If 'pacing' is a dirty word and your undercarriage goes numb just thinking about long endurance rides; if you race for the glory of scoring the holeshot and honour of leading on the first lap; if you'd rather crash and burn than 'save something for the last lap', then mark Saturday 26th June in your diary...

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Short track tips & tactics from the Subaru Gary Fisher pro riders

First up is the lovely Willow Koerber - Bronze medallist at the 2009 World Mountain Bike Champs (short track highlights include 2nd place at the 2007 US National Champs).


Any good advice for us Brits? "As far as tips and tactics go, try to be in 2nd or 3rd place most of the race, know where you will need to attack on the last lap for the win, and when you do attack, make it count!" And just how fast is the racing? "I think short tracks have really helped the US racers prepare for the intensity of a world cup start. Good luck!" Thanks Willow!
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Next up is top rider Sam Schultz - Silver medallist at the 2009 Continental Champs and winner of the short track at the 2008 Sea Otter Classic (taking the win with a ballsy last lap, last turn uphill pass on Ryan Trebon after battling with him all race long).
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You're a fan of short track aren't you? "Yeah, I really like short track because it adds another race to the weekend, making the travel more worth-while"... (US riders put us Brits to shame with the amount of travelling they do to get to races) ..."and allowing racers to 'make up' for a bad race the day before. It is different enough from XC that it feels unique and it's a perfect opportunity to suffer more in 25 minutes than you ever thought possible!" Any tips? "Short track is often a pretty tactical race and if you go at just the right time often you can kind of 'fake it' and pull out a good result as long as you're willing to dig really deep. All in all I think that Short Track does nothing but add to the racing experience." Thanks Sam!

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