Cruise

I have raced a few mountain bike events over the years, and on most occasions I have basically gone all out, as fast as I could from the gun. There are real pluses to this approach; you discover a little more of how much you can tolerate, you feel a great sense of satisfaction as you cross the line knowing you couldn't have gone faster.

There are also the negatives; you feel pretty nervous at the start, wondering whether you will fulfil your own expectations. You tend to have a 'race face' on, and probably take the race, and yourself, far too seriously. It really does hurt.

On Saturday Ricey and I decided to 'cruise' a 3 hour event at Mt Stromlo in Canberra. And it was fun. No race face meant a relaxed pre race. During the race you could chat to each other and other riders. You didn't feel like you had to bury yourself up every climb but could take a lap a lot faster to enjoy the speed if you wanted to. You could laugh through the trails and over the little errors, instead of berating yourself for losing time. And at the end, you still felt like you could ride another lap or two.

It's nice to take the pressure off yourself sometimes. And simply cruise.