Preparing for a first race

buddy_club

Hi, i'm doing my first race in June and i was just wondering if i should be doing any extra preparations for this, i'm probably a bit overweight but I wouldn't say i am particularly unfit, i don't struggle going up hills or anything, i just do it quite slowly, I was planning to just train in climbing hills because my technique on the flats and downs is pretty good and i would say i ride at a good pace. I was thinking of going up and down and up and down the local hills, i normally go up the longer, shallower route, but i might start doing this once, then the short steep route up, then the other one, etc etc, would this be a good idea and would it help build up stamina and strength in my legs? I also play rugby and to quite alot of fitness for that, but obviously they are very different sports and the muscles and fitness is different.

JackPozzi

What kind of race is it?

buddy_club

XC, it's the first timer male at the Cannock Chase summer classic

D4V1D

Find out the distance or time period of the XC event and try to practice the distance or time period.
But all the more riding you do will benefit you.

buddy_club

Thanks I do 30 mile rides on the mtbos weekends as well as a trip to Cannock on Sunday morning

D4V1D

mtbos weekends?

What are they?

buddy_club

*most weekends, sorry, typo

njee20

Lose weight, that'll make the biggest difference.

There's no inherent advantage to just riding up more hills. If you want to do proper hill reps then you ideally need to be quite disciplined about how you approach it, and even then that's pretty useless if it's not a very hilly course. Only raced at Cannock once (some years ago) and it wasn't hugely hilly.

buddy_club

Okay, cheers + no it's not very hilly compared to other places.

mobilekat

Do you mostly ride on your own, or with mates, as its amazing how much fitter you can get if you start riding with people who go a tad faster than you!
As its easy to coast along

Also time some routes and see if you can chip some time off.
Good luck!

buddy_club

I ride with a guy who has been cycling all his life and regularly does 100 mile rides on his mtb, he races regularly and is very fast, I always try and keep up with him, half the time I'm on my own, Hal the time I ride with him. Thanks + I will do.

Fatamorgana

It's NOT a race!
Not even close. Most mtn bike things such as this are "events".
On the road you need a race license, Cat 4 etc to ride a race & most off road events, are just that, events, NOT races.

"....Cannock Chase the event will once again be focused more towards the newbie or fun rider. "

Eat less, train for longer and train harder. Weight loss is a huge help when confronted by hills, not that Cannock is hilly, it's not! Every lb off your own frame will make a noticeable difference.

njee20

On the road you need a race license, Cat 4 etc to ride a race & most off road events, are just that, events, NOT races.

Not strictly true, you can buy a day licence and race most 4th Cat races. Plenty of MTB races (actual races) don't require a licence because most organisers sort insurance. Only really ranking races that need a licence (regional/national series in some categories).

The Cannock Summer Classic is a race. It's more focused at the beginner admittedly, so it's a 4th cat race, if you like your road analogies. But it's competitive, has placings, what more do you want?

You're quite right, there are a lot of non-competitive MTB events, just as on the road, plenty of people call a sportive a race after all. This, however, is a race.

Probably worth pissing off back under your bridge for a bit eh?

raldat

I have been doing these sort of amateur races in Denmark for two years now after not racing. My advice for a starter wanting to train is to, in addition to mountain biking, do some long road (or forest track but not single track) , continuous rides at about the some time frame of the race. That is, if it is a 2 hour race, do a 2 hour ride. My observation is that most mountain bikers do a lot of stop start when just going for a ride. They (we) do an intense effort through a technical climb or decent then stop for a rest or at least slow. When racing, it is go all the time, no time for a rest. Mor example, I average 135 to 140 bpm heart rate when riding with mates but average 155 to 160 when racing.

Go out there and train hard, mixing long rides like I suggest with normal MTB riding.