Anyone race XC?

bigdawg

dammit you beat me to it... :oops:

Satchmo245

Will see how I get on with the forks, I'm sure they will be fine. Any tips on the setup??

As for energy drinks, I use the SIS electrolyte stuff when going on long rides but I try not to use it on anything less than 4-5 hours. I would rather get through on my own merits.

Cheers for the advice guys. Just done a bit of work on my build today. See link below (it's a thread on another forum I use):

http://mountainbiking.freeforums.org/vi ... .php?t=575



Simon

bigdawg

looking good...

whenever Ive built bikes Ive always made sure I have everything to do it at once, but only cos Im so impatient, and then ride it round the garden...

Just a quicky re drinking its a personal thing some people drink every 15 minutes some people hardly drink anything at all. The only thing I would say is make sure you have plenty during a race, or have someone trackside with a bottle. On the road I can go 100 miles on 750ml, but towards the end Im struggling and know I should have bought more, during a race Ill be drinking every ten -20 minutes or so, you wont be able to go fast at race distance without it, even plain water can help, even a slight drop in your fluid levels can resul in dramatic drop in performance / endurance levels.

Satchmo245

750ml for 100 miles!! I usually drink 500ml, maybe slightly more, for every hour of riding. Is it better train your body to cope with drinking less in a race or am I fine with what I'm doing? A lad I was riding with on Saturday did not drink at all during the ride which was about 4 hours. He just drank a litre of something or other, not sure if it was energy drink, before we set off. He races downhill and is just creeping into the top 100 of the country so I'm wondering if it's a competition thing???

As for the buildI don't have all the parts yet and I wanted to build it all in one go but my anticipation get the better of me. Unfortunately I am now jobless so not sure when it's going to be completed!

bigdawg

The only reason I managed 100 miles was that I only thought I was gonig to do about 60 , but got very very lost, and in my haste to rush out the door forgot my other bottle and money :oops:

One guy I ride with drinks every 15 mins without fail (sets his timer to remind him!! - very annoying), others drink when they remember. A lot of us drink alot durting the day normally though, at work I go through 1 1/2-2 litres of water a day, and always have a bottle on my bike. The downside of this obviously you can end up jumping off your bike to find a bush :roll:

What youre doing at the moment is good, stick with it.

Satchmo245

I very rarely need to find a bush whilst I'm out riding......I use a hydration pack whilst riding and I usually drink every 5 - 10 mins but only small amounts. It sounds funny but (I'm not sure if you have used a hydration pack before) because the water is close to your back, your body heat warms it up. However, when it is in the hose (that you drink through) it cools back down so I always know how much to drink (just the cool water, I stop when it get's warm ). Would you recommend using a hydro pack for racing or just a bottle?

bigdawg

know that well I tried to use one snowboarding, just didnt occur to me that at -16 I may have trouble when the pipe froze solid :shock: :oops: so much for insulated pipes

I use bottles racing, but as I reminded myself last week theres nothing worse than grabbing your bottle only to find the end covered in mud I use camelbaks when Im running but never really got on with them on a bike, but saying that Im guessing abotu 50% of the guys I race against use them, its down to personal choice, and of course you dont have to wait for the flat bits to have a drink.

Satchmo245

I'll just carry on with what I'm doing then. I have been speaking to a guy who has done that Leisure Lakes race and he wasn't too impressed. He said it's mainly flat with one climb (15ft) and some sharp turns. He also said that only 4 people took part in the Novice class race! Where do you find aout about races? I'm really struggling to find something that is relatively close by. I have seen:

http://www.gmbc.co.uk/index.asp

But I have a feeling I may be out of my depth with that one. You know it?

bigdawg

you can find out about them on the british cycling website, takes a bit of hunting around but theyre all there....

http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/

or specifically:

http://www.xcracer.com

Although there were only 4 novices in that last race, you wont just be 4 people out on your own, youll be set off within minutes of the other categories so they'll be plenty of people out there.

That one you just posted, more of an enduro style event, dont think youll be out of your league, someone last year took nearly 6 hours, so unless youre gonna poodle around at 5mph you wont be last! If it was nearer Id go just for the experience, but that puddle looks bloody deep...

Satchmo245

Haha, yeah that puddle is huge! I'm going to keep my eye on that one I think, it could be fun. I have looked on the British Cycling site and all the "North West" races are in the Isle of Man! I will have another look. As for speed, is 10mph pace respectable?

