I had been toying with the idea of trying a short track race since the beginning of the season. The sharp, intense 20-minute effort somehow appealed to me, despite my preference for marathon distances. I guess I was just curious. Well, they say curiosity killed the cat, and I'm not in that business, despite being a dog person, so I decided to give it a shot. Would I enjoy short-track racing? The answer might not be that surprising.
As the final round of the series approached, I realised how quickly the season had flown by. Five rounds had passed in the blink of an eye. I missed the first race due to work commitments and financial constraints, but managed to attend the rest. Heading into the final weekend, I was sitting in second place overall. I had yet to claim the top spot, and I feared this weekend might be no different. But there’s always a chance!
Round five: Tong
Short track, short lived
As I drove north toward Bradford, the sun was shining and I was ready to tackle both the short track and the Olympic distance. Despite the bright weather, I wasn’t super-psyched, having just driven for over four hours.
I arrived late Friday night, with my race scheduled for 11 the following morning. I was a little nervous about racing a new format and after practice, those nerves morphed into a lack of excitement. The short track course started on a gravel road before entering a grassy field. After weaving and winding around, the final stretch had wooden jumps before leading back onto the gravel road. It didn’t inspire me. Although the jumps (also part of the main race) looked fun, my cautious nature led me to take the B-line in the short track. I didn’t want to risk a mishap that would prevent me from racing on Sunday. Not the best mindset to be in ahead of a race!
The start was fast and furious, and it was kind of cool racing against everyone – guys included. But halfway through the first lap, I realised this style of race was not for me. Hardly surprising, really, because I favour marathon distances and multi-day stage races. But you never know until you try something new.
I still rode hard and gave it a good effort, but I wasn’t racing to win, figuring that I should use this as a good warm-up, rather than pushing myself to the limit and feeling fatigued for the main race the next day.
At least now I know that short track is not for me!
The main race
I’d heard mixed reports about Tong. Some riders love its technical, often brutal conditions and janky style, while others loathe it. So, I was apprehensive as I set off on the practice lap, but the camaraderie of the riders around me was comforting. At the nationals, the first half hour of practice is women-only, so it was good to scout lines with my teammates.
The course featured serious technical sections that were not for the faint-hearted. Although I managed all the A-lines during practice, I avoided most of them in the race. The A-lines often didn’t offer enough of an advantage to justify the risk. In fact, one A-line was actually slower than a B-line. It would have been good if the A-lines provided more of an advantage; I might have pushed myself to take them.
When we practised on Saturday afternoon, the track was reasonably dry, with a few wet patches. However, as I lay in my van listening to the rain that night, I dreaded the condition the course would be in the next day. Apparently, it’s never dry at Tong!
The downpour made a difference, leaving me with the tough decision over which tyres to use. I hadn’t brought many options with me. On my bike were double Vittoria Mezcals, as the sun was shining when I left Bristol, and socials had reported the course to be dry and dusty. The only other option I had was a Maxxis Rekon, with slightly bigger side knobs than the Mezcal.
After much deliberation, I decided to put the Maxxis on the front. I hate changing things on race day, but I knew that finding some extra grip would benefit me. The stress of changing tyres made it difficult to get it seated, even with an air compressor. I’ve never had a Maxxis fail to seat! With a little help from Ash it was soon on, and I could focus on race prep.
As the start loomed, the nerves built up. One thing that has improved for me is my starts – I am much more aggressive off the line. This time, perhaps a bit too much, though, because I ended up bashing bars with the racer next to me. I apologised afterwards! I dropped into the single track in second place behind the rider who had consistently beaten me since Margam Park. But I was tense, and my first mistake wasn’t far away. As the first descent dropped down to a stream before a steep climb, I slipped out, had to run up the hill, and watched the win slip away. I was now racing for second.
Tong presented my biggest mental battle to date. I made numerous mistakes in the first lap, coming off my bike more than four times and missing multiple lines. I couldn’t get into the flow and didn’t trust my bike as I usually do. Something felt off. During the first two laps, I yo-yoed between fourth and second places, overtaking women only to make mistakes that allowed them to pass me again. I was all over the place, getting into a right tizz!
There was a point during the second lap where I had mentally given up on second place and was just racing for a podium finish. This bothers me, and it often makes me question if I’m too passive to be a successful racer. I find myself mentally giving up halfway through, then expending energy trying to regain my competitive drive. It’s frustrating, and my mindset is something I really need to work on for next season, when I’ll be competing in the Elites.
On the start-finish straight, I told myself to relax, gaining some composure. On the third lap, I found my rhythm and started to ride with some flow. Heading into the final lap, I was in second place. If I held it together and pushed on the fire road sections, second place would be mine. However, I was still worried about my bike; it just didn’t feel right.
