Mountain Biking - First MTB race on Saturday

I'm a bit nervious. I'm a roadie who's been mountain biking for about a year now. One friend was offering some suggestions like, "It's hard to pass!" and "You tend to fall towards the end of the race, as you're really tired." So I was just wondering if you lovelies could provide some input for this newbie. I'm entering the collegiate cattegory, so I imagine the field will be small. It's a rocky course in the desert.

here's the race: The White Tank Whirlwind

http://www.mbaa.net/content/index.php?id=21,34,0,0,1,0


derrr
thanks!

1) Preride the course if possible

2) Stay cool, don't panic

3) Have fun!

1) Preride the course if possible

2) Stay cool, don't panic

3) Have fun!

definatly preride the course... last sunday i made the mistake of showing up to the race 5 minutes late.. and lost a ton of time on the first and second lap because of the fact it was all completely new to me

4) Hydrate well before and during - - especially in desert conditions. Take a some gel packets to help stave off bonking.
5) Yes, preride the Long Loop if you can: looks like a lot of intersections; you don't want to take a wrong turn during the race.
6) PM Lowcel - - he's the XC race guru on the Forums
7) Have fun! :) :)

thanks for the advice!

Don't forget to pack spare tubes & air, and those little pliers for pulling cactus needles...
When coming up behind a rider, shout "passing left (or right)" or "on your left (right)" to warn the person you're passing.
Hydrate!! Start drinking extra water today & friday, and grab a gatorade during the pre-race meeting. Munch down an energy bar with it. Try to get toward the from of your race class at the start - less traffic!
And have fun!!

Go out to noodles and company the night before and have a nice large pasta dinner and eat a decent breakfast the next day. try to finish eating breakfast 2 hours before the race. Sry but i disagree with apclassic9. Dont eat right before the race. water and a sports drink are fine but i would avoid food right before i race. Apclassic9 im disagreeing again, he said get towards the front in the beginning which is fine but dont over exert yourself in the beginning and bonk later. Better to try and stay with the group and if you feel they are slow push ahead but dont get caught up in a fight for first in the beginning and burnout later.

Go out to noodles and company the night before and have a nice large pasta dinner and eat a decent breakfast the next day. try to finish eating breakfast 2 hours before the race. Sry but i disagree with apclassic9. Dont eat right before the race. water and a sports drink are fine but i would avoid food right before i race. Apclassic9 im disagreeing again, he said get towards the front in the beginning which is fine but dont over exert yourself in the beginning and bonk later. Better to try and stay with the group and if you feel they are slow push ahead but dont get caught up in a fight for first in the beginning and burnout later.

"she" said, you mean. Lining up in front aviods alot of traffic, but, yeah, don't run your entire race in the first 5 minutes. I don't consider an energy bar or packet of GU "eating" - obviously eating a meal right before a race will have you leaving your meal on the trail side.

So, how was the race, did you have fun, and how did you do?

wow, that was epic.

1. I ate a lot of ****. It was a fairly technical course with some nasty drop offs post epic climb - so I was quite exausted. Notable falls include an endo down a drop-off which resulted in the breaking of half my brake lever

2. Mechanical problems. I started using the Ice Wax lub and half way through the race I think all of it had flacked off, so It felt like I was shifting without lube. I also had forgot to take my tires down from 45 PSI so it was a super rough ride through the rocky sections. However, I was hauling ass through smoother sections.

3. It was really hard phsyically. I'm used to the pain of road riding which is much different. I had some pretty bad lower back pain..

4. I got 2nd place! Even though I'm not as good as a technical rider as many of the guys, I really hauled ass through the non-technical sections. I also feel I had the endurance in my legs towards the end when the other guys did not. I attribute that to road racing..

A strong finish the first time out is commendable . . . a podium the first time out is awesome! Way to go!!

congrats!!

good luck

Well done mate

That is awesome, good job!