Whats your strategy?

scotth

Well-Known Member
When you're starting a race, do you turn on the gas right away until you hopefully pull away from the pack then settle into a steady pace?

Or, do you just try to stick with the pack, then gas it towards the end?

When shifting do you use the front rings more, or the back? I tried just shifting down to the small ring, and sometimes it's enough for me to make a climb. Thank You.


Regards,

Scott
 

VanDbtRiver

Well-Known Member
momentum. use the flat sections as time to increase average speed and not to recover...i am guilty of chilling out too much in the flats. don't drink a shitload of beer the night before, keep hydrated.
 

BiknBen

Well-Known Member
It's all gas all the time. The one who blows up last wins!!! :D

The racers at the front have a significant advantage. They get to pick their line, they can see the trail, and no one can disrupt them. 100% of their concentration is focused on what they are doing.

When behind another racer, your view is blocked, the trail is blocked. If that rider slows, dabs, crashes, slows down, etc., you have to react to them. That forces your concentration away from what you are doing.

Get to the front or close to it as soon as possible. If you are not there as the trail begins to thin, you are giving time away to those ahead of you.

I regularly hear people say the prefer to start with a little in reserve and save it for later. That is BS!!! You will expend that reserve dealing with traffic issues early or trying to pass riders later in the race. Get as many people behind you as possible and forget about them. Find a rhythm and go go go!!!!


Shifting....
When I raced with gears I was in the middle ring all the time. The granny gear of most bikes is too low. You can run faster with the bike next to you. Some people think they get bonus points for clearing a technical section or staying on the bike all the way up a steep climb. That is BS again!!! Do whatever is fastest. I can run faster with my bike than many can pedal the granny.
 

VanDbtRiver

Well-Known Member
unfortunate that most dont gut out the climbs, it may be faster to "hike" the tech an steep sections, but riders always have rite of way over hikers.
 

Suhr40

New Member
I'm with Ben, go fast at the start. If someone passes you after that, they deserve to be in front, but from the front you have the advantage and they will have to expend more effort to get past you. I try to start with the faster guys and then spend the majority of the race convincing myself not to quit. No joke. I have been tempted to just stop and take a nap, but at least 51% of me wins the mental argument and reminds the other 49% that the pain is temporary. I also like telling myself that the faster I go the sooner the race will end.
 

MTB Aussie

Member
unfortunate that most dont gut out the climbs, it may be faster to "hike" the tech an steep sections, but riders always have rite of way over hikers.

100% with you on that one. A pity the hikers use it to keep you behind them so they can get on and blast off again at the top.

Generally I found climbing to be faster than walking because if you know a course, and plan on riding a difficult climb, you chill a little right before it so you can make it without walking, BTW this is climbing in the middle ring only - if it needs granny it is just as fast to walk. The peeps you pass during those climbs generally dont get back in front of you since they are gassed from walking anyway.

And learn the course if possible so you can use momentum to help you overcome short steeps or techs. No brakes unless it cant be helped. Every ounce of brake is energy you have to put back in.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I go out as hard as I reasonably can. That usually puts me in the front 2-3 in the sport class. I hold it as long as I can, then get passed by the people who are stronger than I am. I've come out of the gate first, and finished 6/7th. I've also just played it slow and let the field blow up, like at LM this year, and ended up 6th. I think LM is different than most courses though in the fact that there's a lot of climbing and plenty of room to pass.

I went out at Stewart like a bat out of hell and blew up miserably, ended up 15th. It was the worst finish of my "serious" racing stretch of the past year and change.

At a place like Jungle Habitat, your start is huge. If you can be in the lead pack and catch the class ahead of you before the tight stuff starts, you've just littered a bunch of slower and less technically competent riders in the tight stuff between you and the people chasing you.

Every course is a bit different. KVSP is a full-throttle course. 3 minutes separates 1st and 10th. So you can lose a lot by not playing it right.
 

larkin42

New Member
No to sidetrack the conversation, but what are some of the distances of these races? I am considering getting into the racing this next year in the beginner ranks and I have no idea what to expect. 5 miles? 10miles?
 

warcricket

Like a Jerk
No to sidetrack the conversation, but what are some of the distances of these races? I am considering getting into the racing this next year in the beginner ranks and I have no idea what to expect. 5 miles? 10miles?

every race is different, but expect 7/8 mile laps. usually with beginners doing 1, sport 2, and expert 3...
 

MST.ESQ

New Member
At Ringwood, I got held up at the start by two riders who were not staged correctly and ended up starting dead last :getsome:, but proceeded to pass everyone I could on the fireroad before hitting the singletrack. I think I held that position until the end so yes, early position seems to be key.
 

Steve Vai

Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
I'd much rather get into the woods first and then let the fast guys pick me off one-by-one. Most guys start fairly conservative so it's not very hard to get the holeshot, if I can do it, anyone can!! I find it's much easier to remember how many guys pass me rather than how many I've passed. Having said that, I've also started from the back and worked my way through to end up about the same place every race:hmmm:

-Jim.
 

s4lnj

New Member
how do mtb races start? is it just every rider rolls out at the same time, fighting for possition?


sorry for the strong unaware
 

scotth

Well-Known Member
They start in groups, men or women, age and singlespeed. The races that I've done it's like a small mass start not like a gate start in BMX. (riders ready...watch the gate!!!!!):D

Scott
 

BiknBen

Well-Known Member
unfortunate that most dont gut out the climbs, it may be faster to "hike" the tech an steep sections, but riders always have rite of way over hikers.

The rider only gets the right of way when overtaking a racer off their bike. If I run past you while you are riding...too bad. If I am able to run and stay ahead of you...too bad.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
The rider only gets the right of way when overtaking a racer off their bike. If I run past you while you are riding...too bad. If I am able to run and stay ahead of you...too bad.

I think he's referring to the walkers that don't get out of the way. There's plenty of them. Then they fumble with trying to clip back in, and drop over in front of you, often taking out small trees, and yet still sometimes refuse to get out of the way.

Yet another advantage of getting out in front and getting past these guys ASAFP.
 

THATmanMANNY

Well-Known Member
passing etiquette?

do you have to say on your left or on your right? or anything to prevent a collision incase they decide to unpredictably swerve? I found myself saying that but i felt corny. Wasn't like i was fighting to pass. If I was hammering and fighting to pass I woulda gone stealth mode.
 

xc62701

Well-Known Member
I go out as hard as possible and then let the others pass if they can. I rely on my technical skillz so if I go slow and then people struggle in the techy stuff it annoys me. I'd rather get in front and not have to worry as much. Then don't forget to punch it up towards the end. You never know how many people are dying at the end and blew their load too early. Punch it up and you'll be surprised how many people you can pass towards the end or just even close a gap.
 
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