Pinkbike Poll: Have You Ever Tried XC Racing?

May 6, 2022 at 11:41
by Mike Kazimer  
Anton Cooper seems to have his starts dialled this season we ve seen him take the holeshot multiple times.

XC racing is what got me hooked on mountain biking. The concept was simple enough for my 13-year-old brain to understand – ride fast, and try to be the first one across the finish line after a set number of laps. The fact that East Coast race courses always seemed to be muddy and technical helped too, since I've always been a glutton for punishment. While I was never the absolute fastest racer out there, those early racing experiences set the hook for my complete addiction to mountain biking.

I have nothing but respect for anyone that wants to line up and pedal as hard as possible for lap after lap, even though these days I'm more likely to sign up for an enduro race than an XC sufferfest. XC racing has had its highs and lows over the years as far as popularity goes, but with bike technology evolving and courses becoming more challenging (well, some of them anyways), the action between the tape is only getting more exciting for participants and spectators alike.

Ondrej Cink leads the pack through the noisy Brazilian crowd.

Here in the United States, cross-country racing is how many younger athletes are first experiencing the sport, thanks to the National Interscholastic Cycling Association. In the years since its inception, NICA has seen steady growth, and in 2020 there were over 25,000 middle- and high school student athletes participating in the program. Those numbers are still much, much lower than the number of students involved in more traditional sports like track and field, but it's a start.

The XC World Cup returns this weekend in Albstadt, Germany, immediately followed up by another round of racing in Nove Mesto in the Czech Republic. DH action is on hiatus until Fort William later in the month, which means all eyes will be on some of the sport's fittest riders for the next two weekends.

Laura Stigger looking stylish through one of the new technical sections.

Have you ever tried cross-country racing? Are you considering giving it a go? Answer this week's poll question below.


Have you ever done a cross-country mountain bike race?



Author Info:
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Member since Feb 1, 2009
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131 Comments
  • 431 20
 Racing multiple disciplines is good to become a well-rounded rider. Riding ebikes makes you a round rider.
  • 109 1
 Round rider, round rider, there's a battery inside'er.
  • 7 37
flag HB208 (May 6, 2022 at 12:10) (Below Threshold)
 They should do XC emtb s/
  • 125 1
 Fatcountry.
  • 17 9
 EWS-E riders are so round that they would eat you for lunch on the trails.
  • 43 9
 If you only ride ebikes that is. I ride my ebike on rest days. So now I ride 5-7 days a week instead of 4-5
  • 56 88
flag pivotpoint (May 6, 2022 at 12:52) (Below Threshold)
 @nicktapias I have lost 15 pounds since I bought an ebike. I used to race xc in college. Still race dh and an enduro here and there. Not sure what your point is. You just sound like an a$$h0l3.
  • 17 4
 @pivotpoint: that’s a great success story, for getting back on the bike, staying on a bike after injury and rehabbing injuries totally see the purpose of riding ebikes. Some of the guys I know that bought ebikes are young and healthy and had the opposite effect and they gained weight and lost aerobic capacity when they went back to their acoustic bikes.
  • 2 0
 @HB208: They do, unfortunately. Trek E-caliber.
  • 5 0
 @HB208: e bike climbs up dh coureses
  • 9 0
 @nicktapias: *when they went back to their bikes.
  • 6 3
 @nicktapias: I guess it just depends on how you ride one. Cheers man.
  • 26 8
 I race XC and I wanna E-bike, slap a Powermeter on that sucker, I can still hit my training wattage on climbs (to keep myself honest)....I'm just going a lot faster which means 2-3x the descending....doesn't that mean I'm not only getting the same or sim fitness but also getting in more technical training on descents? Win / win?

Caveat is not hitting as long of a sustained climb, in which case, just put it on eco mode or turn the damn thing off.

