First MTB race experience

First MTB Race Experience

My first MTB race was Feb. 12, 2012 at Bluff Creek Ranch in Warda, TX.* This was about an hour and a half drive from my house. *I had read that pre-riding was very important in MTB, and I had never ridden the course, so I made plans to pre-ride in advance.* Unfortunately rain and other races prevented me from going as early as I wanted to.* So even though it meant driving 6 hours in a single weekend, I made the choice to pre-ride the course on Saturday and return for the race on Sunday.
My husband with went me on Saturday, and the course was already marked, so were able to ride the trails in the right order and direction.* There were lots of people out pre-riding.* The atmosphere was fun, friendly, and energetic.

*When I would reach a spot I didn't clear on the first try, I would go back and try again.* If I couldn’t clear it on 3 attempts, I made a plan for running it on race day.* Having a plan to get off and run something lets me lose much less time than falling or getting bogged down.* I also did this for any parts I found were especially scary.* For example there was one tight downhill switchback that made me feel very uncomfortable.* So I made a plan and practiced running up to it, dismounting quickly, running down it and remounting.* I learned I need to practice my cyclocross-style mounts and dismounts.

*I tried to keep my pace at an easy pace on the pre-ride so not to be sore or fatigued on race day.* This day was about learning the course, learning lines, and making a solid plan, not speed.

Pre-riding the course was invaluable.* The next day, race day, I was not nervous about the course. I knew there would be no surprises.* I knew I wouldn't miss a turn.* I knew where the straight-aways and open areas were that would make passing easier. I knew how much time I had before the single track started. I knew I had a slightly uphill start. I knew the last 2 miles of the course were harder than the other 6 and that I would need to save energy for the end and not go out too fast in the beginning.

*On race day I arrived plenty early.* I registered and returned to my car.* My race was at 1:30.* At noon I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and had a diet coke.* I checked my bike, got dressed, and rode around a little to warm the legs up.* Found the restrooms.* I rethought my clothing options and decided on a base layer, long sleeve jersey, leg warmers, and winter gloves.* It was chilly, but the sun was out.

At 12:45 I began to warm up with purpose.* The starting section from the line to the single-track was not being used by other races, so I warmed up there.* I didn't want the uphill start to curse me from the very beginning.* About 10 minutes to start time, I made my way to the start where people were gathering. LOTS of people...* every cat 3 racer including men, women, and children of every age were standing around the start.

This is about when the clouds rolled in, the north wind picked up, and the temps dropped 10 or 15 degrees.* I was kicking myself for leaving my windbreaker and toe warmers in the car. I didn't think I had time to go back and get them.

As it turns out, the race started quite late.* It was 1:45 before any of the groups were called to the front, and my Cat 3 Women 40+ was near the end of the call to line up. It was very difficult to keep the blood flowing and I felt like my warm-up was a complete waste.* Everyone else was in the same boat, though, so I didn't panic.

When it was my cat's turn to line up, they called each of our numbers and verified our names.* As soon as we were all at the start, we were off with a whistle blow.

I was glad I'd warmed up on that starting slope.* I was surprised that 2 others and I had put a sizable gap between us and the rest of the field by the top of the hill.* I was 3rd going into the single-track.

Once I was in the woods, I purposely told myself to settle in, relax, and conserve energy.* I passed a few riders that started with the age group in front of mine.* I could no longer see the two ladies from my group who entered the woods ahead of me.

I felt my pre-riding was really paying off here.* Not only was I not overly nervous about any sharp turns, steep climbs, or rooty spots, but I was able to ride those spots I sessioned the previous day.

I could see one lady from my group behind me with a pink bandana tied to her camelback flying in the wind.* I couldn’t see the others. She was giving me a good chase, though, and this helped me stay focused and keep my pace high.* She would make time on me up climbs, and I would take the time back on straights and flats. In the last half mile I was really starting to fatigue.* Knowing someone was right behind me kept me from sitting up and slowing down.

In the end, I finished strong, with a smile on my face, in 3rd place.* 4th place was 15 seconds behind me, so I certainly feel that if I hadn't pre-ridden the course, she would have beaten me.* 3rd place far exceeded my expectations.* 1st and 2nd were a good 10-15 minutes ahead of me, so I certainly have some challenges ahead of me.

