What is it about bike racing? You inevitably spend the balance of the race gasping for air, coughing up a lung, wondering what in the hell you were thinking when you signed up for this festival of pain. But, at the end of it all, and at least a few points during, you always end up with a massive smile on your face, vowing you’ll be back for more next time. And in a faster time. Or at least with less swearing.

I’ve done a fair few bike races and triathlons over the past couple of years, stumbling my way round a variety of road bike and mountain biking courses, struggling to keep out of the bottom quarter of the field. Well, this year that’s going to change. In 2012 I’ll be struggling to stay out of the bottom half of the field instead!

I’ve compiled a list of mountain bike races, off-road triathlons and adventure races for my own use and thought it might be useful to you lot too. So, here it is – the bike race, triathlon and Adventure race calendar for 2012. I’ll be updating this race calendar throughout the year so it should remain up to date whenever you come across it, and hopefully it’ll have a pretty comprehensive list of racing events for at least the next 2 months.

If you spot any bike races or adventure races I’ve missed though, please drop me a comment below and I’ll add it to the list. Let’s make it a great resource for the site.

Here we go, bike race calendar time:

Mountain bike race calendar 2012

Off-Road Triathlon Calendar 2012 – Coming Soon…

Adventure Race Calendar 2012 – Coming Soon…

And, since I’m actually turning a bit ‘shaved-leg’ on you all, here’s a few for the lycra fetishists. I promise I wont talk about them much on the site, but hey, the road’s pretty good training!

Triathlon Race calendar 2012 – Coming Soon…

Road Bike Racing calendar 2012 – Coming Soon…

If you haven’t entered a bike race, or done any racing at all before, you’ve really got to try it. It can seem a bit intimidating at first. Hell, who am I kidding, it can seem a LOT intimidating, but there’s a whole bunch of benefits to make it worth conquering the racing fear. Motivation, first of all – there’s nothing quite like the prospect of dying on your ass in front of spectators and competitors alike to get you out of your scratcher in the morning and onto the bike.

Next, it’s cheesy, but it’s true – it feels pretty awesome crossing the line, whether you’re vying for a medal or bringing right up the rear. Add to that the great feeling of cameraderie with your fellow racers and it’s easy to see where the big post-race smile comes from. To top it off, the race adrenaline always forces a bit of extra effort, so that 3 course meal with double pudding is well justified that evening!

Anyway, what are you waiting for? It’s racing time!