I think E-bikes can 100% be training tools if used correctly, especially on 'easy' recovery days a rider can still get some good technical training in without to much training stress.
  • 6 0
 As an enthusiastic e-biker I want to downvote you but that comment is too funny. I believe a lot of the super cross dudes like to train using e-bikes because you can keep a consistent heart rate but perhaps that's just marketing BS.
  • 4 0
 What if I race multiple disciplines but am still a round rider?
  • 9 0
 @RadBartTaylor: I had two riding buddies who tried that, and it seems like good reasoning, still putting out the same power, HR, and everything. Both of them got dropped so fast in their first races back it was crazy, and a few years later they've never really regained acoustic fitness. I guess it's just too easy/tempting to let the motor do the work.
  • 1 0
 @RadBartTaylor: Plus you can do sweet wheelies.
  • 8 20
flag dimitree (May 6, 2022 at 14:53) (Below Threshold)
 @pivotpoint: so losing weight when you did nothing before...lol. I can start walking 1 mile every evening and lose weight. eBikes are for girlymen. Welcome to the club.
  • 1 0
 @HB208: they do. There was a category for a local race last weekend.
  • 2 0
 @gbyrne: fair enough and honestly, it probably is different enough pedaling that you'll not quite use the muscles the same way since pedaling motion does have dead spots that you are not training whilst on digital bike....

Enduro riding though, 2x the descents in same amount of time has GOTTA be a good thing....
  • 3 0
 @unrooted: hahaha. Take all my upvotes.
  • 2 0
 Sitting down and eating makes you a well rounded rider.
  • 1 0
 @watchtower: unless your pedalling
  • 3 0
 Unless you have a santa cruz. Then you're riding faster to extinguish the flames from your battery.
  • 2 1
 @dimitree: did I say I only ride Ebikes? How old is your mom? Is she hot?
  • 1 0
 @unrooted:

Downcountry > Rowndcountry
  • 2 1
 @pivotpoint: you sound round
  • 2 0
 @brass-munky: okay chunky munky
  • 2 0
 I used to have whimsy ass arms from curling my XC bike. Now I have huge ass guns from curling my ebike.
  • 1 0
 I used to have that opinion on E-Bikes until I went on a big time ride with some of my riding friends including one who's in his 70s and now on an E-Bike. He was always an inspiration when he was on analog bikes and kicking my a$$. The fact that he could still ride with us now and that the E-Bike wasn't the antichrist I thought it was completely changed my view. I'm not ready for one yet but at some point I see one in my future.
  • 1 0
 @Zoo1424: cool.
  • 2 2
 @nicktapias: Yeah, I call BS. It's 80-85% of the workout of mtb. It's over twice the workout of hiking. Just making up BS because you have no idea how pedal assist works. As anyone knows that actually has a clue, you still can ride at the same wattage, you can still do the same intervals etc... If you can't train well on an ebike, you have a problem, and it means you can't train well on a reg bike either. There is NEVER a bad thing when it comes to time on a bike.
  • 48 0
 Does me doing it on a 36lb Trek Slash count?
  • 24 1
 makes it count even more in my book Wink
  • 9 0
 Yup. You're still out there
  • 2 0
 Yep. I watched Tomac race short track on his DH bike.
  • 3 1
 @packfill: John Tomac is the GOAT
  • 37 5
 I once rode with one of the fastest xc racers in my state and said, "Wow i could never do Redbull Rampage, that looks crazy and difficult." And he replied, "Well they say the same about us."

Changed my perspective on how something can be equally difficult without being the same thing.
  • 44 0
 Eh. All perspective. I was lucky enough during college to be able to race at National level XC/STXC events... I was fast, but not quite podium fast, and still, I got my ass kicked in the XC race by a handful of professional gravity riders(Luca Shaw being one of them). Shows how crazy the talent gap is between the local fast guys and the national/world level pros.
  • 12 0
 @cgreaseman: top DH/Enduro guys are no joke, I raced BCBR in 2019 and besides Kabush, there was a team Giant Enduro guy that was killing it.

