Usually ride moto, but every now and then i like to do a cross country race. As you know, these races are usually around 2 hours long.
I find myself finding a good groove on my second lap, and feeling great, but my last lap is always a battle for survival.
This last race, I almost got 3rd but I was just too damn tired to hold on for the last lap. Both hands went numb, couldn’t squeeze my clutch or front brake sometimes. Hands were completely locked up, which led to me finally crashing on the last lap up a hill while trying to avoid a downed rider because I literally had zero control in my hands lol.
Looking at my lap times, if I could just hold my 2nd laps pace, I would’ve podiumed, but my body just runs out of gas.
What the hell am I doing wrong to where my whole body just dies the last 15-20 minutes of the race? I’m in my late 20s, I’m in decent shape, I workout 3 days a week. I run 1-2 miles every other day.
I “thought” I was in shape!!!
I also got a ridiculous Charlie horse in my left calf muscle on the final lap before a rock section, and had to sit there for like 30 seconds before I could get going again because it was so cramped up I couldn’t move it. I do calf raises at the gym once a week, so they aren’t weak lol!
Do I need to start getting on the rowing machine or something?
I ate plenty of food the night before, the morning, I was plenty hydrated.
I just feel like I’m way more winded than everyone else after the race and it bums me out. I watch the AA rider blow past me lapping me on the final lap like I’m sitting still, and I’m just trying to make it to the finish line before I pass out!
I also haven’t ridden in like 2 months so that could have also had something to do with my hands locking up!
I know someone in here has struggled with this and can queue in and give me some advice.
I’d have a lot more fun at these races if I could ride harder for the whole race.
Pace yourself more, don’t hang on so tight, don’t drink energy drinks the morning of the race (black coffee if you need caffeine) and you absolutely are not drinking enough water if you’re cramping up. Stretch your upper and lower body daily and hydrate a ton at least 5 days leading up to the race. Put half gatorade and half pedialyte in your camelback during the race.
And drink pickle juice for cramping.
“I also got a ridiculous Charlie horse in my left calf muscle on the final lap before a rock section, and had to sit there for like 30 seconds before I could get going again because it was so cramped up I couldn’t move it. I do calf raises at the gym once a week, so they aren’t weak lol!”
Sounds like….Dehydration? I know you said you were “hydrated”; but, what did you do to hydrate during the race?
Are you taking any supplements/nutrition DURING the race?
Not gonna lie, I drink an orange monster on the way to the race that morning. I didn’t hydrate during the week, but I did drink a decent amount of water the day before I felt like.
And I drink 3-4 bottles of water on the way to the race, one was with Liquid IV in it.
I rarely stretch so I need to start doing that lol and I had liquid IV in my camelback but I never drink it until I finished 😂
I’d say it’s safe to say I probably need to drink more water throughout the week leading up to the race.
I had Liquid IV and water in my Camelbak but honestly I never drink it the entire race. I thought about drinking some of it when I was stopped before the rock section as my leg was cramped up but I was worried I would take too much time getting the hose out of my chest protector. Looking back I probably should’ve just done that.
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Drink electolytes and carbs during the race. And maybe some extra magnesium and potassium the week before the race.
Sounds like it’s a hydration issue more than anything.
You definitely need to be drinking during the race too. Get a “camelbak” setup that’s comfy and you can use on the fly. USWE makes all sorts of awesome ones.
You can also put a plastic straw/tube out the top of a 16oz water bottle and have someone hand it to you during the race. GNCC guys have mastered this. I think a company sells the lid straws now but you can make your own for about $.25 each.
Hydration and cardio training. Run. A alot. Get to where you can run for 2 hours. If u can run for 2 hours, you'll be golden.
Stop drinking fn monster. Just use caffeine pills if you'd like that supplement. I usually use electrolyte pills along with water and no added sugar body armor.
I only battle cramps at night after riding. Ive found magnesium sprays to help kill my cramps too. Only once have i tried it pre moto and i felt no cramping in my hands in a 30 minute race.
Most Hare Scramble guys are hitting the pedialyte for hydration the night before and the morning of the race. Pace yourself so you have the energy at the end. If you are racing for 2 hours you need to train at that same time frame. Training for a 15 minute moto won't help in a 2 hour race. You may also want to look into a Reckluse clutch and Steg Pegz to ease the issues with your hands.
The biggest thing that saps energy is crashing. I still haven't eliminated that problem and my heartrate spikes like a mother when I crash and have to pick up. Takes me 10 minutes or so to get my heartrate back to normal.
