Entering my first race - what to expect and how to prepare

JxL

I have been eyeing up Brownbacks competition for a while, and today I decided to enter for the 19th April in Have-A-Go-Hero category. I have never been in an XC race before, so would like some tips on preparation.

So far I have planned:

Getting my fitness back
Dry and Wet teflon lubes for chain/forks.
POSSIBLY get RS Reba Team forks to lose some weight off the bike (now its whopping 30lbs for a HT).
180mm disk brake up front and sintered pads front/back, as now brakes are rubbish.

Also - what to wear on the day? Should I carry my cheapo Tesco Hydrobak, or stick to water bottle in a cage? Any other suggestions?

Thanks!

therealboyjones

What to expect? - It will hurt. A lot.
How to prepare? You could do a lot worse than reading this sage advice:
http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/articl ... duro-20796

Follow that and you'll be in great shape.

And definitely use a hydration pack rather than water bottles, keep the weight off the frame. You can get a pretty decent hydration pack from Decathlon for £12. It would be a good investment.

Sintered pads are good, don't forget to run them in properly though for maximum effect. Cheap but good pads on discobrakes.com.

JxL

Cheers, the core exercises will be very useful. Also, what about the saddle height? Usually I set it for maximum efficiency (my leg is straight when the heel is on the pedals), so should I lower it by a few centimetres to consider downhill bits?

The race will be at Lee Quarry. Never been there before so don't know the track. I will try to go there end of this week though.

I have decided to buy the Reba forks to lose some weight, and should do the pads and larger rotor as well! Another month in overdraft for me

therealboyjones

There was an article in this month's **cough** MBR I think about Lee Quarry. Looks like good fun!

For seat height, you set it so that when you pedal, or when you're going downhill, you heels are lower than your toes. Best for power transmission I think.....

nferrar

For a typical XC course just keep the saddle how you have it now, if the course has very steep/technical DH sections then I guess you need to decide (once you've ridden them in practice) whether it's worth compromising your position the rest of the lap in order to make the tech sections easier by dropping the saddle a bit. Or just get a remote adjustable seatpost...

FSR_XC

Don't worry about a hydration pack, a water bottle should be all you need (filled with energy drink).

Carry a couple of gels for when you start feeling fatigue.

Don't race off at the start unless you know you'll have energy left towards the end - pace yourself.

If you feel up to it, have a ride round the course before the start or look at a map of the course - so you know where the track goes. I did a race 2 weeks ago - suddenly the course turned right & up a hill, taking me by surprise. I had to get off & run up! :oops:

Enjoy!

It\'s not a steed

I'd disagree with the idea of using the hydration pack for the following reason.

If you are taking this seriously, not in a death or glory must win sense but more in a giving it your best shot on the day sense then you'll be working pretty hard and your body will be generating a lot of heat. Anything that covers your back will add to your overheating so I'd free up that space and go for a waterbottle. Make sure you're well hydrated before the start and you'll only really need one 750ml bottle during the race.

Also on the subject of what to wear, generally whatever you're comfortable in but aim to be slightly (only slightly mind) chilly at the start, you'll soon warm up. Personally I would't go for baggies or anything too loose fitting as there is more of a chance of chaffing or getting it snagged on bushes etc. but this is very much a personal choice.

Fitness wise you've not really got a great deal of time to do anything too dramatic before the middle of April, and there are others on here that can offer better advice on whether you'll be able to make any significant improvements in under a month (training forum) but whatever you do make sure you're well rested prior to race day, eat well and take it easy a few day before. When you're lying on the sofa watching the telly you can tell anyone that gives you a hard time that you are tapering and that it is a key part of your preparation.

If your wheels are a bit lardy try borrowing a set of lighter wheels from a mate, if that's not an option then think about swapping out the tyres for some lighter ones.

I did my first xc race recently and overall it was a good experience, from Brownbacks response to my other thread it sounds like he is putting considerable thought and effort into making the experience as positive as possible for all entrants. Hope you enjoy it.