I think you will do fine. Its not much different than most other tri's you will have cyclists of all abilities out there.

I have friends that did their first Xterra with very little mountain biking experience. One of my friends bought a new bike shortly before the race and used the race as her first ride on it.

In the local race here the single track is a no passing zone. There is plenty of time and space to pass on the more open sections.

So it’s not like there are sustained periods on technical paths with no passing? On a non-technical path, I could hold a decent pace. I wouldn’t want to create a traffic jam as I was trying to navigate a bunch of roots and rocks.

As long as you give the riders a place to get by within 30-60 seconds they are normally cool about it. They understand you can only do what you can.

They are normally a bunch of calm level-headed riders that are just looking for a safe place to pass. There are some a-holes out there but they are few and far in between.

Are you saying good mountain bikers can't be FOP swimmers?

I have no knowledge of how good the Xterra crowd is at swimming. I’m relating my IM experience.

Someone has to be FOP in Xterra and they have to ride a mountain bike :)

Trail swimming is our specialty!

There was supposed to be smiley face on that first reply. I was too quick to post. Sorry!

I have only raced Xterras on 1 course, and it has lots of climbing on fire roads, and a few short single track sections. It wasnt overly technical. I have ridden much of that course on my cyclocross bike so it definitely was not too difficult.

Your course may be different, but from what I have heard Xterra courses typically are not that technical. My local race has more of a grassroots/fun/less serious atmosphere around it than many regular tri's. As others have said as long as you make room for faster people to pass within a reasonable amount of time most riders are cool with it.

As others have said, it's a matter of courtesy, and good on you for being able to accept your place in the pecking order. Keep your ears open for people behind you. Some will announce themselves, others might stalk. It's better to just find a place to let them by than to let them apply pressure and force you to make a mistake.

The XTERRA scene is laid back hardcore. You're gonna have some people with some intense riding skills and speed, but they will also be the first to stop and help you with a flat. It's a good scene.

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Travis Rassat
Vector Cycle Works
Noblesville, IN
BikeFit Instructor | FMS | F.I.S.T. | IBFI
Toughman Triathlon Series Ambassador

I would add that for domestic US races, it’s more likely that you will encounter an MTB leg that is comprised of multiple laps. That being the case, the strong MTB riders/overall racers are quite patient about and accustomed to working with and around slower riders. I would say that everything gets worked out nicely.

Confirmed- everyone I have raced with has been cool about making room to pass safely and calling out and making safe passes. Holding someone up intentionally is very bad form and likely will cause an impatient rider to try and make a heroic pass. That's bad for everyone.

The bruised ribs from the first time I tried this was enough to insure that there won't be a second time.

This is exactly what occurred in my first and only Xterra to date
Left the water in good position, had a trail following me the whole bike.
No rider showed any signs of anger or disappointment - more a feeling of personal disappointment than anything else ,Remember a lady having to clip off when seeing me after turning a corner (due to my low speed)Crossed paths with the pros on loop 2, crazy skills - made me respect offroad biking a lot

Over all I think Xterra racers a way mellower crowd than road tris. My first Maui Xterra I was drinking beers with Udo Bolts post ride on the side of the road. Pretty cool after seeing him blasting away in the Tour the year before. Unless things have changed in the last 5 years or so I don't think you could have any problems in most Xterra events.

My favorite part of Xterra races is the much more relaxed vibe. They are smaller and people are not ratcheted up as tight.

At Xterras ( and any MTB race) people are accustomed to singletrack and you generally hear a cheerful, patient " looking to pass " when someone comes up behind you. If it works out that you are out of the water ahead of the podium contenders you may have some guys hard after each other coming through early - they may not be as patient ( although the pros are usually the most gracious people out there) . If you are walking a climb - always give way to a rider coming up behind.

Most times I'll just swing wide in a wider section of trail, or ride a few meters on the shoulder. It is a race - you are not expected to stop and let a competitor pass you, but if you are clearly blocking a faster rider, the right thing to do is let them by as soon as is convenient.

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" I take my gear out of my car and put my bike together. Tourists and locals are watching from sidewalk cafes. Non-racers. The emptiness of of their lives shocks me. "
(opening lines from Tim Krabbe's The Rider , 1978

Like others have stated Xterra races and racer are way more mellow then the regular tri crowd. That’s why I enjoy them more, the same goes for trail running races. Maybe it has something to do with being in the woods :)

I'm in the same boat as you. Testing the Xterra waters this year at Jersey Devil, but have only been mountain biking once in my life... Looking forward to it.

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Strava

I'm pretty similar to you. I'm a FOP triathlete with no mountain biking skills. A few years ago I signed up Xterra Lake Placid. I test rode the bike course the day before the race. It was a mess, very confusing, lots of rocks, logs and narrow gaps. I thought very technical, I went down a few times and frequently had to dismount. The only reason I signed up was one of my training partners was getting married the night before the race at the White Face Club. Most of the people at the wedding were triathletes and I figured someone should do the race. It was raining race morning and I was hung over. I figured if I couldn't ride the course alone in dry weather I'd really be in the way in the rain during a race. So I went for it on the swim then DNFed.

