As the six race Real Insurance XCM Series reaches a climax at the Highland Fling in Bundanoon on November 11, it's not only the pros who will be racing for glory.
Over the past two years the Real Insurance XCM Series has provided a platform for Australia's elite mountain bikers to shine as they jockey for $20,000 in prizes.
But the CycleNation rankings of all competitors goes deeper than that.
Those not paid to ride their bikes have been training in the dark and juggling work, partners and kids for the water cooler glory of finishing Australia's premier marathon mountain bike series on the podium.
As the elites spend the day in Bundanoon closely checking each other for line honours and a potential series win, so too will riders in the Veteran Men's category. The largest category of mountain bike racing, the 40 to 49 age is a group of men hell bent on victory over each other for no other reason than the sweet feeling of a weekend well spent.
There are currently 350 points separating the top seven riders in this category. This means that come race day in Bundanoon, any one of them could win. While they might not have the profile of the big guns, the racing will be just as furious. With 2,550 points available for the win, first across the line will be cracking the bubbles. Current leader, Jason McAvoy of Canberra, is looking over his shoulder.
"It's been a lot of fun, a lot of close racing." McAvoy says. "We all start together and spend the day racing each other so it's always close."
While the Veteran Women's category may have come down to a two horse race, it is one that will come down to the wire. The much travelled Wendy Stevenson is a scant 68 points ahead of Amanda Cleife and both are looking forward to toeing the line at the Fling. Stevenson has raced her bike fifteen times in 2012 and has moved to the top of the rankings through consistent results and sheer number of races entered. While competitors in this category are adept at juggling their training with other facets of their life, motivation to exercise is not one of them.
It's this kind of attitude that has her currently placed 6th overall in the nationwide CycleNation rankings which counts all mountain bike races that have been fed into the system.
With the renovations finished, the career secured and the kids approaching adulthood those aged between 50 and 59 find themselves with a little more time to train. The Master Men category has only 364 points separating the top four. While the evergreen Garry James (who, like Wendy Stevenson, is also an incredible 5th in the overall in the CycleNation rankings) has a small cushion over Peter Selkrig, there are only 143 points separating 2nd and 4th. And, like Stevenson, motivation is clearly not an issue.
"I'll probably end up doing about thirty races for the year." James says. "There's not much better fun than racing mountain bikes."
Such is the beauty of top flight mountain bike racing in Australia: lining up at the start are full time pros alongside a guy who might be your postman.
Over the past two years the Real Insurance XCM Series has provided a platform for Australia's elite mountain bikers to shine as they jockey for $20,000 in prizes.
But the CycleNation rankings of all competitors goes deeper than that.
Those not paid to ride their bikes have been training in the dark and juggling work, partners and kids for the water cooler glory of finishing Australia's premier marathon mountain bike series on the podium.
As the elites spend the day in Bundanoon closely checking each other for line honours and a potential series win, so too will riders in the Veteran Men's category. The largest category of mountain bike racing, the 40 to 49 age is a group of men hell bent on victory over each other for no other reason than the sweet feeling of a weekend well spent.
There are currently 350 points separating the top seven riders in this category. This means that come race day in Bundanoon, any one of them could win. While they might not have the profile of the big guns, the racing will be just as furious. With 2,550 points available for the win, first across the line will be cracking the bubbles. Current leader, Jason McAvoy of Canberra, is looking over his shoulder.
"It's been a lot of fun, a lot of close racing." McAvoy says. "We all start together and spend the day racing each other so it's always close."
While the Veteran Women's category may have come down to a two horse race, it is one that will come down to the wire. The much travelled Wendy Stevenson is a scant 68 points ahead of Amanda Cleife and both are looking forward to toeing the line at the Fling. Stevenson has raced her bike fifteen times in 2012 and has moved to the top of the rankings through consistent results and sheer number of races entered. While competitors in this category are adept at juggling their training with other facets of their life, motivation to exercise is not one of them.
It's this kind of attitude that has her currently placed 6th overall in the nationwide CycleNation rankings which counts all mountain bike races that have been fed into the system.
With the renovations finished, the career secured and the kids approaching adulthood those aged between 50 and 59 find themselves with a little more time to train. The Master Men category has only 364 points separating the top four. While the evergreen Garry James (who, like Wendy Stevenson, is also an incredible 5th in the overall in the CycleNation rankings) has a small cushion over Peter Selkrig, there are only 143 points separating 2nd and 4th. And, like Stevenson, motivation is clearly not an issue.
"I'll probably end up doing about thirty races for the year." James says. "There's not much better fun than racing mountain bikes."
Such is the beauty of top flight mountain bike racing in Australia: lining up at the start are full time pros alongside a guy who might be your postman.