow a bike and make a decision from there, its like any sport if you love it you will gradually invest more into it.
Riding
Trail centres are a great intro to XC riding, look on social media, pop into your local bike shop or trail centre to find riding groups in your area.
Racing
For U16 there are lots of British cycling “go race” clubs nationally. This is a great starting point for youngsters.
For adults, there are local regional and national races and events, there are “fun”categories to give people a taste of racing without any pressure, these are very supportive and usually riders make friends, support each other and make plans to meet up and ride.
Words: Cheri Mills