The Benefits of Short Track Racing...

Short track racing is nothing like cross-country racing, but I feel it can add value to your cross-country training. I will be so bold as to say that you will rarely (if ever) have a XC situtation in a short track race, but you will have a short track situtation in a cross-country race. In fact, you may have a dozen short track situations in a single cross-country race.

So, if you are willing to take your mind off the fact that a typical short track race is only 25 - 45 minutes in length, I feel you can really fine tune some technical aspects of cross-country racing that may help you get on the podium after your next cross-country race.

Starting Line: It is a good place to learn to jump off the line. There are times in cross-country racing when you want to be the first rider off the line in order to avoid a potential bottle-neck as the trail goes from dirt road to single-track. In short track your starting position is essential and it will force you to learn to click in and get the bike moving, fast!

Cornering: Short track races should have loads of corners. Some will be banked, others off-camber; some will have tacky dirt, while others may be sandy and loose. Some corners will be located at the base of a hill and others will be at the apex. Nowhere are you better able to hone your cornering skills than on a short track course. Not only are you forced to take a lot of corners, but you are required to do them at high speed.

Riding in a Pack: Most cross-country races start in a pack and then once you leave the line you don't have to worry about bumping elbows or tires with a fellow racer. Short track packs will string out a bit, but you will likely bump elbows in a corner with another racer, which brings me to the next thing you can learn from short track.

Passing: Learning when the best opportunity to pass a fellow rider will help big time on the cross-country course. I've been in dozens of situations where I had to figure out the best time to pass someone in front of me while doing cross-country. In short track you have short sprint areas that force you to find the quickest way to pass. Otherwise, you learn to take the proper lines into a corner to try to get around a rider in front of you.

Physical Limits: You can put your heart rate monitor on and force yourself to get in the anaerobic zone during your weekday workout or you can jump into a short track race and effortlessly push your heart to the limit. One of the biggest complaints I hear about short track is from people who say they are just starting to warm-up as the race completes. Plan your race with this knowledge. If it takes you 25 minutes to warm-up; plan on being at the race course 25 minutes before the race. Warm-up for the full 25 minutes and show up to the start line with a good sweat.

I truly feel that any serious mountain biker will find time to focus on these aspects of their training with the same zest as they do their cardio training. And what better place to hone these skills than at your local short track race series; Where you can race both friends and strangers as you train for the technical challenges you'll see on the cross-country race course.