Andalucia Bike Race Summary - by Cait Elliott

After 6 days of hardcore racing covering more than 550km and over 12,000m of climbing the Andalucia Bike Race is complete. Josh and I won the mixed category overall as well as each stage of the race. Spending a week as a pro rider has been a fantastic experience in which I’ve learnt a lot and its made me hungry for more. The importance of preparing for every eventuality in terms of energy, mechanicals and temperatures has become very obvious, especially when riding unsupported in such a long race.

Riding as a pair brings a very different experience to standard racing and it’s something I’ve enjoyed a lot. It gives you a much more accurate understanding of your own strengths and weaknesses, which will be useful for future training. I think we worked very well together as a team and Josh was incredibly patient as it must have been frustrating at times to know that he could go much faster alone.

The mixture of extreme emotions experienced over the 6 days has been amazing and although there were a lot of extremely tough moments it’s the positive things that stand out. We’ve met some great people, ridden some amazing trails, seen some spectacular places, and come away feeling inspired to do more. Now it’s time to recover before the start of the xc season in a few weeks time.

Thank you to everyone involved in organising the race, it’s definitely one for the diary next year. Also to WXC World Racing and the team sponsors – in particular Compressport compression clothing was very useful for recovery between stages and Sportique warm-up oil and chamois cream were essential for staying comfortable during the long days.