Hydrating only the day before the race won’t do much. You’ve got to hydrate the week leading up to. Also sip on your camelback throughout the race. I typically reach for the camelback hose on open roads and fields and make it a point to take a few sips. If you’re getting thirsty then you’re already dehydrating yourself.
What really helped me was getting a hands free hydration system so I can constantly be sipping water throughout the race with the tube right into my helmet. They’re pretty cheap and easy to set up. You can get a kit from USWE on Rocky Mountain I believe that’s where I got mine. Eat clean as much as you can, no sugar or processed crap, just stick to real Whole Foods and you’ll for sure notice a difference. I also like to pop a few electrolyte pills before my race as well, hammer nutrition has some good stuff. If my race is early I won’t eat much breakfast maybe just a banana and some clean carbs a few hours before then have a bottle of Heed about 45 min before and I don’t feel full and have plenty of energy for 2 hrs.
If your series has a screen that tells you what position and time behind the guy in front of you are than use that on that last lap if he is 2 minutes ahead of you its probably not worth pushing it and crashing your brains out on that last lap of the race, you'll be surprised if you back it down that last lap it feels slow sometimes but over a 15 minute lap you may only be 30 seconds slower.
And like someone else said try not to ride over your head and crash especially the first lap you get passed by a lot of people and it makes my heart rate shoot up like crazy and get tight, crashing 1.5 hours in still sucks but you've kind of leveled out by then so my heart doesn't spike up so bad.
Im not sure what class you race but in 30+ B class I'm happy with a 4th most of the time the top 3 guys in these races are always sandbagging down a class, and try to look at the guys on your line before you start best you can it really helps you from not accidentally battling with a guy in a different class and zapping all your energy for no reason but its hard to keep track when there is 300 riders sometimes.
Spot on. If you want to go fast you need a very good hydration setup that you can consistently use. If you happen to wear an alpinestars helmet they have a great setup built into the helmet that is better than any kit I've used.
Scott Summers used to crush asprin up and put it in his hydro pack. I remember LR recommended CalCet for cramps.
When you go ride try riding for more than 10 minutes at a time, that should help a lot.
Bottom line: Hydrate yourself starting mid-week until you pee clear! As mentioned above, use combo electrolyte/salt tablets (I use "Salt Stick" fast chews).
Cramp are often lack of salt and magnesium. I used to take magnesium tabletts as a suppliment before a long race.
It did not matter how much i ate/drank during the week before a race it would not be enough when a world championship or swedish championship day could be up to 8 hours long with transports between the tests.
And the body can only absorb around 10cl of fluid in one hour, the rest just goes straight through your body so drinking a shit ton of water on the race day won’t do shit for your hydration.
And as the other guys here have said, your second lap time is not relevant in speed since the guys around you pace them self better and at a 3 hour race the top riders often raise their speed the last hour/lap. The first 2-2.5 hour is often more of a 85% of their speed roof.
If you want to mix in a little gamesmanship. Get a good start and try to make a bottleneck. If everyone is riding with no issues it will be a high-speed freight train with no separation. To create separation as soon as you get into the woods make some kind of "mistake" and guys behind will stack up a bit. The further back you go the bigger the separation becomes, and you can end up with a pretty good lead as you sprint away. Best part is no one will hate you for this. hahahahaha
*Edit: 6 downvotes for this. Some of you need to get over yourselves and get a sense of humor.
I unintentionally tried this and a 13 year old on a Yz125 blew a whistle at me. A whistle. Like a fucking referee. lol.
Pit Row
🤣
You have to get in 'off-road shape' by riding nonstop longer than your race will be. Your body will 'learn' how to do it by practicing for that long. I used to ride 50+ miles nonstop over the roughest and most varied terrain I could find. Took a little over two hours.
After you do this for a few months you will soon find that your last lap of the race will be your fastest lap because you feel so strong.
Learn everything you can about hydration/electrolytes/replenishing the body as it is working. Fuel as well, prior to the 2 hour race and during.
Once you have this understanding it will dawn on you that there is more to it than drinking water, and it will make sense.
Your body is an amazing machine, and even more amazing when it has what it needs to perform.
That's the funniest thing I heard all day. hahahaha
Being in NC we get actual Pros that come out to the locals sometimes and they dont even wear packs or get bottles for most of the 1.5 and two hour races.
Ive been smoked by plenty of A and AA guys that were at the bar the night before and ate a Bojangles biscuit on the way to the race.