To my great surprise I even got to stand on the podium and got a trophy.* Overall it was a fantastic day and I had a fantastic time.* I can't wait to race again.
*

I have no idea where those *'s came from.... Weird...

Congrats! Sounds like your first race experience was very successful, both from a finishing and a motivational perspective.

Pre-riding a course is often very beneficial, but not always practical. I have gone into multiple MTB races not knowing the course. I don't find this necessarily to be an issue for me.

I have also been on the line waiting to start, in the pouring rain, at 40 degrees, and freezing. Whatever your inclination is, DO NOT OVERDRESS! Once you got going, I'm sure you were fine without the windbreaker and toe warmers, yes? For me, if I overdress, I end up having to work harder, and am incredibly uncomfortable the entire time. Even in the rain at 40 degrees, I don't race in a jacket - ever. That day was shorts, base layer, long sleeve jersey and leg warmers. It has taken me a REALLY long time to learn this.

Keep practicing, and great job out there!

SheFly

Sounds like you had an awesome race! Congratulations!!!!!

I agree with Shefly about pre-riding. I wish I could pre-ride every course, but that rarely happens. Only one time did I feel like it really cost me. The trail was much more technical than I anticipated. I ended up crashing 4-5 times because I was going too fast into a section. After that I was overly cautious.

Nice race. You did a great job of scouting out the course and figuring out a good race plan. For a new racer that is probably the most important part. Well done!!!

Congratulations! It looks like a good start for you. Keep on riding :)

Congratulations on your race, and thanks for sharing it! I doubt that I will ever be able to do a mtb race (I am quite slow), but I certainly do love reading about them!

Congrats! And welcome to the races :)

Congratulations on the podium! I raced Warda too (I'm Cat 2), I have never raced anything so cold and your race had sleet. Pre-riding is definitely a great idea, I don't ride any course blind unless I have rode there before and know nothing has changed. I didn't pre-ride Comfort because I raced the marathon there less than a month ago and knew it well. They have the course permanently marked there so nothing changes and Pace Bend is the same way. At Huntsville in the fall I firmly believe the fact that I had pre-rode the course and memorized it helped me beat a couple women, I knew where to attack and where I was in the course to gauge my efforts. One of the women is my teammate and she said she was lost because it all looked the same and she had no clue what was ahead or how much further to go.

Women always pretty much get screwed on warming up, I use mine just to loosen up. I know I will be cold by the race, good thing is most your competitors will be too as you stated.

Well, I've now completed my second race and still loving it. Here's my race report for Mellow Johnny's Classic - 3/3/2012.

I wasn't MTBing back when this location was previously open to mountain biking, so I'd never ridden or even seen the trails. There was a lot of talk in the local MTB community about how difficult the trails were in the past, so I decided I'd burn some of my stock-piled PTO and do as much pre-riding as possible.

I pre-rode the course on the Thursday preceeding the race, doing 2 laps. I probably would have only done one lap, but I ran into a team-mate after my first lap, so rode it again with her. I'm glad I did. It definately was difficult for me. Lots of hike-a-bike. The shoes I prefer to race in were NOT hike-a-bike friendly, so right away I knew I needed to use different shoes to race in. Something with a rubbery sole rather than a hard plastic one would be much better.

Parts of the trail were down right demoralizingly difficult for me. BUT... I have no issue running a portion I can't ride, so my plan was to figure out what those sections were so I had a plan on race day.

I went home Thursday very tired and stiff and mentally worried about the course.

Friday I returned to the ranch to volunteer for race set-up. I ended up unloading quite a bit of heavy stuff and setting up water monters and a bajillion tables. This alone was enough to make me sore. After 4 hours of manual labor, I went out to pre-ride again.

I was hot, tired, worn out, sunburned, and dehydrated BEFORE I started.

The pros were also out doing hot laps at race pace and it was frankly terrifying to have them all go absolutely FLYING past. The trails were crowded on Friday. I'm glad I got a good ride in on Thursday.

I ended up bailing halfway through and not completing the whole loop. I knew I would not be able to recover before Saturday (race day) if I continued. This did not help my confidence level at all!

Race day arrived and I was naseous and had trouble getting any food down.

