April 5, 2004
Mountain bike racing can be super fun and enjoyable, even your first race,
if you follow a few important things.
First of all, it’s good to go into your race with a little bit of base fitness; riding your bike 3-5 days per week for 45 minutes to 2:00 hrs at a time will help get you there. At this point, don’t worry about doing specific intervals, just ride your bike hard when you feel like it and go easy when you’re tired; this early in the game, it’s just important to get time in on the bike. Make sure to ride a variety of terrain if you can, i.e. hilly, flat, technical, single track, and double track so you’re prepared for anything. Once you’ve got some miles in your legs and you’re ready to test the legs and lungs, it’s time to find a race. Go to your local bike shop and ask about any races in your area or get on the internet and see what your options are. Try to look for races that are a bit tamer and aren’t advertised as “tight, technical, rocky/rooty single track,” look for something that’s described more as “fast, fun, single track or fire roads,” that way you can start with something a little easier and get comfortable with racing before jumping into the more challenging races.
Now that you have your race picked out, let’s go through the pre-race preparation. The night before the race, check over all your equipment and make sure it’s all clean and working properly, but don’t make any major changes to it, i.e. position changes, drive train replacement, new cables and housing, etc. as those can create shifting problems as the new stuff breaks in. If you do end up having to replace parts, try to get that taken care of at least a week prior to the race so you have time to make adjustments and fix it if something’s not right. Try to get plenty of rest the night of your race so you can get up in time for your early start as they always send the beginner racers off first. Eat a good breakfast (not McDonald’s) 3-4 hours before your start time, this can include some complex carbohydrates (pancakes, bagel, toast, potatoes, oatmeal, cereal, etc.) a little protein (eggs, peanut butter, lean meat, nuts) and low fat, as fat takes longer to digest. If you can eat dairy, some people like yogurt and/or cottage cheese. About an hour before your race, have a light snack (100-200 calories depending on how big you are, i.e. half a bagel, half a cliff bar, a few fig newtons, a pop-tart, granola bar, etc.) to give your body a little energy boost. Make sure to drink a bottle of water at this point too so you can stay hydrated. For a race under 90minutes you shouldn’t need to take any other food with you. Some people like gels near the end of a race but know once you start ingesting the gels you have to have one every 20 minutes with fluid 'till the end of the race so you have a steady flow of energy to your body.
Show up to the race at least 2 hours prior to your start so you can get registered, change clothes, and get in a pre-ride of the course (if it’s a lap race). When you register, you’ll fill out a one-day license (if it’s a NORBA sanctioned event) and a release form in case you get hurt, pay your money and they’ll give you a number and some twist-ties or zip ties to hold your number plate on the front of your bike. Once you’re registered, change into your race gear, put your number plate on (it goes on the front of your bike, the top part of the plate will be tied to the handlebar and bottom part can be tied to your housing) and try to get a pre-ride of the course in if the laps aren’t too long; this will also be part of your warm-up which should be about 45 minutes long, give or take 15 minutes depending on how old you are (the older guys seem to take a little longer to get the engine running, whereas the younger guys and juniors can feel well with a shorter one). A good warm-up usually consists of some easy riding, then some medium intensity efforts and will finish with some short, hard efforts to get your heart rate up and ready to go hard. Make sure to stretch sometime within the duration of your warm-up as well. Go back to your car and take any extra layers off if needed and make sure your bottle(s) are filled with water or some sort of sports drink so you can stay hydrated through the race; generally it’s good to drink a mouthful of fluid every 10-15 minutes regardless of how thirsty you may be. Water is fine for anything under 90 minutes but I’d recommend taking a sports drink too if your race is going to be longer than that. If you do take a sports drink, make sure the one you choose has glucose, maltodextrine, or sucrose listed as the first ingredient as those sugars absorb the quickest and will keep you from getting stomach cramps if you have a sensitive stomach. Drinks that have fructose listed as the first ingredient will take the longest for your body to absorb and can create cramping.
It’s good to get to the line about 10 minutes prior to the start so you can get a good position on the line. Mountain bike races always start out fast so be ready to go balls out from the gun especially if there’s some single track straightaway. Don’t worry about going out too hard, as everyone at the beginner’s level seems to do that and then see how long s/he can hold on; beginner races are generally short enough so you can do that and not be suffering too much by the end. When I say go hard at the start, go out at a 90% effort so you still have a little left in the tank to continue going hard through the race.
Most importantly, have fun as mountain bike racing can be a super way to spend a day, and the people you meet along the way make it even more special.