I also raced Trans Cascadia in 2018 when all the SC Sydicate guys were there, Minnar, Shaw, Loris, Peat, Ratboy....some of the faster climbers on the big 7k+, 25 mile days....
  • 22 0
 I love to do races, but I don't race, if you what I mean. I just really enjoy the event and riding somewhere new. I'm not competitive out there and don't care if I get passed or not. How many people finished in front of me or behind me doesn't matter to me at all.
  • 24 0
 No option for "I have raced XC a few times over the years"
  • 33 0
 It's in there now for you.
  • 2 58
flag fabwizard (May 6, 2022 at 12:19) (Below Threshold)
 @mikekazimer: you didnt answer my question in the other article about the AM903's on xc pedals.
  • 24 0
 @fabwizard: Stalker!
  • 5 0
 Also missing, "I used to race XC back when your did DH on the same day, and then Road bikes, and then triathlon, and then Xterra Tris, and then XC again, and then Enduro, and now I don't race at all because I'd rather just ride and have fun.
  • 2 1
 @mikekazimer: Ooo and my response has the highest number, sweet. OK, no option for "I used to race XC but now I'm only into Gravel"? Smile
  • 3 2
 How about one for attracted by the concept but it’s the people that keep me away.
  • 1 0
 @fabwizard:
  • 3 0
 @dancingwithmyself: Gravel is the crossfit of cycling. There is no reason to do it, except to tell people you do it.
  • 14 2
 I played a lot of competitive sports growing up and have continued playing some into my adult years, but I always kept mountain biking as my non-competitive sport. I mostly ride alone and use my rides to decompress and process life. I've always known that if I started racing, it would become obsessing about training, etc. and it would no longer provide that benefit for me.
  • 11 0
 I try and race a handful of XC races every year. I like local grassroots events. I feel a lot of the big commercial gravel events have taken some of the wind out of MTB xc but it seems to be going the other direction now. I see why they are popular - lots of social media, a "big" event for someone to plan around, a "new" thing for roadies. But they are $200+ and require hotel rooms, traveling, 4AM starts, lotteries. I think once the novelty fades it's going to crash quite a bit.

I'd rather spend $50/race on a local 4-6 race series. If you have a mechanical, or stomach issues or whatever it's not that big of a deal. You're done by noonish. You see the same people every week. I don't need swag bags, signage or beer gardens.
  • 14 0
 Anyone who says xc racing is boring hasn't raced xc.
  • 7 0
 Anyone who says it's too painful probably has.
  • 16 3
 Never raced. But I did see a Donkey show in Mexico.
  • 2 0
 I havent heard the phrase donkey show in years. Thanks.
  • 12 0
 XC racing is just a fantasy...actually it isn't even a fantasy this year
  • 7 0
 I pinned my first xc number around 11 years old; cyclocross and road followed shortly after. Late 90s/early 2000s XC racing was a rad scene and I got to cut my junior teeth racing against adults since there wasn't the awesome venue that NICA provides nowadays. This is my 24th season as a "bike racer" and I trend towards longer endurance events now but will lineup for just about anything if I have friends (or my wife) interested in it. Short track, super D, enduro, XC, cyclocross, crits, gravel races, track, etc... I'm just happy to be out on course with good people going fast.
  • 12 1
 Back in the days of NORBA, before the roadies ruined it
  • 5 0
 I'd agree that courses were lame for awhile, but the tracks now are nasty and pure roadies aren't out there winning races.
  • 3 0
 @AndrewFleming: "Mr. Fleming...Mr Pidcock holding for you on line 1"
  • 4 3
 @ReformedRoadie: You’re missing my point. Pidcock is not a pure roadie, he has skills. Same with Sagan.
  • 1 0
 @AndrewFleming: A "pure roadie" isn't showing up at as mountain bike race anyway...so what is your point?
  • 1 0
 @ReformedRoadie: My point is that in the mid 90s and early 00s, the courses were fast and not technical and road racers moved over to mountain bike races easily. That's what @o1inc was referring to, I think.
  • 2 0
 @AndrewFleming: That’s a big chunk of it, although weather it was the courses becoming less challenging or the roadie invasion which came first is kind of a chicken vs the egg thing. Ultimately with the roadies came their culture and much of what I enjoyed about xc racing went away. I’m glad I got to enjoy it when I did.
  • 4 0
 Does it seem like there aren't actually that many traditional amateur 1.5-2.5 hr XC races going on in the US or is that just me/my area? High school and collegiate racing still has those but Marathon XC seems more common in the mountain west. I feel like XC's amateur field got split up the last few years between Gravel taking the more fitness focused off-road cyclists and Enduro taking the more skill focused riders.
  • 4 0
 I think it is just your area. In Oregon there are at least 9 of those 1.5 to 2.5 hr XC races. If you include Washington there are something like 18-20 in those 2 states this year.
  • 2 0
 MBAA is doing very well in AZ. We're up in Flagstaff tomorrow and there's 650 riders signed up. They have a great 6 race series and there's a half a dozen or more others throughout the year that fit your criteria.
  • 3 0
 It just your area.
  • 1 0
 I think it depends on where you can get to. I XC race in Ohio (OMBC) in my age bracket (though sometimes I get bumped down to 40+ open mens where my a** gets kicked) but I have access to technical XC in the 12 to 16km distance. I race enduro too, and there is a course in Ohio that’s is as rocky, twisting, and rooty as a WV downhills it’s just that your going up instead. In general, roadies and Cyclocross dudes show up but as XC gets more technical I wonder how the rider mix might change or stay the same.
  • 1 0
 @cgreaseman: must be your area. There is a well organized local series as well as a bigger promotion series by me.
  • 2 0
 Tons of racing available in SoCal. But I am wondering if gravel is taking a huge chunk of people away. The biggest "XC" races always end up attracting at least some people on gravel bikes, whereas the races where a gravel bike would be worthless have the least people.
  • 7 3
 XC is awesome! Now that so many cities and towns have built skate parks, mini bike parks, and the like, I hope we start seeing more purpose-built XCO and XCST courses for racing. I help put on a 3-race DS and ST series locally, and everyone has so much fun. We get a lot of people that do both races back-to-back.

