And now for something completely different.....Cranky Monkey 6hr MTB Race and Xterra

The Ramblings of an Endurance Junkie is probably apt right about now as this weekend I line up for my first mountain bike race of the year and my first MTB race since 2003....a lot has changed in those 12 years since I was racing all over the UK in the dirt! We moved to the USA, took up triathlon and didn't touch the trails until picking up 'cross again in 2012.

So it looks like the two worlds have collided for 2015. I am venturing into Xterra triathlons (off-road triathlons) so why not sign up for the Cranky Monkey 6hr MTB endurance race as a training race on the local trails.  It should be a lot of fun, the weather looks good, the trails have dried up and I have some pretty good fitness right now. I'm not sure if it is 6hr MTB fitness but it is fitness.

I have managed to get onto the trails a few times since actually getting my Specialized Stumpjumper in January, in amongst the rain and snow! Yes I was a little rusty but the last ride this past week was a bit better in terms of flow....I'm sure that over the course of 6hrs the feel for the trails will come back as you learn the track.

Race Flyer for Cranky Monkey 6hr

So what does this mean for 2015 and the triathlon season? It's bit of a diversion to hit the Xterra Series with the season goal to qualify for Nationals in Ogden, Utah (Sept, 2015). A long shot would be to qualify for Worlds at the Eastern Championships race at Richmond in June (only 2 or 3 spots in my age group available at the race), that might be a goal for another year! Let's see what the first few races teach me :-

My 2015 Xterra race schedule will be something like this:

April 26th - Xterra Jersey Devil, Barnegat, NJ
June 14th - Xterra East Championships, Richmond, VA
July 12th - Xterra Ex2, Rocky Gap, MD
August 2nd - Xterra Appalachia, Penns Run, PA
Sept 19th - Xterra Nationals, Ogden, UT

Should be a fun season!