Just a quick update. My son had his first race a couple of weeks ago. The team started training in February, but ski racing and freeride skiing are his primary sports, so weekends are spent in the mountains, but not on a mountain bike. He got four or five weekday sessions with his team before the race which was helpful, albeit limited. He was very nervous before the race, even before the pre-ride, but the course was very fun and once he was off the starting line in the race he had a blast. The race went well for his first time, staying upright and finishing 20th out of 59 riders, so he was happy with the whole weekend. He loved the atmosphere more than anything. It was very festive and everyone seemed to be cheering for everyone else. He certainly had fun the whole weekend.
I asked him if this was something he wanted to do more of and if he wanted to try to move up in the pack. He said that he definitely wanted to do more racing, but that he wasn't concerned with moving up in the pack. This struck me as odd because he is really competitive. He wants to beat you even if you are just walking across the street, so I asked him about not wanting to train to be faster and his response was strikingly mature for a 14-year-old boy. He said that he already had enough sports where he feels like he should or needs to win when he competes. He wants mountain bike racing to be about having fun without the pressure to win. We then, of course, talked about why he feels pressure to win in skiing. He said it comes from himself and knowing that he has the ability to win and has put in the work to win, so he believes he should be at the top. I was impressed with his understanding of what he needs psychologically and that he was able to articulate it.
So, we will still be riding mountain bikes as often as we can, but not with the intention of winning races, just to have fun which is what it is all about anyway.