My cup o' tea is longer-distance, technical XC races like Moab Rocks, True Grit (St. George), and the former Grand Junction Off-road (now GJ Rides and Vibes). I dream of doing Singletrack 6 someday.
  • 4 0
 My club has organized a xc race for the past decade, every year I go for few laps as its really nice track but holly molley that discipline is hard! Climbs are short but feel like riding a bike up the wall and as soon as you reach top its already downhill... Non stop pace simply drains you dry if you are not used to it and Im usually smoked after the first lap but then I strugle for few more. I really love xc racing but being able to hold that pace on highest level is crazy!
  • 3 0
 As a teenager in the 90s a few. Good fun as it was an opportunity to ride proper trails rather than farm tracks. Depressing because of the size difference between teenagers @ 14 and the money gap between parents.

Also ride SSUk in dalby forest Yorkshire and threw up but your ment to throw up when racing @SSUK but have the most fun of any race.
  • 3 0
 Enduro wasn't even a thing when I started racing in the late 90s. Back then it was either XC on hardtails, or DH on big, heavy, dual-crown downhill rigs that were a chore to ride anywhere w/o a chairlift or shuttle. That kind of bike would've been major overkill for the terrain where I live, and I didn't have the $$ for a DH race bike + weekly trips to a lift-served park *and* a more trail/XC oriented daily-driver, so I gravitated to XC racing after all the older fast guys on our local group ride told me I would do well and should give it a try.

I did, enjoyed it, and fell deep down the rabbit hole. Spent almost all of my non-school/work time in the 90s - '00s training and racing. Rose as far as semi-pro, eventually switching to singlespeed, and then more toward singlespeed endurance (100-milers, 50-milers, 12-hours, etc.).

Eventually burned out on the training/racing grind, stopped racing and for a few years only rode occasionally (Going out and hammering on a singlespeed hardtail is a lot less fun when you've lost that race fitness). Just recently got my first new bike in over a decade and discovered just how far bikes have come in that time, and am playing catch-up trying to progress in the more gravity oriented skillset. If I were starting out now, considering racing, and only had one bike, I'd almost certainly be racing enduro on an enduro or trail bike that I could still pedal on my local trails.
  • 2 0
 Race arguably too much XC. I will try to back off a little next year (probably won't).