I spoke aloud to myself the entire way, repeating the mantra, “focus, focus, focus.” As I approached the final stretch with the wooden jumps that I had avoided in the short track, I charged down them, confident that second place was mine. It was a struggle to keep my body steady with each impact, and exhaustion set in as I gasped for air. But as I rounded the corner and saw the finish line ahead, I knew I had done it. I felt a deep sense of satisfaction with this result, especially after a disastrous first lap and a mid-race mindset crisis.
Throughout the race, I had never felt confident in my bike or its set-up. In hindsight, I think I had too much pressure in my tyres. I also discovered after the race that my bearings needed replaced. It was a mix of these factors that made me feel off with the Orbea, a feeling I hadn’t experienced all season.
The job was done, securing another second-place finish and solidifying the second spot in the overall series. It’s now time for the Orbea to get a lot of love and freshen up before the National Championships.
Fresh kit
Tyres
Throughout the season, choosing the right tyres has been a constant battle. To be honest, the Vittoria Mezcals have performed well in most rounds. With my dodgy thumbs, the simple task of changing a tyre is a pretty painful affair, and having been a mechanic, my ego struggles to ask for help with such a task. However, at Tong, when the heavens opened the night before the race, I couldn’t ignore the need to change my tyre, knowing I had a better option in the van. Despite my hesitation about making changes on race day, it all turned out fine— all that worry for nothing.
Did it help? I’m not sure. I slipped out numerous times but arguably less than I did with the Vittoria Mezcal on the front. I think I could have used lower tire pressures to gain more grip. I was running 22 psi in the front and 23 psi in the back, which is pretty high for my 69kg weight.
Choose the shoes
I recently received a pair of fi’zi:k Vento Proxy – lightweight off-road racing shoes designed for efficient power transfer with minimal weight. These are well-ventilated and weigh 362g, feeling incredibly light compared to my trail shoes. The fit is comfortable, although I find the upper a bit baggy and need to retighten them often during long rides. I might consider going half a size down, but I’m hesitant because the toe area fits well. A double BOA system might solve the issue with the baggy upper.
While I haven’t raced in these shoes yet, I often wear them for practice laps on race day. The reason I haven't raced in them is that I feel extremely comfortable and confident in my Five Ten Kestrels. When it comes to racing, I prefer sticking to what I know and trust. However, for training and practice laps, the fi’zi:k Vento Proxy shoes are my go-to choice. Given what these two shoes are designed for, perhaps it should be the other way around!
Bar width
Riding with a narrower bar has been a bit of an adjustment. After the round at Woody’s Bike Park, I cut my bar down to 760mm. I had kept it longer for Woody’s because it’s a wide-open course with no trees and a flat-out track.
While I have adapted well to the change, I notice there’s less to hold onto. There are advantages to a smaller bar, but sometimes my hands hang off the edges. Moving my controls has helped, although it’s taking some getting used to. That said, I haven’t noticed much difference in handling. I don’t think it will take long to adjust fully and I can already see the advantages.
Suspension
Once again, my fork lockout has stopped working. Fortunately, this happened just before my shock was scheduled for a full service – which it has needed for a while. I cheekily asked the guys at the Fox service centre in Risca, South Wales to take a look, and luckily, they did. It turned out to be an easy fix.
While the fork has been in twice for inspection in the eight months I've been riding the bike, I do ride a lot and in pretty harsh conditions. This frequency of service aligns with Fox’s recommended intervals of every 125 hours. Given the amount of riding I do, I should be getting a full service roughly every three months!
Refreshments
Fuelling has been challenging, and I’m still fine-tuning what my body needs. I’ve been experimenting between races to simplify this process and reduce the mental effort it requires.
I've tried Skratch Hydration Sport Drink (Lemon and Lime) and Super High-Carb Sport Drink Mix (Red Berry). Both are palatable, and the hydration mix was an immediate hit. To avoid gut issues I’ve been slowly adjusting to the carb mix, and it seems to be helping. For the last race, I only carried the carb drink, took on water in the pits, and used an SIS gel each lap. This combination works well for XCO-length races.
I also tried STRKR gels, but they were too sweet for me. Fortunately, I won some Torq gels at Tong, and my teammates highly recommend them, so I’m eager to see how they work for me.
The end is nigh
I maintained consistency throughout my season, never finishing below the podium except for one regional race with a DNF. So, it's been a successful campaign with plenty of room for improvement. The learning curve was steep, and while finishing second overall is a good result, I’m not entirely satisfied. Many people tell me not to be so hard on myself, and I have to remember that I am considerably older than many of my competitors, and have relatively little experience in this discipline. When I consider my achievements objectively, I am proud of my results. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that a win would have been nice.
With only the National Championships in both XC and XCM remaining, I need to regain my focus and look forward to racing in my age group. I’m excited to enjoy the last couple of races of the British cross-country season at two locations that I’ve never ridden before and am pretty psyched to get out there and ride in some new areas!