What races have you got coming up?

Ta

bigdawg

that does actually seem an average spped looking at some of those times from last year, but take into account last year we had a drought and it may well be a bit wetter this year.

Not a lot this year, my g/friend is expecting our first at the end of August so Ive kinda had to work round that..! Im finishing off the Beastway midweek series, ends 28th July I think, anyway three races left, All going well the next couple of weeks should squeeze into the top 10 (i copped out of a couple because of the weather forcasts, didnt bloody rain though , got nothing in August at all unless they arrange some quick ones in Thetford and then the nearest thing to a local race in mid September (babies first mtb race )

After that Im gonna have a go at cyclo cross this year. After years thinking it was just a bunch of roadys riding round a field someone explained to me they actualyl use the same courses as some mtb races... you learn something new every day! So im almost preparing for winter racing, which is quite depressing in July :?

Over winter as well Im gonna be approaching a couple of local shops and clubs and try to organise a decent local summer series, havent had one for about ten years.

Satchmo245

Congrats on your baby Not too long now..... are you ready??

Seems like you still have a fair bit on. Just out of interest, how high do you have your seat during a race?? I take it you don't get off and lower for the trickier bits where you need to get your weight back.

bigdawg

you know thats exactly what I did do in one of my first races...Id forgotten that

For seat height sit on the bike with the bottom crank / pedal arm in line with the seat tube. You should be ableto sit on the bike with your heel comfortably touching the pedal with a straight leg (with your shoes on). Thats my start point, ill never raise it from that but may drop it a mm or two (literally) depending on the course.

I dont think youre ever realy prepared for a baby (although three kittens is good training.....I hope!), bit like a xc race doesnt matter how much you prepare for it, and what kit youve got, you never know whats going to happen till it starts! I think my girlfriend will be just glad she can get on a bike again we'll be the couple arguing on the start line over whos gonna be racing that day...either that or ill be racing with a baby seat :shock:

Satchmo245

Yeah, your method of setting seat height is what I do at the minute, I like my leg to be almost fully stretched out when pedalling. I have come a cropper a few times in the last couple of months where I have got my weight back and got stuck behind the saddle, arms fully stretched hurtling down some steep rocky section clipped in! The worst incident was on Saturday at Dalby. I went down a step but didn't brace myself for the landing and ended up behind my seat and cracked my..... ahem "soft areas" on the back of the saddle. I don't want to really lower my seat because it will affect my pedalling efficiency for the worse so is it just a case of getting used to it and aadjusting my riding around it?

How about Tandem racing with a baby seat........ :shock:

bigdawg

as I said I do occasionally lower the seat a couple of mm, dont know whether I sometimes sit more off the back of the saddle, but sometimes it seems to make a difference. I guess its something you get used to, handlebar position can also play a part, obviously the higher the bars the more upright you sit, although im one of the old dinosaurs still with straight bars and a negative or zero rise stem!!

I was lucky when I started racing locally we had an area in Danbury that was just full of giant bombholes and drop offs, one of then was a 15-20ft drop off (with run out) know as the canyon, destroyed rear shocks back in the 90s going over that (on what were then downhill bikes!), also saw snapped seat posts and pretzelled wheels on a regular basis, anything on a race course after that was just a bump as far as we were concerned... Pretty much all bulldozed now after a kid got to the top and grabbed a handfull of front brake :shock:

Satchmo245

I really gotta do some more exploring around my area. I haven't found anything as of yet but there must be some drops somewhere surely!

Rigid Raider

Of the few proper races (not trailquests) I have done, I can only remember one NEMBA race at Lyme Park in Cheshire where there was a fiercely steep downhill. I was so pumped up on adrenaline and there were so many spectators that I just dropped off the back of the saddle and went for it. If you do this though, take care that your cleats are fairly tight otherwise you might suffer sudden release of shoes from pedals with a painful lurch forwards.... ouch!

One other tip: if you eat lots of pasta the night before, be aware that some people find it hard to nip it off the next morning - it just seems to keep coming and coming like toothpaste. There's nothing worse than that pre-race feeling of looseness in the bowels due to nerves, then dashing to the bog and finding you can't stop, as the seconds tick by. Better to stick with your normal diet before a race!

