Forging friendships in mountain biking
Racing bikes is tough. Like… really tough if you’re out for a win. It’s the way it should be; after all you don’t win Olympic gold by doing bike path rides with your mum (though it can be debated the social benefits of these type of rides are of no less importance in the big picture of life).
Words: Anna Beck
Anyone who has had a serious crack at any of the mountain bike disciplines can attest that in order to race well, you have to put yourself in uncomfortable places for prolonged periods of time.
Even those not at the pointy end of the field can understand how deeply uncomfortable giving it your all can be. Is it any surprise then, that riding through hardship and adversity can forge some of the strongest bonds of all? Riding 100km off-road? Bloody hard. You know what’s slightly less hard and/or more pleasant? Doing it with someone. Yes, doing it with someone else in the bush is slightly more exciting/less soul destroying then doing it alone, this is fact.
Bike racing has allowed me to form some excellent friendships that have capacity to exist both on and off the bike. Sure, on the bike it’s all elbows and killing each other while chasing a result, but the relationships can change when you’ve crossed the line and the beer mirage becomes reality. Even before the race, mountain bikers seem to have the ability to turn off the competition and just chill. Ok, well at least some of us can!
The day prior to Derby XCM National Championships, most of the elite women’s field could be found attending a local cafe drinking coffee, eating scones and just talking about general life stuff. No talking smack, no slandering, just talking like a bunch of awesome, down to earth mountain bikers having a chin-wag in a remote part of Australia. Making new friends is such a highlight of racing for me that I even managed to make an instant friend on the finish line, then tee up a lift back to the airport. A new friend AND a lift: best race ever (thanks Christie, you’re amazing).
Unfortunately, I have also witnessed some quite hostile and unsavoury behaviour on the bike. While not often occurring in the elite women’s field, it appears to be more common (in my very scientific N=1 dataset) in Masters’ categories of both genders. I would argue that there is something to do with proving a point, feeding the ego and inappropriately venting the rage of the reality of everyday mediocre life on the racecourse. Whatever the reason, I feel as these athletes probably don’t have the excellent race-friendship ratio happening. No scones for these guys.
So, if you are reading this thinking ‘hey, maybe I am one of those riders that perhaps engages in the aforementioned behaviour, perhaps there is another way?’ I would like to let you know that indeed there is. Rather than focusing on your competition as an arch nemesis that must be crushed, remember that your fellow competitors make up the race, and without them you’re riding around by yourself. Maybe you could even catch up for scones and coffee or tea before your next big event?
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