My First MTB Race

Finbar Saunders

So Thursday was the day....my first MTB race. I survived, had fun and would definitely do it again. Read on if you want more details.

Background: I am 43 and have always been into road riding and racing. I raced as a junior and off and on over the years. The last time I did any consistent riding and training was about 6 years ago. Since then I've done the occasional ride, charity ride and commute. I'm about 2 stone over the weight I was when I last trained and have a 3 1/2 year old son and wife that keep me busy on weekends. Thanks to Bike2Work I got a hard tail in December and planned on doing a few rides but nothing goes according to plan! I have a Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo, nothing fancy but a decent bike.

Training: I can't say that I really did much training. Definitely nothing MTB specific. This race was actually only the second time I had done any proper off-road riding! I have no off-road skills! At the beginning of April I started going out on my road bike for longish rides (2-4 hours, longest was 53 miles) and did a few intervals on my turbo. And a 10-mile TT to help set my HR zones. I commuted to work on my MTB and did my one and only off-road ride one evening....by myself for about 30 mins. I did less riding in May and caught a cold that kept me off the bike for about a week. But I was determined to do this race.

About The Race: First race of a 4 race series at Fowlmead in Kent. One hour of racing, as many laps as you can manage. My goal was to finish the race in one piece. Nothing more. Just to finish it so I knew if I enjoyed XC or not.

Preparation: It was after work so I needed to be prepared or I would have found some reason why I couldn't do it. I registered a couple days before online and on the day packed my race bag as I would when I was road racing.....drinks for before and during, recovery drink for after, clothing and spares, tools. Didn't bring the turbo for the warm-up though. Looked throgh the posts on here for anything relevant and had a look at SiLanc's site......excellent advice!! But maybe I should have looked at it a few weeks earlier! Left work early, only a 15 min drive to the race site. Registered and did a lap of the course to see what to expect.

The Course/Pre-Race:
The course was single track and fire road. It had been dry for a few days so there were a few loose areas....a descent and two climbs. Very little mud, the going was firm to good. One descent was difficult for me....short and steep with a small flat area of a few square yards, then a sharp right and a longer steep descent. I couldn't stop on the flat bit without overshooting the second descent. I stopped to watch a couple other riders but they overshot it as well. The far part was very bumpy and the final big drop/descent caused my HR to shoot up and my alarm went off!! It was like being on a roller coaster....you didn't see the drop until you were on it and then just had to go for it. It took me 30 mins to do the practice lap and then headed to my car to get a fresh bottle. I didn't use my back pack as there were a few areas I knew I would be able to drink. I rolled over to the start and chatted nervously as I waited.

The Actual Race: 90 starters. I started near the back as my goal was just to finish and I didn't want to get in anyone's way. The juniors were started 30 secs after the main group but with the funnelling when we got to the single track they were soon in with the main group. I managed the loose the descent and the shorter of the two loose climbs, but couldn't maintain traction on the longer one and my HR has getting too high so pushed the last few yards. Did pretty well on the twisty single track and settled into a comfortable pace. I was soon on my own and just kept riding. No one caught me and I only passed one person....a little girl....just before the finish! She looked about 11 so I wouldn't really call it a scalp but hey....I passed her! I got lapped by about 5-6 riders and the eventual winner was flying and way ahead of the others. By the finish I was tired but not exhausted. My HR monitor alarm warned me whenever I was going too hard and I backed off so that I wouldn't blow up.

By The Numbers:
Distance covered: 7.7 miles (2 laps, 70 riders did 3 laps)
Time: 54 mins 8 secs
Average HR: 173
Max HR: 183 (HR alarm was set at 178, zone 5 starts at 184 for me)
Position: 78 out of 82 finishers (I did not come last!!) 8 DNFs

What Did I Learn:
1. Just do it! Even with no off road skills or experience I still had a lot of fun.
2. You don't brake on an MTB like you do on a road bike. This took some adjusting to as I kept braking early and gently. Once I got the hang of late and hard I did much better. I think I could have done the descent with the sharp right turn if I had locked the rear wheel before the turn.
3. MTBs are designed for MTB races. It sounds stupid, but because most of my experience is road riding I kept being cautious about the loose soil and losing my front wheel in a turn. I needed to have more confidence in the bike. I had flats on this time but will do the next one with my SPDs.
4. More intervals. My road riding definitely helped with surviving and I recovered very quickly on short descents so I was never uncomfortable from my effort. But more 3-5 minute intervals would certainly help build my speed.

Final Thoughts: This is long and waffly!! I don't type as fast as I think of what I want to write! I'll definitely do it again and hope to complete the series. Best 3 out of the 4 races count towards your series result so no more starting at the back for me!! I use a Garmin 705 with GPS and was going to attach a link to my GPS tracks and HR and speed data but the Garmin Connect site is being upgraded. I'll try to add it in a few days time.

Bmjboy

Nice write up - a few riders from our forum had their first ever race at Fowlmead the other day too, with mixed results. All new to racing too.

Have a read of our natterings here (with pics):

http://www.sketchymtb.co.uk/Blah.pl?m-1242637934/s-0/

jpstar

Nice story, liked it.
Hoping to do my first race this season aswell, I cannot wait!!
I'm glad you enjoyed it. Good luck in your next races aswell.

edward.wigmore

hi,

i read your story which was really helpful and as i have being riding for about 2 years xc now and m fitness is pretty good i was wondering what races there would be in Berkshire this Summer i would be an under 16.

Thanks

Ed

cheehee

Nice one and congrats on passing the young lass

You gonna do some more races?

Where would be a good place to look for xc races in my area (Midlands)??

I quite fancy a crack at riding around with my lungs bursting, legs on fire, being lapped by the rest of the field

Cheers

Cheehee

SiLanc

Nice write up Finbar, well done and glad you enjoyed it. Sounds like your hooked

Thanks for the kind words about my site, it's appreciated and keeps me writing

Others - You might this on my site quite useful if you're thinking of entering your first race...it tells you what to consider and where to look for races...it's the site Finbar mentions in his post..

http://xcenduro.co.uk/racing/racingFirstRace.asp

Finbar Saunders

Thanks for the comments guys. I'll certainly be doing it again and hope to complete the series.

Bmjboy: Nice site, you guys really chat a lot!! I saw mention of someone called Suzz. I came in right after her so she has 1 less point than I do. I'll have to mark her in the next race!!

Cheehee: Thanks, I will take any compliments on passing anyone in that race, even a 2 year-old on a trike!

SiLanc: I will read your site again and see if I can incorporate more of your advice in time for the next race.

Garmin Connect is working now but the share function isn't working. Here's a screen capture of the race. The first 1/3 is my practice lap and heading to and from the car and start. The next 2/3 with the relatively steady HR is the race. If you look at my speed it seems a little higher in the bit that would have been my second lap. I tried to use the "lap by location" function on my Edge 705 but didn't push the right button to start it! Next time I will try to get lap data.

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/nhorscro/CyclingMTB#5340537636011360370

SiLanc

I don't use a heart rate monitor as I try to gauge how hard to push by the feeling in my legs. Spend some time without the HRM noting at what point your legs start to work anaerobically and the lactic acid builds up...you need to then back off slightly from that workload so that your body is just able to cope with the workload and can get rid of the lactic acid.

I'm no expert but it works for me...and I've been given this advice by plenty of faster riders over the last two years.

Note Suzz's number and what she is wearing at the next race...I didn't during one of my races and it cost me dearly. Read about it here...what a c0ck up!

http://xcenduro.co.uk/racing/races/2009/wws3_2009.asp

Good luck in your future races.

Si

Finbar Saunders

I use my HR more to track what I have done than to guide me in a race. I'm a scientist and having personal data to analyse actually gets me out more often!! On the road I have a pretty good idea when I am going too hard but trail riding is new to me so I set the alarm for a few beats below my known "point of no return" and used that to back off rather than blowing up.

I've only had my 705 a few months but I have started using it with SportsTracks and a plug-in called Training Load to try to determine when and how hard I train. Again, the scientist in me!! So having an HR monitor on me for all rides helps fill in the data without having to keep track of lots of variables. In the example below I have a target date of July 12th set. There are some road circuit races on that day that I want to do and it is 5 days before the 3rd race in the MTB series. I have no idea how well it works! But I'll give it the benefit of the doubt for now. The race on Thursday had a high training stress score, but no where near the epic level which is the next level above high.

So that's why I use a HRM!! Another gadget to fiddle with long after the ride is over!

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/nhorscro/CyclingMTB#5340550808404285442

cheehee

SiLanc wrote:

Others - You might this on my site quite useful if you're thinking of entering your first race...it tells you what to consider and where to look for races...it's the site Finbar mentions in his post..

http://xcenduro.co.uk/racing/racingFirstRace.asp

Cheers Si. Your site is very helpful mate.

Cheehee

Finbar Saunders

Rather than start a new thread I though I'd add some comments about my second MTB race here.

The second race in the series was about a month ago, the third is tomorrow. I did very little riding on my MTB between the first and second race, but I felt confident. However, I think I felt too confident and everything went downhill!! I did a warm-up lap and realised the course was shorter than the previous race with a few bits that made me nervous. So I decided to go around a second time. As a result, by the time I lined up for the start I had done two laps and been riding for 45-50 mins. So off I went....not too bad at the start...but within half a lap I started to drag a little. My heart rate was down and I couldn't get it back up. By my third lap I was starting to get cramp in a calf and actually had to get off and massage it for a few minutes. I was determined to finish so I carried on and finished a lap down on the first 6-8 riders. I think I was passed by 4 or 5 riders while massaging my calf. I didn't need to see the results to know that it was a terrible performance, and all my fault. I came in last. I'm not saying I would have been half-way up the field if I had been more sensible in the warm-up, but I would have at least felt better on the bike.

So...lesson learnt...save something for the race!!

Next race tomorrow and I think I am confident enough not to have to ride the whole course before the race. I'll warm-up on the road and not over do it. I've also put my SPD pedals on and noticed a big improvement the last time I was out for a short trail ride. Will report on that race soon.

Bmjboy: I noticed quite a few Sketchy's at that race, where you there? I was behind a big group at the start.