Oh, that reminds me... have a look at the website for Orgran: http://www.orgran.com/ this is an Australian pasta, which is not made from wheat like ours is. It's made from synergistic mixes of grains and pulses, the theory being that your body can release more benefit from each in the presence of the other, than it can with just simple wheat. This is the same reason why every society has its basic grains/pulses mixture: beans on toast, hummous and Arab bread, dal and chapattis, which it has arrived at through centuries of experience (maybe not baked beans though!) So the idea is that Orgran is more beneficial than traditional pasta in the way the body absorbs then uses the energy. I have used it on Polaris events and found it very good, with the added benefit that it cooks much faster, a good thing if you're coooking in a tiny tent with a micro gas stove.

bigdawg

RR - can you get it easily in this country..??

Dorset Cereals make one of their mueslis out of similar things instead of normal wheat - tastes great and seems to work.

Rigid Raider

Yes, surprisingly easily. I think we managed to find the rice and corn pasta in Tesco or Sainsos. If you're lucky enough to have a Booths supermarket nearby I'm sure they would have it too, as would health shops like Holland & Barrett.

bigdawg

cool, does it taste much different to traditional pasta?

Rigid Raider

Nicer, I think.

One other suggestion: it's actually quite hard to carbo-load enough using pasta so for Polaris we started experimenting with carbohydrate drinks and soups. The basic ingredient in these is maltodextrin, a complex carbohydrate, which is also the basis for Maxim and for Cup-a-Soup, which means it's no good for all those desperately slimming secretaries in the office, ha ha....

Boots have a convalescent foods section where you'll find Complan drinks, best with cold water and coming out like a milk shake, as well as Build-Up drinks and soups. You can use the soup as the basis for a sauce to go on the pasta. A sachet of Complan is supposed to contain as many calories as a 3 course meal, but without the weight or the full stomach, which is great if you've got to carry your food all day. One other food I've found easy to cook in a tent and helpful after a 7 hour ride is good old steak. The concentrated protein really seems to help muscle recovery and it's quick to flash-fry. You can then cook the pasta in the same pan so as to clean it and make sure you get the meat fats.

Satchmo245

Any excuse to eat steak! If you eat it with horseradish does it help rebuild you muscles any better ??

Some interesting stuff there RR. I will try and have a bob around town in the morning and see what I can find. What is this Polaris you keep mentioning?? It sounds pretty hardcore whatever it is!

I want steak now!

Rigid Raider

The Polaris Challenge is the Daddy of trailquests, an event lasting two days. There are two winter events and one summer. In the winter events, usually held in March and October IIRC, you have to carry all your gear and the overnight camp is above the 1000 ft contour. The summer event is easier as you don't need overnight gear and the camp is usually somewhere nice with car parking, showers, bogs etc. In both events you ride for 7 hours on Saturday and 5 on Sunday, visiting as many checkpoints as you can to score points. Polaris is a combination of kit choice and bike preparation, map reading skill and route choice, fitness, nutrition and sheer mental toughness in some events when conditions are bad. You lose points fast if you over-run your time.

You can read about it on the Polaris website: http://www.polarischallenge.com/ they also do a range of natty cycling clothing so look for the Polaris apparel site as well.

I have done about seven of these, findiung out a lot about myself and enjoying some outstanding riding in some absolutely stunning scenery, not to mention the craic and camaraderie of the event.

bigdawg

did you do the 'summer' one this year, heard it absolutely hammered it down..??

Rigid Raider

No, I was thinking about it because I love N. Yorks for riding but the forecast was terrible so I binned any ideas of a last-minute application.

Satchmo245

Sounds like a cracker, I would love to do something like that. Is it an individual effort or do you enter as teams?

Rigid Raider

You can do it as a team of two, although some prefer solo. As a team you can give each other support during the occasional bad moments as well as in a mechanical or injury and you can share the weight of communal gear like the tent and food. However you need to choose a team-mate who is close to you in ability, otherwise it becomes frustrating for both of you. I used to do it with my brother, we were closely matched and we got pretty good at sharing the work, roadie-style, on the inevitable road sections. I have done it twice with other people and found it less satisfactory.

Are you coming tonight? I'll tell you a bit more about it.

Satchmo245

Yeah, I will be there. I'm interested to see what the route is and if I know any of it. I have sent you a pm with my mobike number in case things get called off.

Rigid Raider

We don't call off the Wednesday evening rides, we're all too desperate for a bit of stress-relieving exercise! Somebody will always turn up, usually a couple of the club's "officials".

Satchmo245

Oh, ok. I'm off to check the bike and see if it still works after Saturday!!