I got there in plenty of time to warm up a bit and line up at the start. I was physically nervous, which doesn't usually happen to me. To my utter delight, there were only 3 racers in my cat/class who were brave enough to show up! Everyone who finished was garanteed a podium spot. Fantastic! No pressure at all.

So off we go. I had a bit of a clip in wobble at the beginning, so not my best start. The other 2 in my cat were simply faster than me on the lead up to the single track. When I decided I wouldn't be catching them, I just settled in and rode my ride. My goal was simply to finish, uninjured.

To my delight, the course seemed much easier than on the pre-rides. Maybe it was the adrenaline, or just the fact that it was the 2nd or 3rd time seeing the course. Either way, I rode better on the race than I did on any of my pre-ride laps.

There was a ton of climbing on this race. I'm not a fast climber at all. In fact, more often than not I'm a terrible climber. I was passed by a rider from another cat on the climbs, but she was a timid decender, and even stopped and bailed halfway down some of the decents. This was killing me, becuase I am a pretty good decender, and knew I could ride them all.

After the second mid-decent bail out, I worked it out with her so that she could pass me on climbs if she liked, but I'd be passing her before the following decents. Didn't take long till I didn't see her again.

I loved that there was a good crowd for this race. This was a UCI Pro race, so the pros like Georgia Gould, Catherine Pendrel, Katie Compton, and Emily Batty were there. The crowds were great! Lots of cowbells and cheering all along the course.

I finished feeling strong, in 3rd place, uneventfully. Hey, another podium, another trophy! I can't complain. 3rd sounds better than last, so that's my story and I'm sticking with it!

I did find it less fun having so few competitors. I had no incentive to ride at race-pace after I'd been dropped by the two leaders. Maybe that was a blessing on this difficult course. I had all the room in the world to pick lines and no pressure to ride above my abilities.

My husband raced with the men, and he was frustrated that there were so MANY contestants that even though HE could ride many of the technical portions, there were pileups of others walking and so he had no choice but to get off and walk as well.

Overall I'm very happy that I raced this race, and look forward to my next race.

Before I race again I'm attending a Betterride clinic (www.betterride.net) and hope very much that I gain some new technical abilities that allow me to clean more sections of technical trail.

Thanks for posting this- I have been trying to decide if I should do my first race- there is a new local one that appeals to me.........but........(lots of buts) the fact that you still enjoyed it and are looking forward to more is heartening! My main concern is there is no way I can preride.........and I am technically weak- though a beast climber (for my age)..which is part of my hesitation- for beginner woman it is simply 35+ ..NO slack for being 50 like in running races!

I've now completed my 3rd race in the series, the GHORBA Big Ring Challenge.

This course is the least technical of, well, of pretty much any trail I've ridden. It's very narrow and curvy, with a million corners and trees, but there are no tecnical features, and very little climbing.

I had high hopes going into this race knowing that I could handle the course.

I pre-rode the course with my husband and my 15 year old the day prior to the race. Unfortinately, my 15 year old didn't really have the fitness and decided to whine for half the ride. This meant I was more focused on keeping him going than the actual trail, and didn't get to practice anything "at speed". Lesson learned! Don't try to combine a family ride with a race pre-ride.

Sadly, the water there did not sit well with my tummy and caused me some ... er.... issues all evening. Let's just say I was battling dehydration long before the race started!

So I showed up ready to race, not just show up. I hoped to do well, and take a podium spot. If any course of the series were suited to me, this one was it. Unfortinately, it was apparently also well suited to a lot of other people!

The lead up to the single track was short. I knew the jump off the line would be important. So I lined up next to a girl who tends to win, and my plan was to stay on her wheel.

The whistle blew, and 20 seconds later, I was on to plan B....

I should have practiced the start. If I had, I would have known what gear to be in. As it was, I was in way too easy of a gear, and needed to shift up many times, causeing me to lose her wheel right away.

I'm noting a trend of losing races in the first 30 seconds...

Also the younger girls start at the same time as the 40+ women. We don't compete against each other, but we start together. This has caused me problems twice now. There is one little gal imparticular who is quite fast on smooth, straight lead outs. Then she hits the single track, gets nervous/sketchy and slows down.

