by Andrew Wong

Created on: July 13, 2009   Last Updated: July 15, 2009

It is really impossible to say which out of road or mountain bike competitions is harder. It depends totally on the conditions of the race and the aptitude of the cyclist. I know of road racers who can't cope with the different demands of cross country mountain bike racing. Most mountain bikers aren't too bad in road racing though, and we see a lot of successful transitions from professional mountain bike racing to world class pro road racing (Cadel Evans, Ryder Hesjedal, Floyd Landis...). Yet, for me and for many others, who race both cross country and road, it is always the longer road races which instill more fear.

The start of a road race is great, you know that you can relax with the bunch for a little bit before the pain and chaos stars. Mountain bike starts are full of stress and chaos right away as riders hit the gas 100% to get a good position, and they stay at 100% the whole way. Add to that technical descents, the problems with terrain and the invariably tough climbs, and you can see why mountain bike racing is considered to be so tough. It is physically demanding, and basically similar to doing a time trail for two hours. For a good cross country racer, great bike handling skills and confidence in bad conditions is a must. How can a road race be harder, really? Even if the distances and time on the bike are greater, most if not all of the race is spent in a bunch and for large parts of most races (unless you are brave enough to break away) the heart rate isn't really that high. Yet a road race is very demanding in different ways to a cross country race. First of all, riding in a peleton requires skill and sharp wits in itself. A smart road rider with good tactics will beat a fast guy with no tactics nearly every time. The tactics are such that 100% mental concentration and awareness of what is happening in the race is needed, and you must be able to read your opponents wisely. On a mountain bike this applies as well, but usually if you have the legs you are able to ride away from a weaker opponent.

Even if we take out the mental aspect, physically a road race is no walk in the park compared to mountain biking. Sure, you aren't riding full noise the whole time. But the fear of being dropped will keep you riding for sustained periods of time above 100% when the bunch is putting the hammer down. The problem is, that if you get a tough race, and attacks start early, you don't get long to recover after every effort above the redline. Forget about winning, sometimes a road race is about survival, just being able to hold wheels. In a mountain bike race you race at your limit, but you don't necessarily have to ride outside it. In a road race, if you don't, and get dropped, you have a long ride home by yourself.

We've all been dropped. We all know what that is like.

And then you hit the hills. If you have a race with good climbers in it, the pain that is dished out on even short climbs is considerable. And unlike a mountain bike race, this will go on for hours. Admittedly the 3 hour mountain bike races enter a different world of hurt, but a good long mountainous road race is indescribably painful. Especially when you have to get up the next day and do it again!

But to sum it up, each to their own. The mountain goats will usually find olympic style mountain biking easier as long as they have good technical skills, and the demands of road racing are taxing to all who are racing at a competitive level. But naturally there are those who find the brutality and speed of a technical cross country race just as challenging, if not more so.

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