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First Time Racing
04/18/17 at 2:50pm
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I have been riding for a few years now but have never done any racing.  I plan on doing a couple races at Tuck Fest particularly KOGH and the half marathon.  Are there any rules or tips I should be aware about?
  
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pearl
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Re: First Time Racing
Reply #1 - 04/18/17 at 7:37pm
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Go that way, really fast. If something gets in your way... turn.
  
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Banjopickin
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Re: First Time Racing
Reply #2 - 04/18/17 at 8:28pm
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If you aint first you're last...

Rubbings racing...

If they talk smack, put em in the wall...




  
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Advocat wrote on 08/22/13 at 5:16pm:
...packin some Chub in the back of the pick-up.


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catsruletn
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Re: First Time Racing
Reply #3 - 04/18/17 at 11:26pm
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Get your race day nutrition figured out before race day.
  
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Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.
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pearl
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Re: First Time Racing
Reply #4 - 04/19/17 at 12:12am
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Real advice:

Bring enough water for your race in a hydration pack. I've raced for ~7 years and find with bottles, I cannot drink enough for XC distance races. The hydration pack allows you to drink without having to take you hands off the bars for a long time. For a hour race, you don't need 3 liters of water. Fill up two bottles and dump it in. Again, racing will help you fogutemoutnifnthat is enough water or not. 

Warming up falls into the category of "What works for Bob might not work for you". I would suggest starting with just pedaling around the parking lot and loosening up your legs. If you can ride the first mile of trail and pick out any bottlenecks you may experience, that would be good too. You'll know fast enough if you were warmed up at the start. 

At the start, be cool and chat it up with your bros. you need to trust everyone around you not to kill you in the first 30 seconds of sprinting into single track. Acceptable things are fart noises, pretending you have to pee, pretending you left the stove on, etc

Be vocal and communicate with the racers around you. Don't yell or demand things. The person in front of you is likely going as fast as they can. Screaming GO FASTER is not helping and you look like a fool. It's amateur bike racing. You have work on Monday. 

Want to pass someone? Let the person know you'd like to pass. "Hey can I get by on the right WHEN ITS CLEAR?" Don't expect this guy to slap on his brakes and move over. If you find yourself in this log jam? Start harder at the beginning of the race. 

Ask if the person behind wants to pass. Sometimes they might not be interested in passing you. It's nice to order and opens up dialogue.

Thank the person you are passing and cheer them on with words of motivation. If you get passed, give them kudos and try and stick to their wheel.

If you find yourself in a battle, learn the dudes name. He may be your new nemesis and you'll have a bond forever. 

People are going to talk about nutrition and stuff, but you can only figure that out as you race. Keep it simple. I used to have a bagel and Mountain Dew before a race. I knew a guy who had snickers and Red Bull for fuel before a race. What works for Bob may not work for you. Experiment and remember what felt good and what felt bad. 

After the race, don't be a sore winner/loser. Give props to anyone you see with their head down and exhausted. Not necessary to be vocal, but a simple fist bump and "nice job" goes a long way. 

Find the guys you were duking it out with and relive your battle. Find the guy or two that passed you at the end and give them respect/kudos. 

Never give an excuse to someone who beat you, why they beat you. This is a perfect example of a sore loser. Just keep it to yourself. You were slower than that person today. 

If you win your category, never gloat about it. Feel good in your race but remember there's a whole different group of people in the nect category that will be faster than you. 

Someone is ALWAYS faster than you. 

If this all seems like too much, just use common sense and be a good human being.
  
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sager
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Re: First Time Racing
Reply #5 - 04/19/17 at 1:14pm
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good advice by James there.  A couple of other things

- Try to get into the woods as close to the front of the pack as you physically can.  This will depend on your fitness relative to the others, but assuming you are fit enough to finish in the top 5, if you aren't in the top 5 going into the woods, you may get stuck by slower riders in a log jam because they did what you didn't do, and that is get in the woods first.

- Once the race settles in, try to dial back your effort and get into a rhythm.  It is much easier to redline and blow up in a race and if you race like you do at the start for too long, you will in fact do that and your race will be over.  Basically, pace yourself.

- Don't hesitate to ask the person in front of you to pass.  More than likely they know you are faster and won't mind, but I have at times sat behind someone way too long and it hurt me.

