Posts
348
Joined
4/29/2014
Location
WY
US
Edited Date/Time
1/30/2016 12:18pm
Probably get crucified for askin....but just curious how everyone feels about their own riding. I'm pushing the old man age (37) and only been racing about a year-ish. Always been a fan of the gym and do work in there, but feel like my riding isn't coming very fast. I'm in good shape and spend quite a bit of time on my bike, but when you don't know what you don't know, I have no clue how to "practice." The racing itself has helped me, but don't feel like I'm progressing like I should be. I'm super competitive...then I go to these races and I get beat by fat old guys that light up a smoke after the race and I feel like a chump! Just curious how everyone else views progress and if at any point it just "clicked" for you. I realize most of you have been on the gate since you were 4, but I got the late start in life. I know how I want to ride...just not sure how to get there?!
1. are you in the balls of your feet much?
2. Are you getting off the seat soon enough when exiting a turn that's rough?
3. Are you Death-Gripping?
The Shop
This is why I try to get riders to DVR races & study the riders and their techniques
And you lift.
So, there's always THAT.
64 in 60 days and my daily workout is
Legs (so I cans stand up on demand)
Core related exercises - my plank is 3 minutes - yes it hurts (so I can sit upright etc)
Flexibility (so my reflexes work naturally and unimpeded)
Cardio on a concept 2 rower, slowly working my way up to two 20 minutes sessions every other day (so I have some wind)
Ride time
My goal is to be fit and have a misery index higher than my competition
What others have said regarding watching other faster rides is key. See what lines they are using. When they are transitioning from standing to seated in each corner.
Get video of yourself riding at tracks where you can also watch faster riders at.
You say you've only been racing for one year but how long have you rode moto for total. 1 year is peanuts.
Also, when you're riding, focus less on the brakes. A buddy of mine was asking constantly what I'm doing differently, and I got behind him in practice and he would brake WAY too early.
Then go back to the mx track and have that same having fun attitude.
Pit Row
When I practice, I'll go out and do two slower laps to kinda warm up and then put the hammer down and try to go race speed as long as I can. when I start to get tired and feel my body positioning getting all out of whack I will slow down a little bit and gather myself back up, take a deep breath and get back to doing what I was doing. That is of course after 23 years of experience. Now I'm not the fastest in the world but I've always been told I'm smooth and have really good style, also that I make it look effortless. Just practice practice practice and the experience will start to kick in.
Try it, but it goes without saying that you should temper this idea with some brains. You are, after all getting older. (Not as old as I am now, but you're getting there, skippy.)
Another thing to try is to pick one section that you are comfortable with and practice that part as stupid fast as you can imagine, then slow down for the rest of the track. You can then slowly expand that section in both directions, so you are entering a little faster and going stupid fast for a few turns past the point where you had previously slowed down. Eventually, you'll get used to that speed and start riding the whole track at that rate.
After a few years of riding he was in the same place you are at. I have told him a hundred times it takes time..sometimes a long time to be able to be reasonable fast on a dirt bike. It's rare for people to be good at riding overnight. Be patient, it will come.
I also found my buddy was over analyzing , over thinking his every move on the track. Try to cut back on that. Keep the focus simple. Think fast, smooth, flowing.
Sometimes I'd ride with him on the track and pretend to be battling him. I would hoot and holler while going past, then let him go by me. We would swap back and forth for 15-20 minutes. It was only then I'd see him step up his level considerably. We would discuss during break and I'd point out that he was on it! I'd ask what was different this time out. He'd usually say he was more focused on me and I would respond with 'so you weren't thinking about when to brake, when to use the clutch or weight the outside peg and such' and I would normally get a curious look followed by a 'no'
My point is he was always way faster when he wasn't intently focused on EVERY single action he was performing.
Above all else never forget the FUN factor of riding!
I've been riding since I was a kid but never raced until last year (I'm 28). I felt like a pretty decent rider, but discovered quickly that trail riding (like I had done most of my life) and racing are two different things. These guys are no joke, For me, I tried to target specific areas where I felt like I was either struggling or getting beat (by the guys in my class) and then go work on those things. I also watch the intermediate and expert guys for things like form/technique or to see how they attack certain sections of the track.
If you feel like you're lacking speed, you have to identify why. Speed is the end result of riding with correct technique, line choice, execution, fitness, etc etc. So try to target the specific areas where you feel weakest and then go to work on them one at a time. You can't fix everything all at once. It's a growing process that's going to take time.
At this point I've broken 13 bones, wrecked both shoulders, both knees and really messed up some ligaments, plus 5 concussions. I still have the fitness, but even though I'm still competitive at the top level here in Canada, I feel like I've plateau'd I want to take corners faster, be more aggressive, but for some reason I can't bring myself to do it. I'm always within a second a lap of the front guys, but man, idk. I feel like I'm going slower than I used to. I think its more me getting used to the pace I ride at, but still, it sucks feeling like you should be faster.
If you ask me, its about finding your flow. Its hard to explain, but basically its about making the track "smooth out" in your head. Make the transitions between corners and jumps, straights and braking bumps flow together instead of being choppy. Idk if thats a good enough explanation, but it should feel more relaxed and easy. Also, move with the bike, you arent going to get anywhere trying to force it around the track, as one of my good friends would say, "let er dance" the looser you can be while riding, the better, it allows you to adapt quicker, correct mistakes, and tire less.
Guess I need to stream those Gary Semics videos again and pick out those couple things to focus on.
Opinions...what three things are the biggest focus? I think FGR01 hit the nail on the head. As of about 15 months ago, I couldn't ride standing up to save my life. Much better at it now, but still not totally comfortable. That's currently a focus of mine, which requires slowing down a hair. What else? Elbows? squeezing with the feet/knees? head position? I did notice this last weekend I felt like I was over the bars while accelerating, but I wasn't even close. There again...felt right, totally wrong.
cornerspeed - entry and exit and use your brakes.
Post a reply to: Progress on the bike?!