Race Tips

[humanhandlebar]

Hey All,

I was wondering if anyone had any tips to scrub off those last little seconds between 1st and 2nd?

[McGRP01]

doping.

[douglas]

short cuts

[GravityFreakTJ]

train,eat,rest,rinse and repeat......................... :D

[humanhandlebar]

Any training tips?

[HRDTLBRO]

Ride as much as possible. Anything, road, XC, dj's, whatever. Work on sprinting, and tone both upper and lower body. Just stay off the brakes and keep it pinned!

[douglas]

First we need to know, what do you race XC? DH? or what?

You need to figure out what is your weakest area - and then spend extra time training to improve that.

[Echo]

Definitely need to know what kind of racing you are talking about.

If you're really up there with the leaders at the end, then the edge you need is most likely mental. You're near the front, you just gotta pass them. You gotta want it more.

[humanhandlebar]

Yea, i race DH, and i think my weak point is endurance. Ive kinda also been having trouble with especially knarly rock faces.

[humanhandlebar]

not just riding them, cuz i can do that fine, its just riding them as fast as possible.

[douglas]

This worked for me:
-lots & lots of cardio & xc riding
-learn each course
-be the 1st guy on the mountain when practice starts, and pretty much the last one to leave
-walk the course
-every second counts, ride clean but push all the way, you can catch you breath after you finish
-work on finding the best lines, getting off the brakes, taking the corners faster & sprinting harder

[cookingchris0]

go to www.racemsc.com i think they have training tips.

[humanhandlebar]

thanks....do any of you have tips for things to look for when finding the best line, besides the one that looks the fastest, or straightest (what makes them the fastest?)

[HRDTLBRO]

It depends on how you like to ride. Some say the fastest line will be straight through rocks, roots, etc., while other riders like to ride "light" on the bike and jump/float/avoid the terrain all together. To find the best lines, use your practice day wisely and get to know the sections. Take some time and survey a technical section before you blast down it on a practice run, and you may find yourself picking lines automatically. Also, scope some lines more advanced riders may be taking, and see if it flows for you. :thumb: