Xterra now has a “World Cup” since 2023 where all elite athletes earn points. There are 3 continental championships (Europe, Asia, USA) + world championship. Points are awarded at a total of 12 World Cup races.
www.xterraplanet.com/world-cup I had prepared well for the first race of the season. I spent 6 weeks at 2400m in Colorado to use the altitude positively in my training. The weather was cold but the opportunities were good. A week before the race I started my journey to Asia to land in Taiwan 4 days before the race.
The weather was hot with extreme humidity. I inspected the trails to know exactly what to expect in the race. It was by far the hardest course of any xterra I've done before. The trails were technical, steep and in addition it was extremely hot. There was a 1.5km swim in the sea, 29km mountain biking with 900hm and finally a 9km trail run with over 400hm.
I was able to improve my swimming form a bit and came out of the water in 12th place. Now it was time to really step on the gas on the mountain bike. I took 2 bottles with me on the bike to stay well hydrated in the heat. Everything went according to plan, only the legs didn't have the last power boost on the steep uphill sections. Still, my time was solid.
Changed to the running shoes, I also took a “flask” with me on the trails to keep me hydrated. I walked many passages on the running track because it was faster than running. After 6km I reached the highest point of the run, then it was steep and technical back to the finish line. I finished my first Xterra World Cup race in 12th place, I expected more, but I'm still very satisfied with my performance. The season is still very long and this is a good update on how the winter training was.
Now I am heading back to Colorado for a week and then back home to Austria before the 2nd Xterra in Portugal (May 20th).
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