Only as awkward as you make it, in that it's not very likely that other racers who want to pass you are going to get pissed off unless you intentionally block them.
My experience in XTERRA has pretty much been exactly that, both in the age group field and now racing elite, is spending most of the bike leg getting passed.
As for Jersey Devil, it's almost entirely a non-issue. Most of that course is wide enough for at least two riders so passing is no problem. It's also pretty non-technical, so you might actually surprise yourself how well you can do on minimal MTB experience.

PS drafting is allowed in XTERRA, which tends to benefit the faster swimmers on faster, less technical courses like Jersey Devil because you might just be able to latch on as somebody catches you, but the fast riders moving up through the field aren't going to have the same dynamic.

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IG: idking90

Thanks for all the comments here.

How would people describe the Xterra Jersey Devil vs the Way Over Yonder races? Distance discrepancies are obvious. I’m most interested in the bike courses, along the lines of what is discussed above.

I am an FOMOP triathlete but I was DFL for my age group in the first Xterra I did this summer. The mountain biking was way more technical than I expected and the run was also super technical.

You will be fine (for Jersey Devil at least). I was in same boat as you and did Xterra Jersey Devil and really enjoyed it. I bought a hardtail mountain bike to try Xterras. Went on a group ride from bike shop on some trails. The 5th time I fell during that ride and bruised my knee, I said no more mountain biking. Signed up for Jersey Devil the next year anyway. That was the next time I rode my mountain bike on a trail. It was fine. The course was not very technical at all. Wide enough for people to pass me. I had one of the slowest bike rides in the race, but still had a blast. The trail run at the end was really fun. I would recommend Jersey Devil if you want to try an Xterra without too hard a bike course. Very fun race.

I have since gotten a full-suspension bike and it makes a big difference - I can ride places I could not ride before, so you may also want to give that a shot.

http://www.buduracing.com/...ts-inset.php?eid=754

Ha, I saw your post and it brought back some memories of when I got into Xterra racing. Scroll down to 48th place overall and look at my swim time with T1. Since most the races have so few athletes there was just one wave of everyone. Even at 56 years old I got onto the bike in 2nd overall. It was a super technical course the had gotten rained on the night before, so I was a definite obstacle for all the good MTB'ers out there. But as others have mentioned, they were all to a person polite and patient. I even had to get off the bike on some uphills because my gearing would not allow me to climb the muddy ascents, and there was no way around me on many sections.

Now that was then this is now, but I assume not much has changed in 5 years as that group is just insulated from the me first attitude that a lot of triathletes have adopted over the decades. When I come back and race again, it will be a MTB triathlon somewhere, they were a blast. Hard as hell though, be prepared for some spikes HR's, but it is nice that time is not really a factor, just doing a good job and getting a place..

This is Bob, the race director of the XTERRA Jersey Devil. I just noticed your post. If you are a beginner mountain biker the Jersey Devil course will be perfect for your 1st XTERRA. As someone else here mentioned the trails are mostly wide so it allows a lot of room for passing. The trails are packed down sand and pine-needles. The bike is 2 loops of a 6.5 mile course, so if you do not get a chance to pre-ride the course you will at least know what to expect on the 2nd loop.

As a veteran XTERRA racer myself I highly recommend checking out the bike course ahead of time at any XTERRA you do, it will make a big difference come race day in knowing what to expect.

If you have any more questions about the XTERRA Jersey Devil please email me from the contact info found on the Jersey Devil webpage: www.xterrajerseydevil.com

If you have questions on the XTERRA Way Over Yonder email the race director Dave, he can answer questions on that course, I'm sure his contact is also on his website.

Bob

I was in a similar position as you when I did my one and only XTerra event. It was many years ago but here is my race report from the event: http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...ace%20report#p474148

I just wanted to add that in 32 years of racing triathlons, XTerra races have been some of my favorites. I'm biased because I've been Mtn biking since 1992 but the bike courses are my favorite part.

Maybe my all time favorite race has been XTerra Fruita. It's raced at Highline State Park in CO. They book up the campground festival style so everyone there is either racing or spectating.

My buddy and I drove out Friday morning from Denver, prerode the bike and run courses that afternoon, set up camp, raced Saturday morning, rode the 18 Road Trails Saturday afternoon then stayed Saturday night and rode the Mary's Loop/Horse Thief Bench network Sunday morning before driving home.

Getting 3rd in my AG was cool too.

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Formerly DrD

Somehow I missed this thread when it was more active but thought I'd add my $0.02 even though it is a bit belated because I think it could still be helpful to you or others who are considering giving Xterra a go.