She managed to hit the single track 2 in front of me, and immediately slowed down causing a gap between the ladies in front of her, and everyone she beat to the ST.

There was a bit of yelling going on, and we finally managed to pass her a minute or two later. By this time, the lead group was no where in sight. The trail was very narrow and heavily wooded, so passing was not easy. This didn't really set a good tone for the race for me. 5 minutes into the race I was in chase mode, and a little ticked off, trying to take back the gap.

I probably should have just settled into my pace, but instead I continued going out too hard. I usually try to have the first 25% of a race feel fairly easy (after the start). Not this time. I was going out full speed ahead. So.... as you can probably guess, I pretty much blew up by mile 4. This made the last half of the race a suffer-fest for me.

I did pass quite a few people from other cats/classes, which is always encouraging. Is it bad that I take a little bit of secret joy from passing guys who started way before I did? :D If I saw someone ahead, I chased them down hoping they were someone in my cat. No such luck, though.

At mile 4 there is a nice swoopy rythym section through the woods that I really enjoy. It took till this point for me to finally settle in.

Going out so hard, and feeling stressed the whole time trying to make up a gap caused me some physical issues. Mainly, my left hand went numb. Near the end of the race it was completely numb and painful, even though I tried to take every chance I had to shake it out and return the blood flow. I'm not sure if it was just me stressing, so much cornering, or new gloves, but I've never had that much trouble with my hands before. It was very distracting, and definately took away from my focus and concentration. I need to figure out what caused that and cure it ASAP.

In the last 2 miles I passed two more guys who decided I was a nice wheel to follow. At first it made me nervous that I shouldn't have passed them, and they would just need to pass me now, but they were content to sit on my wheel. This helped me go a bit faster, I'm sure.

I still managed to finish strong and sprint across the line. The finish was quite interesting... the finish line was about 30 yards beyond a sand volleyball court. So everyone sprints out of the single track into a pit of sand and fishtails like crazy. Quite entertaining for spectators. I did swerve a good bit, but maintained control, and used the technique I learned from Betterride to try to give my rear wheel the most traction, and just not try to change direction in the sand.

I finished a disapointing 5th out of 12.

Only disapointing becuase I really wanted 3rd or better.

The good part, though is that I have cut my deficit to the leader in half from the start of the season. Where I was coming in 15 minutes behind the winners, yesterday I was only 8 minutes behind. I'll call that progress and take it!

Every race is a learning experience! I can't believe you have 3 races in already!?!? Of course, in MI the trails usually aren't ready to race on until May. It sounds like you are improving and gaining a lot of valuable experience.

Loraura, it's wonderful that you consider your mistakes every time you ride. It will help you go better and better every time. Don't be disappointed. There are many races ahead of you. You will learn and hit the podium.
I think you are doing just great :)

Big Ring always brings out a huge crowd, first timers, roadies, people who only race once a year. For me it can be frustrating but I love the area. I didn't race but I was there with my husband, but we headed back to Austin shortly after your Cat went off to prepare for a really long week. The course was in really great shape but honestly I think it is a bit boring! Oh and we learned that we cannot pre-ride together (DH and I) at least not if it is the day before the race. It stinks but you have to find what works for you, for us it is generally splitting up to ride alone.

One thing with Cat 3 is you always have girls like the ones winning your division that are ready for Cat 2 physically but not mentally. I found your tactic of having MY goal was the best way to attack Cat 3 (and even Cat 2). You can measure against yourself, which you are and it is a way to feel good about what you can accomplish. Some of those ladies are just natural athletes, some of us just are determined to be better than we think we can be.

I am really enjoying your race reports, it is refreshing to see your attitude and fun to live through your first season. :)

My next race is not until this coming weekend, but, I pre-rode the course last weekend, and, I'm skeeered! HAHA.

It's gonna be a tough one for me. More of a mental battle than a physical one. I dislike several parts of the trail. One section is new, and seems really choppy and frustrating for me. Another is the very spot my good friend broke his wrist on.

At least the last mile or two is fast and fun. I'll have that to look forward to. Maybe I can use that to help me get through the parts that are simply above my ability level.

On the pre-ride I fell three times. After the first one, I was sketchy and not relaxed on the bike (probably leading to the other two). I had forgotten my pads at home, too, so I was even more unconfident (is that a word?).