Funny part is, I lot RACING XC, but that is virtually the only time I ride my XC bike. And as much as I love riding my enduro bike, I don't like racing enduro.
  • 2 0
 Problem with xc racing is it so heavily focuses the the super thin and high w/kg riders at least here in CO. I found short track races to be much better in this regard but still w/kg is king, at least though, those with higher anaerobic abilities get to be in the mix.
  • 1 0
 You dont need to win in order to race
  • 5 0
 No option for compensating for a lack of racing through fantasy XC…
  • 4 0
 I used to race mountain bikes in the early 90’s when NORBA was running things. It was all XC then.
  • 1 0
 I'm in my mid-50's, been riding and racing (some XC, mostly stage racing or 100-milers) for most of that time. There's a long-standing XC race here in BC that's been on my wish list for years so last week I looked at their registration page. $150 for what would be ~1.5 hours..... WTF!!!!!!
  • 4 0
 I used to do the Pink Bike World Cup XC fantasy league. But now I don't......
  • 1 0
 I think most people my age have probably done some XC racing since in the early to mid 90s it was the most available competitive option for mountain bikes. The courses were very legit back then but passing and stuff was complex because almost everything was single track. As someone that was a sub 2:10 Olympic Distance triathlete in his 30s I can tell you that XC racing is one of the most painful things and the mental and physical toughness is extreme. Those WC men and women are absolute animals.
  • 1 0
 Raced a couple of times on old bikes and got my ass absolutely handed to me. I did have fun and was proud to have finished both races. The first one was short and muddy Second one was long. 4 different 8-ish mile stages in the hot Northern California sun. Barely survived that one but I felt really good about finishing that one. Type 2 fun is cool and all but I don't have to dedicate so much time and energy to enjoy type 1 fun so I just stick with that these days.
  • 3 0
 I used to race XC all the time but now I rave a different discipline... As in I used to race XC in 19fckn90's
  • 4 0
 I’m doing my first XC race in 5 days.
  • 1 0
 Glhf
  • 1 0
 Every sunday i take my Freenduro bike to make a trail what ends near my mother's house, then i go there to lunch... Some others days before night i take my 29" XC to round near trails on my house...
  • 5 2
 Im WAAAAYYYYYY too fat and out of shape for that.
  • 11 0
 U can always train and lose weight
  • 8 0
 @ZanderShredsMtb: I call bullshit
  • 3 2
 Guy who follows me on Strava has gone from substantially overweight to trying to train for triathlons* now. Which is not what I expected from a Harley riding right wing veteran.

*You don't have to become a triathlete though, unless you really hate yourself.
  • 4 0
 @JSTootell:
Terrence Cutler : There's something you need to know about Kenny, you're not the only athlete here at Chip Davis. I happen to be training for a triathlon. Doing a lot of running, cycling, swimming, but you know all about that.

Kenny Powers : No actually I don't. I play real sports, not try to be the best at exercising
  • 1 0
 @ZanderShredsMtb: l could....
  • 1 0
 @AndrewFleming: loool
  • 1 0
 Most of the races in my area (at least from observation) seem to more about climbing. But I'd fair a bit better in XC style course, and would be willing to try one day.
  • 1 0
 Raced once, won my category then retired on a high note. It was fun but I prefer less people on the trails. To each their own.
  • 1 0
 I started racing in the early 90s. XC was all there was until a norba race rolled into town in 1994 and they had a DH race you could sign up for. I've been hooked ever since.
  • 2 0
 The results do clearly show that racing XC is a great motivator to stop competitive cycling entirely!
  • 1 0
 Years ago most people started riding XC as that what mountain biking generally, was apart from downhill on big bikes.
  • 1 0
 I've done a few over the years. I'm not saying I would never race again, but I have no desire to at the moment.
  • 1 0
 Raced XC twice - too much work! Moved to gravity-assist categories immediately. Respect for you skinny monkeys, but Nah.
  • 2 0
 Scott trials and dual slalom only for me.
  • 2 0
 No racing but love all that xc printing...
  • 1 0
 My nostalgia is mired in a rigid steel frame skinny tires and loose rock. We had fun but it was brutal.
  • 6 4
 I'm too sexy for XC...
  • 1 0
 tried once. learned my lesson....
  • 1 0
 Racing since the late 80s
  • 1 0
 With Strava you can race whichever discipline you like, whenever you like!
  • 1 0
 Once upon a time, this was just about the only type of racing there was.
  • 2 0
 I only ride park
  • 1 0
 Too fat for xc, too stubborn for ebikes. I live the american dream
  • 2 1
 Not answering. Don't want ads popping up for lycra...
  • 2 1
 No but I have a background in BMX. Wink
  • 1 0
 No ebike class? Not interested.
  • 1 0
 I do a local short track rece every week, I think that counts
  • 1 0
 Would have if there was XC races close and I had a XC bike.
  • 1 2
 I live in a America, so yeah 0 interest in shelling out a couple hundred bucks to maybe race one weekend for the lulz.
  • 1 1
 No thx
  • 2 4
 Ew, gross!
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