As Xterrabob (and others) have said, Xt Jersey Devil is about as good of a first timer Xterra course as there is.
What the bike lacks in technicality Bob tries his best to make up for on the run course.
If you have the opportunity to preview the bike and run courses (the courses are marked the day before) it will help with any nerves you might have about the course on race day.

No worries about being FOP out of the water and holding up others on the bike.
Xt JD is mostly sandy/gravel double track (plenty of passing chances) with a few short sections of sandy single track.
For the most part, riders coming up from behind will be courteous and will announce their intentions to pass.
No one will expect you to stop to get out of their way. They're just looking to get by and get on with their race.
The Xt Tribe is a much more easy going group than road tri'ers.

You asked about comparing the Xt JD and Xt Way Over Yonder bike courses.
I've done both races (2017 was the first year for Xt WOY) and I can tell you that they are two entirely different animals.
Where Xt JD is mostly sand and gravel, Xt WOY is a whole lotta rocks and roots.
I think that Dave (Xt WOY race director) takes great pleasure in calling WOY the east coast "technical" Xterra.
My guess would be that you'd enjoy Xt JD more but by doing both races you'd see how much different courses can be.
You'll also see how Xterra racing is as much about you against the course as it is about you against other racers.
Xt Sky High is another one to consider as its bike course could be considered an average between those of Xt JD and Xt WOY.

After posting this thread and getting The first few encouraging responses, I signed up for both NJ races. JD sounds like a great initiation into Xterra. I sorta regret signing up for WOY, because I have not had the opportunity to do much technical MTBing.

With respect to WOY, I’m curious how much is technical vs relatively easy.

You shouldn't have any regrets about signing up for WOY.
Dave and his crew (which I think was mostly his family) did a fantastic job of putting on the race last year and I have no doubt that they'll do it again.
The bike course is a mix of double and single track and as is typical of east coast mtb there are some short, steep ups and downs.
The parts that make WOY unique (and the parts that had most people talking post race) were the sections of rocks/roots.
For some it was all rideable, for others probably not so much.

But if you come to a section that is beyond your current skill level it is ok to hike-a-bike to get through it.
This is where pre-riding a course can be a huge advantage for those who can do it.
Knowing that you want to dismount before getting to certain obstacles can be faster and less risky than trying to ride something that you aren't prepared for.
And it can be better for your nerves because you will know ahead of time that you're going to walk so you can stop worrying about how you're going to ride a particular section.

I do see that Dave has added a Sprint option for 2018.
I don't know if the shorter course cuts out any of the toughest sections of roots/rocks but I'm sure he'd be able to tell you.
Super easy guy to chat with and he really does care about those who come to race with him.

Hello from XTERRA Way Over Yonder

First Off - congrats on signing up for both New Jersey XTERRA races!

XTERRA Jersey Devil is a great early season race and of course features that oh so special trail run amongst the swamp land.

As others have mentioned in this thread, XTERRA Way Over Yonder has it's share of technical, which is probably why it's been labeled as "the Beast of the East.".
There will be a pre-ride of the course in April posted on https://www.facebook.com/rsgadventures/ and highly recommend that any first timers come to get familiar with the Mountain Bike route. In true XC MTB fashion it's all good to run a section with the bike if you not comfortable riding through it. Sure you will an amazing time at both events and look forward to seeing you in May.

- XTERRA Dave :)

A quick postscript on my foray into Xterra racing. I did the two NJ races over the last few weeks (Jersey Devil and WOY).

Me: strong swimmer and runner, pretty good cyclist; newby MTBer.

JD was a great initiation into Xterra. Mostly nontechnical bike, which was still tough for me, but not overly stressful. I was very impressed by the FOP crowd, all of which blew me away on the bike.

WOY was three or four notches more difficult. Just relentless on the bike. It felt like about 13 of the 15 miles was technical. Very few breaks. Very stressful and humbling. I was super concerned about ruining my road tri season with a crash.

Oddly, I did more damage to myself on the run than the bike. It may have been the cumulative beating.

Again, I was amazed at WOY at how amazing some MTBers are. The skill level is just staggering.

Will I do another Xterra? Probably would like to do JD again. I wouldn’t do WOY again unless I had a lot more time to practice on the MTB. It’s an event for people with serious bike handling.

Very cool scene at both races. Informal, grass roots feel. RDs are guys that do it out of love. Bottom line: a cool way to use some of the tri fitness and get out of the comfort zone.

Thanks for the report. Done a few MTB XC races now here in NH, and I am scratching my head not wondering why it seems some Xterra races have way more technical courses than XC MTB races. To me I wonder if the RDs are trying to build the sport. I am not trying to wussify the courses, but you would think a balanced XC course with some a 30/70 mix of technical vs not so technical riding would be a better mix. Probably pretty hard to satisfy everyone.