anyone racing for the 1st time this weekend? (pre-race nerves)

[Martin]

I have been advised by my bride to be (next month getting married) to take it easy on sunday! does not want any casts like Barrys in the wedding pics, anyway and good tips lads for newbie racers in sports? tear off at the start pace it when to put the hammer down? how does the course compare to others?

[paddyobrien]

not racing for the first time but stil getting the pre race nerves.


Don;t tear off too quickly at the start as you'll only wreck yourself too quickly.Also bear in mind there'll probably be a few bangers in sports .. or even just some really fit people with little enough technical skill. You'll struggle to keep up wiht them so just ride your own race.


Ideally you want a pace that you can pretty much keep up for the whole race, so it should be hard (not a gentle stroll in the park kind of pace) but not such that you collapse after half a lap.

[diamondG]

nerves?


everytime I check this forum and see the word Kcapital, my legs start shaking for 20 minutes, wish I was joking!


that's good advice Paddy!

there are always loads of bangers in the sports race that should be in a different categories. Don't mind the bangers, if they win they will be abused, especially this year as everyone's watchin them


tension is so high before the start, the temptation is to bolt out of the blocks, but as Paddy says, pace yourself, and don't be afraid to push yourself on the climbs if you know there's a decent minutes away


most of all enjoy it

the best part is that your ability jumps 10 fold, speed and technical ability

[Fergal]

knowing your heart-rate zone will really help also - you can monitor when your over/under and in your zone - you ideally need to be 'in your zone' for the majority of the race

[paddyobrien]

thats a goodpoint graham .. i have a tendancy to go much faster on technical stuff in a race than on a normal spin .. i think its cos theres an ambulance nearby or something!

[Morgan]

I'm giddy with excitement about the race. Definitely won't be going all-out from the start - that's my usual mistake and I blow up after a few minutes.


Watching this a good few times calms me down though:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oT73ik47uI

[paddyobrien]

now that just cheered me up no end!

[Sean]

No no no no no no no

hammer from the start - get into the front group, otherwise you'll get held up everywhere, especially in the big sports cat.

Its only an hour long - no need to worry about blowing up!

[Fergal]

I'm inclined to agree with Sean, you might think you are saving energy by tailing behind slower riders and you'll "pass them when you get the chance" but meantime the leading group are streaking away when you could be going a good deal faster if it were not for the slower riders ahead of you...


Don't kill yourself with a sprint-off but at the same time be assertive and start strongly, also it depends on how long it is before the first singletrack section -if it's a long stretch then riders will space-out/settle nicely so you should be paced with riders of similar capability and hopefully will not get held up

[diamondG]

yeah but.. no but!! (vicky polard style)


Get a good start and avoid jams at small entrances, absolutely.

But don't do the sprint for your life thing.


its like a spin, on the first big climb or sprint, there's always the need to wake your body up, tell it that this is its new reality, and for the next hour this is what to expect.


When you're warmed up and cross this point all's well, that's why i'm in favour of a steady start (not 100% sprint, say 97%) , unless you can cross this point warming up before the race that is

[paddyobrien]

i think it entirely depends on what your aim is for the race (Obviously it should always be to do as well as possible!)


If you're goign for the win then you gotta get to the singletrack first, cos once there its you who controls the race and you're not held up by anyone.


If, however, its your first experience and you're not goign for the win (or not expecting it) then lashing off 100% at the start is not necessarily a good thing, as after a few mins your lungs will be gasping, legs burning and turning to jelly. You still want to get onto the singletrack in as high a position as possible, but wihtout leaving yourself dead at that early stage. Its all a trade off really.


As fergal said, you should not tail behind slower riders unless you really can't get past at the time. Stay close enough to overtake if they mess up, but not so close that them messing up will cause you to crash as well! You can also try setting yourself up to overtake them when you come out of the singletrack. Hang back a little bit towards the end of the track and accelerate and aim to catch them just as you exit onto the fireroad or whatever. This way you're right behind em but travelling much faster.


A lot of it comes down to experience and knowing how your body reacts to flat out 100% effort, and how quickly it can recover from it again

[Fergal]

hey Graham,

I think we were told to do one or two warm-up sprints if I'm not mistaken (as well as general warm-up) - ie; to pre-shock your body for the start - just to give it a heads-up to say "hey body - you've got this and a bit more coming to ya in about 20 mins, so git ready!! "

[Martin]

yeah, whats the "race ethics" if a fast rider is on your tail? (beside go faster) also, if there are chick runs and very steep section/ think I'll cream myself on that can you lift and run?

[paddyobrien]

if you're in the same race as someone then its up to them to pass you (or vice versa).


If they're in a different category you should make more of an effort to let them through because you could be affecting the leaders of that race, but again don't be hopping off your bike and standing to the side or anything. For sports its only the U16s you have to worry about. Some of them are savage fast.


As for walking certain sections, i guess you can but there'd be nothing you wouldn;t ride on a normal spin so don't owrry about that. Occaisionally there wil be peopel walking some of the uphill bits cos they're knackered .. thats generally only in sports category though

[Oisin]

The first few hundred metres is always the easiest place to pass people, cause everyone is bunched up. Later on you have to work on reeling in people individually to get past them which I find takes loads more effort. I always try to get past as many people as possible early on and then concentrate on keeping my pace. I think its easier to maintain pace and not be overtaken later on than spend the whole race attacking riders in front.

[PeterPolish]

Oisin is right but it tends to be very hard as at the beginning everybody have lots of power, but later there is not enough of stamina to keep the pace...

every start in different location brings you more experience but at same time these are different

Strange enough is when you get better position starting from mid of range, as at the beginning people usually go faster then they can and will later - and that can cause you more troubles if you succeeded to start at the top.

When you try to not to loose the position - you go too fast and then you might well be landing at some not-as-awesome position, cause you had to power to finish as you started. You'd better bear it in your minds...


For three laps I'd say go in first 20 at first lap, get to first 12 in second and attack at third (my humble prayers to be listened... ;) )


See'ya!

[Scrivo]

Rumour has it that the start of the race is going into a big climb so if you feel confident on the steep rock, might not be a bad startegy to bate off the front, sprint up the climb and then try to recover after riding down the rock. This way everybody will be stuck behind people falling off the rock while you put metres between you and them.

[Morgan]

Good point Steve - will have to check that out on Saturday. I've taken the chicken-run down the rock in previous years. May have to go for it this time to save precious seconds. It's annoying to pass someone on that climb and then have them fly past you by taking the direct line.

[Cormac]

A climb at the start will be good. Unlike last year where everyone piled into a meter wide gap in a wall just after the start.

[Liam]

This is goin to be great!


Its my first race but I'd reckon you will know by checkin out the opposition before you start to give you an idea weather you need to go all out at the start, if there are a lot of people who look like they might hold you up on the first decent, you should get ahead of them.


Sat pre-ride should give you good idea aswell, would depend on layout of course.


Just a theory now as its my first race too!!

[Conor]

Getting back to Martins original question.... We all get nerves, we all tend to over analyse a race both before and after. Just ride your own race as fast as you can manage for an hour or so. A good few of us will be there to shout for/at you, and believe me that helps tired legs go a bit faster. After the pre-ride, a lot of this tech talk will become clearer. See ye out there!