I'm hoping I can get one more pre-ride in before the race, and that maybe, just maybe, the same thing that happened at Mellow Johnny's Classic will happen again for me, and the race will seem easier than the pre-ride.

I'm trying not to let myself get all psyched up about it. Just thinking about it makes my tummy do the roller coaster thing.

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Originally Posted by Loraura

I'm trying not to let myself get all psyched up about it. Just thinking about it makes my tummy do the roller coaster thing.

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I feel like that before every race. A friend of mine takes zanax before he races to calm his nerves . . . I think that is a bit extreme! I consider the anxiety a good warm-up since my heart rate is already high :p

I think it is awesome you are able to pre-ride the course. Now you know what is expected and you can psych yourself up for it, visualizing yourself riding smoothly through those challenging sections.

Can't wait to hear how it goes! Good luck!

I've now completed my 4th race!

From my earlier post, you saw how nervous I was after having a bad pre-ride. HOWEVER, I pre-rode again the day before the race and had a MUCH BETTER ride. My riding partner who knows my abilities pushed me to try things I was previously bailing on, and I was able to ride much more of the course.

This helped a lot. At the starting line I was not terrified that the entire race would be as bad as my initial pre-ride. I've known for some time that it was fear rather than skill that was keeping me from riding some more technical features. They proved it to me by encouraging me to just TRY it. I had full pads on for this pre-ride, so that helped.

I decided to wear pads on race day as well, since it seemed to help my confidence so much and we have a MTB vacation coming up soon that I didn't want to miss due to injury! This course was very rocky. A fall could really hurt! Pads helped me leave some fear behind.

During the race, I did several things right! I sorted out what gear I should be in to punch it off the line (not gonna make that mistake twice!). At the whistle I SHOT OUT and immediately had a gap behind me with only one rider in front of me. I hit the single track in second position. My best entry into the woods yet! I had a bit of a wobble, and a short discussion with a tree, about 50 yards into the single track. I just came in a little too hot, but I recovered and didn't loose my 2nd place spot.

It took me a long time to settle in and recover from my start. I was a good 2 miles into the course before I could get my heart rate and breathing in SOME resemblance of control. When I finally did, things began to fall into place. I felt really good on the bike, not at all sketchy or off balance.

I made all of the obstacles that I'd practiced (with the help of my riding buddy) the day before. AND I made some other spots on race day that I hadn't ever made before! It was BY FAR my best ride on this course.

I was a little nervous about how much of a gap I'd been able to make (thinking at any moment I was going to be passed by another in my Category). This was in the back of my mind a good bit, and when I had the chance I'd look back to check.

There is one section on the course where the trail goes between two trees and there is VERY LITTLE wiggle room, especially on a 29er with wide bars. I'd practiced my approach to this part several time the day before and found an angle that worked for me. When I got to the spot there were spectators there, which made me a little nervous. I almost bailed so I wouldn't provide them with the entertainment of me smacking into a tree. But I stuck with it, felt confident that my practice would pay off, and wiggled right on through! They cheered! It was great.

The new section was much better having been ridden on by so many pre-riders and racers. I found it MUCH easier. Once I made it through the new section, I finally felt like there was no reason I would be caught unless I crashed. Up until that point I just raced my heart out and hoped it was enough.

I had planned to take a gu about 3 miles in, but when I got to that spot I was breathing so hard and my HR was so elevated I felt like there was no way I could keep it down, so I waited. I found another place later in the trail to recover and managed to get it down then. This worked out OK, but in the future I think I will try taping my gu to the top tube as I've seen others do. It's tough to find it in my pocket and get it open at race pace. I still had enough energy to cross the finish line with lots of power.

My hand-numbness issue from the last race appears to be resolved. I went back to racing with the gloves I like best (which don't match my kit, but whatever!). I also felt very relaxed as far as my grip on the bars for this race, so that may have helped, too.

This was the first race I've done where I felt like I COULD have gone another lap if I had to. On my previous races the thought of having to go again made me want to run screaming back to the car! It would have been tough, but I think I could have gone another lap.

I finished in second place, and I'm really proud of that finish! 4 races, 3 tropheys. I can't complain about that!

I'll do one more race this season, but I have a month to get ready for it. I'm looking forward to it!