In my opinion, you aren't getting enough cardio to be fit for off road or long motos.
Cardio, especially a good mix of base and some intervals / sprints will give you the stamina to ride long motos or off-road races.
Run more, row more or get a mountain bike and ride some local trails.
These days I don't run (MX knee injury) but I get about an hour a day on the mountain bike at a hard pace in some cross country trails.
I rarely find myself breathing heavy during a motocross race or practice session and my heart rate stays super low.
Like Forty mentioned in his post, you may be missing something in your diet... Sometimes it's really simple.
In my mid 30s I was getting some headaches. I eat pretty clean and drink a ton of water.
The solution was to get some extra salt. I started bringing Cheeze-Its to the track and snacking on them during the day and I haven't had a headache since.
Skip the energy drinks…need a good base for cardio…running/cycling/ rowing… When I did 3hr gncc”s, I would rotate them depending on how I felt, minimum 1hr with some sprints to spike heart rate. Find a good whooped out sand track, work yiur way up to doing 1-1.5 hrs at a decent pace. Practice taking small sips of whatever yiu put in your drink system and remember to breathe when riding. Part of finishing is mental, you have to know you can finish, then you can work on strategies during the race. I used to mainly practice Mx even when racing Gncc”s, I used to start out kind of slow in a 3 hr race and then the last hr pick up the intensity …2hr races are a little different, more of a controlled sprint…
Definitely hydrate several days leading up to the race as others have said, and electrolytes. Was a game changer when I started doing this. Also to help you drink during the race, I've found it works best for me if I pick out a certain (usually more open) section of track and drink during that section each lap. That way I'm not having to think about it the rest of the race or worry about forgetting to hydrate. You can also portion out your fluids and make it last almost perfectly after some practice.
I spend 2 to 4 hours at a time on the bike in California, Nevada and Baja Desert races...at the upcoming Vegas to Reno, I'll be on the bike for 1-1.5 hours in the morning and 2-3 hours in the heat of the day (From Mina to Fallon).
I carry 2-3+ liters of water that often starts out as ice or has PLENTY of ice in it. I don't usually put any mix in it; but, by team-mates often run that stuff. I'll do gels in the pits (usually about every 40-60 miles/every 1-2.5 hours). In our pits we have various carb and protein sources avail for each rider.
I get VERY nicely hydrated during the weeks leading up to the race and often do long rides on my eMTB and even on my ADV with my Ogio Dakar pack on. I also focus on getting plenty of rest. Today I did a 2 hour ride in 100+ degree heat (eMT
.
I start my race days with a Bulletproof coffee AND some bacon & eggs when they're avail. And I drink PLENTY of water...before and after the Bulletproof...oh, and I have a big ol' glass of OJ with breakfast when avail.
In my pack I carry a protein bar or 2 and I keep them packed snugly against my cold water. I also pack some gels or blocks...all of that is "just in case" and I have had to get them out when I get to a remote pit and I feel like I need to load up for the next section (Remote pits are usually pits where your crew isn't avail and you may have to service your own bike on your own/or you use a pit service like Baja Pits).
When I get off the bike, I get some good food in me and continue hydrating. These are team events and you never know when you're going to have to get back on the bike (We usually follow the bike down the race course in a chase vehicle...you're not actually on the race course...you're following along & going from pit to pit on the roads/highways).
I've done 200 mile sections in the heat and have drank over 3 liters during that 3-4 hours on the bike plus additional fluids in the pits/at pit stops.
Hydration is key.
Lots of good advice in here. I just want to repeat 2 things. Absolutely quit the monster. That shit is garbage, Cyanocobalomin, read up on that shit. Yeah, it's B12 but some of the ways they make that shit is horrifying. Also hydrate like a MF'r during the week before. Oh also up the cardio more, when you think you are doing enough, do more, a lot more.
You mean the Baylor boys after a night of busch at the shoals? 😂
Meanwhile im up here in Indiana and im smoking local kids who have said they have spent all winter training at the shoals and im coming off my lazy ass from my IT job during the week.
This is the best advice. You are never going get the same amount of preparation off the bike as you will training on the bike. Nothing in the gym beats you up the same way your bike will. You need to get used to that. Get out and go ride for an hour if you have the opportunity to do so after work about three days a week or so. IF you have the land available to do this. You only need something small, just like a half mile loop or so, and pound out laps. Next best thing to do if you cant ride during the week is like TeamGreen already said. Hop on your MTB and get on some local trails and join your local MTB association.
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