Posts
254
Joined
10/12/2010
Location
Yorba Linda, CA, USA
Edited Date/Time
4/12/2016 4:08pm
Hey guys. Looking for some tips on improving my speed at the beginning of a race.
I'm not new to riding, but I just started racing offroad (Big 6) this year. I'm a novice level rider and I've found that it takes me a bit longer to get into a groove and feel comfortable than it does for other guys in my class. I typically start loosening up and flowing more in the second lap and from there on out I'm going faster each lap with the last lap usually being my fastest. Bottom line is that I'm giving up too much time early on and I'm not able to make enough of it back by the end.
Some additional info: If you're not familiar with Big 6, it's offroad GP style racing. Races are usually in the hour range with 10-15 minute lap times on average. I warm up with some light cardio and dynamic stretching before heading to the line which definitely helps my body to feel looser, but that's not really the issue. The issue is more that I don't feel warmed up as far as my riding goes since we don't have any practice or sighting laps prior to the start of the race. Unfortunately showing up early enough to ride the unclassified race in the morning is usually not practical for me.
Anyway, any advice would be greatly appreciated!
I'm not new to riding, but I just started racing offroad (Big 6) this year. I'm a novice level rider and I've found that it takes me a bit longer to get into a groove and feel comfortable than it does for other guys in my class. I typically start loosening up and flowing more in the second lap and from there on out I'm going faster each lap with the last lap usually being my fastest. Bottom line is that I'm giving up too much time early on and I'm not able to make enough of it back by the end.
Some additional info: If you're not familiar with Big 6, it's offroad GP style racing. Races are usually in the hour range with 10-15 minute lap times on average. I warm up with some light cardio and dynamic stretching before heading to the line which definitely helps my body to feel looser, but that's not really the issue. The issue is more that I don't feel warmed up as far as my riding goes since we don't have any practice or sighting laps prior to the start of the race. Unfortunately showing up early enough to ride the unclassified race in the morning is usually not practical for me.
Anyway, any advice would be greatly appreciated!
If I was familiar with the event location, I'd do better. It's your first year. The first lap is very much like MX. Lots of riders, bunched up, high energy, etc.
The more races under your belt, the more confident and aggressive you'll be on the first lap.
Are you over-charging, or riding too cautiously?
If it's the latter, is it attributable to your unfamiliarity with the track?
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I found once I consistently could get myself up front off the line, I could push harder the first lap.
Less traffic to go through, and being up with the fast guys lets you pick up their pace and see their lines.
Even in 2 hour hare scrambles the start sure doesn’t hurt…
There may not be much to fix that if that's the problem, that's just being smart because you have to work on Monday. Racing against kids who don't have to work on Monday or guys that don't care is a good cause to be scarred or extremely cautious!
In SA we don't ever prerun courses and its a new track for everybody on the first lap in our offroad/H&H style racing which is usually around 20 miles a lap for 3+ hours. Practicing at race pace in unfamiliar terrain is what helps me. also helps break bones though so figure the risk you're willing to take and go from there.
Pit Row
i call it the Villopoto Effect
Or
Track walk the first 1/2-1 mile. Good aggressive start and then ride a wide bike for the rest of the first lap. Its hard coming from a 30th place start on the first lap as the top 10 will be gone. If you can hold with the top 10 in lap one and build speed you could be a top 5 guy much quicker.
Practice how you want to race...when you go riding for practice, force yourself to pin it from the truck (I'm assuming you are riding offroad for practice)...don't "take it easy" for a while, then gradually get faster. Unload your bike, put on your gear, warm the bike up, and then pin it and ride as hard as you can. That simulates a race day, and will get you used to racing more aggressively from the gate drop.
My reasoning for not showing up for the unclassified race is this: Each event is on average 2 hours from where I live. Unclassified is typically at 7:30am and my race is not until 12:45pm. I don't really want to get up at 4:30am in order to make unclassified and then sit around for 4 hours under the E-Z Up until the start of my race. I've actually done this before at an SRA GP at Glen Helen and although it did help some with track familiarity, the sitting around kind of offset some of the advantage I gained from practice (both mentally and physically). I'm able to stay more fresh and focused with less downtime at the track. That's just what I've found works best for me on race day. The downside to that strategy is obviously what we're discussing here. On top of that, some events are just plain too far to show up that early unless I went and got a hotel the night before (which I have no interest in doing).
As far as starts go, it's been a bit of a mixed bag thus far. I've started both up front and in the back. I've been working on my starts b/c I know how important they are. I was second off the start at our last race and it definitely freed me up to charge more and take the lines I wanted to. That being said, I still didn't ride as smooth and assertive as I needed to and ultimately lost some time and spots as a result.
I definitely always err on the side of caution when it comes to riding/racing. My brain isn't wired with an off switch like some other guys. I'm always weighing risk vs reward. I don't mind taking risks when I feel prepared to tackle the challenge, but I'm not going to just pin it and hope for the best. Besides simply not being wired that way, I also have to take my wife and job into account. This is a hobby that I do for the fun of it and I definitely enjoy the competition factor as I'm a competitive person, but there's a limit to everything. I know my ceiling may be lower than others for these reasons (which I accept), but I know there's ways I can improve and maximize what I am willing to give and still be pretty darn competitive.
I think this is what I'm going to try going forward:
-Practice with more intensity and try to up the pace more quickly. I usually ease into it when I practice, so maybe I'll try rolling around for one lap just to check for any glaring red flags and then try to charge right off the bat.
-Walk around the perimeter of as much of the track as I can on race day. Look for lines, layout, etc prior to heading to the line so that I'm not hitting it totally blind.
-In addition to warming up with some cardio and dynamic stretches, find a spot to do some basic warm up drills prior to heading to the line. I know they say no pit riding, but I should be able to do some figure eights somewhere.
-Focus on being up front off the start and try to push outside of my comfort zone as much as I can for that first lap. I also need to remember to look ahead more and focus on hitting lines and connecting the dots more that first lap.
Thanks again for everyone's input!
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