Great job on racing a really technical course and making the podium! I know several people (my husband included) who visited the ER yesterday so good call on the pads. Good luck closing out the season strong at RHR!

Congratulations again! Is the difference between the first lady and you big?

Well done! I find your accounts of racing for the first time very inspiring. There's a race this Sunday at one of my local trail systems, and I'm hemming and hawing about signing up, moreso after pre-riding the course. These reports give me some idea of what to expect.

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Originally Posted by Anelia

Congratulations again! Is the difference between the first lady and you big?

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It's not huge, but it's significant enough that I can't expect to win untill I can do some technical things much better. Ledges are killing me on race times. Some I can probably make but fear tells me to get off the bike rather than fail the front wheel lift and endo-smack right into it.

Well, I have completed the 2012 Texas State Championship Mountain Bike Series, and I am still in one piece!

I raced the final race at Rocky Hill Ranch this past weekend.

I pre-rode the course on Saturday, and had a pretty good fall. Bruised my arm and hip and shoulder, but survived. Most of the course, I could handle. I did find out that I need to learn how to ride some steep gullies (few feet very steep down, followed immediately by a few feet very steep up).

The smaller ones I could handle, but there were a few large ones (one was even called "the wall") that I could not ride. I just didn't know how to go about getting up the other side once my downhill momentum ran out. I watched other people nail it, but i coudln't quite emulate it. I put that on my list of things to learn how to master before next year.

I went into this race knowing that weather I got first or last, it made absolutely no difference for my placement in the series, as long as I finished. So I went in on race day with the goal to finish uninjured.

So race day comes, and I've got a pretty good routine going for pre-race activities by now. I had a little bit of nerves at the start, but not much. I was just chit-chatting with the other ladies. We've become rather friendly with each other, seeing the same faces each race. The whistle blows and off we go. I avoided a little pileup as soon as we entered the singletrack. 3 minutes into the race, I go down a descent that I cleared with no issue on the pre-ride. It's not even difficult. It has two line options. Straight down the middle (bumpy, roots, not smooth), or on the right, smooth, no roots, but off camber.

I have no idea why I took the off-camber line but I did. With my weight back for the drop, my front wheel did not have enough weight to keep traction and slid out from under me and down I went. And down and down until I was so graciously stopped by trees and brush piled on the side of the trail.

I hit my head, my teeth, my arm, my hip... I had to pick up parts of my helmet from the brush (the visor came off). After I manged to get untangled from my bike, stand up, check my head and parts, I decided I was OK to carry on. I did have a scratch and a "goose egg" on my forehead, but it wasn't bleeding (much).

In a way, this relieved me of any pressure I had to try to place well. Everyone passed me while I was plucking myself from the trees. The sweep guy was waiting at the top of the hill to see if I was going to continue or not. When I looked up to see if it was clear to go, he said "Go ahead, I'm sweep". I replied to him "Well, thanks, I didn't figure you were riding in the 40+ women's cat!" We had a little laugh.

So I started to ride again, and noticed my handlebars were no longer on straight. I stopped, got off the bike, held the front tire between my knees and started banging and prying my stem back to the center. It took me several stops and retries, but I finally got it pretty much straight.

Note to self: Check all screws/bolts for EVERY race.

I did catch and pass one rider from my cat/class, and several others who started at the same time as my group. I had a pretty good ride after that, really. I cleared some spots that I didn't on the pre-ride, so that's always a plus. Even with all the climbing on the course, I felt good at the finish.

I finished 2nd overall in the series. I got a really cool trophey and a "Top 10 fnisher" Tshirt. For someone who went into this racing thing expecting misery, torture, and a complete void of fun, I'd say, it worked out FANTASTIC.

I would highly recommend checking out the XC racing scene in your area. In addition to becoming a better rider Racing allowed me to ride new venues, meet new friends, and become part of the community. An amazing experience I highly recommend.

I think I wrecked and busted my lip open on the same feature at RHR last year. Way to pick up and finish out the series strong, it hard to wreck so early and keep moving on!! See you at RLAG this summer. :)

Nice sum-up Loaura. I'm glad you were able to finish your race--hope you're not too banged up. Congrats on your season! And I can't wait to read your race reports next season :):D