My main racing aim for 2013 was to race this year’s installment of the Real Insurance XCM Series, a series of six marathon-distance MTB events that’s been proving wildly popular for the last few years.
Unfortunately, I’ve heard this morning via Capital Punishment’s Facebook page that there will be no XCM Series for 2013.
I’ve so far found no details on why the series is off, but no doubt that’ll become clear over time. It’s possible an abbreviated series may emerge, but the Wombat 100, Cap Punishment, The Convict 100, The Highland Fling and The Kowalski Classic (which was to be a first-time inclusion) won’t be part of it, making it a rather emasculated version of previous years.
The races themselves will go on, in stand-alone fashion, but there’s no overarching series tying them together.
This is a loss for Australian endurance MTB, but with so many other races to choose from, the scene is still healthy, even if it still doesn’t seem to know the difference between marathon and enduro.
On a personal note, this means my racing ambitions for the year will shift. I’m unlikely to head south to the Wombat 100 if it’s not part of the XCM, since it’s logistically tricky to organise, and may instead refocus on the Shimano MTB GP series of endurance events, depending on how the first round goes this weekend. Or next weekend, since weather is worrying the organisers a little. I’d still like to do the Convict 100, and I’m entered for Capital Punishment already. I have unfinished business with the Highland Fling this year, too, since I missed last year’s start due to a car breakdown.
More news on this will be posted as I find it.
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