Devyani Kamdar Reports from the World Xterra Scene

by Devyani Kamdar, Tam Cycling News World Correspondent

I've really been enjoying reading everyone's stories. Here is a race
report from a different sort of race. I'm sorry that this is so long. It is actually three race reports in one. I'm hoping I can get some of you mountain bikers to come do some Xterra off road triathlons with me! They are really fun. If you are looking for something new to try.....

I just returned from Europe where I did two Xterra races. I'm
thinking of trying to start a tour company for triathletes with some of the tours taking athletes to races overseas, so I needed to check out some races in Europe as possible tour destinations.

The first was Xterra Italy which takes place on the island of Sardinia. The race was on June 4th and my daughter was graduating from high school on June 1st, so I flew out of SFO on the morning of June 2nd and arrived in Sardinia at 7:00 pm on the 3rd. Unfortunately my bike box with my bike, shoes, helmet, etc., didn't make it and they weren't quite sure where it was. Perhaps in Rome?

To make a long story short my bike arrived in the nick of time the next morning. However, having given up on it the night before, when they still didn't know where it was, I'd been out drinking a Sardinian herbal liquor called Mirto with Dave Nichols, the Xterra "Big Kahuna"
and some of the staff, while the rest of the athletes were getting a good night's sleep! So I started the race jet-lagged, hung over, and with only half a bottle of water as that was all I could bum off other athletes in the transition area. Hey, I didn't get the bike box until an hour before the race (delivered by another athlete who'd picked it up at the airport after midnight. He'd been waiting for his bike, which never came, but he found mine and very sweetly brought it to the race start for me. By the time I had changed my clothes in the back of a truck, built my bike and thrown my stuff together I made it to the transition area just as they were closing it and calling athletes to the start.

The rest of the race was less eventful. A slow swim (no surprise there and can't blame the jet-lag or the mirto for not being able to swim straight), a long hot bike where I really missed my camelback. I did take advantage of those moments I'd usually take to grab a drink to
soak in some of the beautiful views on the course as it wound up the mountainous interior of the island. It was a road biker's course. All fire roads. All hard pack. All about fitness. Unfortunately, fear wasn't a factor, and bike handling skills didn't really come into play, so I just had to work hard. Some of the climbs were so steep I had to fight to stay on the bike. I was sweating up a storm, there was only one aid station, and no shade on the entire course. By the time I got to the run I was spent. Exhausted and dehydrated. I didn't walk the run, but it actually might have been faster. I was running so slowly it was more of a shuffle. People doing their second lap passed me on my first. On my second it seemed I was out there on my own. You know what though. It didn't matter. I was still smiling. I had made it to Italy. My bike had made it to Italy. I was going to finish. And I'd heard that Villacidro had the best after race party of any Xterra in the world!

I wasn't let down. The party was great. The whole town seemed to be there and it went on for hours. More Mirto surfaced.. And some Limoncello... I came in second of three women in my age group and even won a helmet. Xterra age groupers usually just get a medal so it was really fun to actually win something.

After a few days recovering on Sardinia's white sand beaches I flew home. I gave the helmet to my son, who was thrilled to get something besides the usual tee shirt.

A week later the kids and I flew to Frankfurt en route to the second European Xterra race in the Czech Republic. We arrived mid-morning and picked up the rental car, which, luckily happened to have navigation and spoke flawless British English, so we made the car journey to Hluboka from Frankfurt in good time - about 7 hours. Once again my bike hadn't made the flight. However, this time Lufthansa was in control. They knew exactly where it was (It had been left in San Francisco because the flight was full and overweight so they had to leave some baggage behind.) If I'd known that was their policy I'd have objected to the new overweight fee I was charged to get the bike on the plane! Anyway, the capable agent in Frankfurt insisted that the bike would be delivered to me at my hotel in the Czech Republic. And it was. They flew it to Prague and then had it trucked to me in Hluboka. After which I no longer resented the $50 overweight charge. It was acually easier than hassling with the big box myself.

I don't usually have my kids at my races. I'm divorced and I only get them half the time, so I usually travel for races only when I don't have them. I have to admit, though, that Xterra Czech will always be a special race for me. Having my sons there cheering for me gave me such a lift. We swam in a muddy river, starting just beyond a pontoon bridge and going upriver to the turnaround and back. I had a good swim. The river was narrow so I couldn't swim too far off course and the buoy was a big bright orange one which was easy to sight off of. The bike course took us up and down and around the extensive private grounds of the Hluboka Castle. Some fun single track, a few creek crossings, a few climbs, some rocks, some loose leaves and roots in the forest, some fast road sections.... The race had a little of everything but nothing really technical. I had brought my hardtail and was perfectly happy with that. The run was fun. Of course I wasn't exhausted and dehydrated like I'd been in Italy, which helped. We ran up to the Castle and and even used ropes to get up an extremely steep section that was, well, almost a cliff. That's the fun of Xterra. You never know what you'll find on the course. It is always an adventure.

I finished not sure if the other woman in my age group (I race 45 - 49 and often don't have a lot of company in my age group.) was ahead of me or behind me. I hadn't passed her on the bike or run so I thought I must be behind her. Almost no one is a slower swimmer. Evidently she
dnf'd or didn't show though because they called me up to the podium alone. The mayor of Hluboka came out to give me my award and in Xterra Czech you win crystal. Real lead crystal. They must have felt sorry for me being up on the podium all alone, because I got a gorgeous crystal covered candy dish! The awards for Xterra Czech were in the evening and they had a great BBQ, drinks and a band. The Europeans do know how to party after a race.

The European races were really fun, but they don't count in the USA series, so after I returned to the US I had to do a little Xterra qualifier in Snow Valley in the San Bernardino mountains. The series counts your three best races and I only had two. Luckily I came in first and snagged my spot for the National Championship race in Tahoe in September. Since I won the Regional Championship race in Temecula and now have two other regional wins I've earned the title of Regional Champion, too! Last year I didn't even qualify for Nationals, so I am very happy with my racing so far this season. Of course I'd be happier if there were more women out there racing with me.

If anyone is interested in trying an Xterra the Xterra Nevada race is the day before the National Championship race at Tahoe. It is the exact same bike course (on the flume - one of my favorite courses) but has only a half mile swim and a short 4 mile run. Check out Xterraplanet.com for more info.

Hope to see some of you out there some day!