  
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sCvHeaVens
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Re: First Time Racing
Reply #6 - 04/19/17 at 2:41pm
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sager wrote on 04/19/17 at 1:14pm:
good advice by James there.  A couple of other things

- Try to get into the woods as close to the front of the pack as you physically can.  This will depend on your fitness relative to the others, but assuming you are fit enough to finish in the top 5, if you aren't in the top 5 going into the woods, you may get stuck by slower riders in a log jam because they did what you didn't do, and that is get in the woods first.

- Once the race settles in, try to dial back your effort and get into a rhythm.  It is much easier to redline and blow up in a race and if you race like you do at the start for too long, you will in fact do that and your race will be over.  Basically, pace yourself.

- Don't hesitate to ask the person in front of you to pass.  More than likely they know you are faster and won't mind, but I have at times sat behind someone way too long and it hurt me.



Both Sager and Pearl have far more experience than me but I will say unless you've raced at some point or are really really fast I would caution you to try and beat everyone into the woods.  My first year of racing was last year and I personally found that I did better if I went into the woods 3-4 as being first would cause my HR to spike too quickly and killed my energy level (I could almost always beat everyone at start if I wanted to).  I also found that a lot of guys will go 110% off the line and then hold everyone up.  This was as a CAT3 rider (which was a lot faster than I originally thought it would be for "beginner") - you'll more than likely be in an open category at tuckfest and unless you are a very good rider you're going to be very impressed at how fast the top guys are.

With that said - my recommendation (especially if you've never raced before) is that you make this one a fun learning experience.  Tell yourself you are riding an event... not a race.  Don't try to kill yourself off the start; all the comments above me are spot on and just try to remember it's your first race, not your last.
  
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Re: First Time Racing
Reply #7 - 04/19/17 at 3:36pm
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Lots of great advice above! I've been racing for about 10 years and we all have our own way of getting ready for a race. While I ride or race I also use a camelback.  I tend to use the electrolyte tablets that you can find in your local shop or Academy sports. (Which has a surprisingly good selection at a good price).  They do a good job at replacing electrolytes, especially when it gets hot.  If your schedule allows, look into the Wednesday night series.  It is a lot of fun and a great way to make some new riding friends.  As you get faster it's nice to know more people who can ride the same pace.  Have fun!!

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sCvHeaVens
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Re: First Time Racing
Reply #8 - 04/19/17 at 5:04pm
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The other thing worth mentioning is after my first year of racing I have "trained" to require less water while riding.  I used to be the guy that would fill up 100oz camelbak and 2 water bottles and need to refill midway a 30 miler @ dupont.  Now I ride with a single bottle and usually dont touch it... but I kill atleast 2 bottles on way to trailhead and try to drink more during day.  As a friend put it; there is a big difference in being thirsty and being dehydrated.
  
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sager
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Re: First Time Racing
Reply #9 - 04/20/17 at 2:32pm
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sCvHeaVens wrote on 04/19/17 at 5:04pm:
The other thing worth mentioning is after my first year of racing I have "trained" to require less water while riding.  I used to be the guy that would fill up 100oz camelbak and 2 water bottles and need to refill midway a 30 miler @ dupont.  Now I ride with a single bottle and usually dont touch it... but I kill atleast 2 bottles on way to trailhead and try to drink more during day.  As a friend put it; there is a big difference in being thirsty and being dehydrated. 

good advice to drink a bottle before the race.  Sort of pre-loads the fluids and electrolytes.  In a race that lasts 30 mins (beginners) or 60 mins (sport), that should help tremendously.
  
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Re: First Time Racing
Reply #10 - 04/20/17 at 5:29pm
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sager wrote on 04/20/17 at 2:32pm:

good advice to drink a bottle before the race.  Sort of pre-loads the fluids and electrolytes.  In a race that lasts 30 mins (beginners) or 60 mins (sport), that should help tremendously.


Ironically, it was fine carrying my pack around in beginner class but I'm already a Clyde so removing the extra 20lbs of the camelbak was something that had to be done this winter (as well as dropping my weight) as I bump up.  Good news is I am pretty positive I don't have to ever worry about what I would do in CAT1 LOL...
  
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Re: First Time Racing
Reply #11 - 04/20/17 at 9:13pm
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Wow That is a lot more replies than I thought I would get thanks everyone!
  
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