Thinking of doing a few eastern cup enduro races this season. Don’t care about winning, just want to finish in one piece. Should I give it a go? It would be in the amateur 50+ category.
Thinking of doing a few eastern cup enduro races this season. Don’t care about winning, just want to finish in one piece. Should I give it a go? It would be in the amateur 50+ category.
byu/norecoil2012 inMTB
by norecoil2012
7 Comments
Why not?
Better start riding outside of Weha 😏
definitely! showing interest by participating in stuff is the best way to build the community and maybe more/better trails!
Absolutely
Couple thoughts, first yea you should. Racing is an experience in itself and if you aren’t worried about results there is no pressure except what you put on yourself. There are always go arounds on bigger features. Just to experience the community and vibe it’s worth it. That said don’t expect 50+ to be an easy category. The top guys are close to the other classes speed wise. Just go in with no expectations and have fun!
Go for it, its fun.
But if you never raced before, don’t underestmate adrenalin. It’s a hell of a drug. You don’t feel it if you are over your cardio limit. And racing downhill in the anaerobe range makes you loose controll very fast if you are not used to it.
I also did’t extremely stupid things like overtaking on small singletrails in exposed cliffs which I never would have done without the adrenalin rush.
I’m a little younger than you – mid 40s. I started racing enduro a few years ago. I only do 1 or 2 races a year. I really like the training however, as it has made me fitter / stronger overall, and having the races as a goal, have really encouraged me when its dark / cold, and I don’t want to work out.
I have found a few things very helpful:
-strength training – this has been massive. Strength training has improved my quality of life in general, not just for riding. I really find that I like being strong, it has made me healthier. I have found that it also reduces the chance that I crash, and if I do crash, I have strength to resist when crashing. I do 2 or 3 1 hour sessions a week.
-riding at pace. I started riding trails top to bottom last year without stopping, and have worked on gradually improving the pace. I use Strava to compare the speed I am travelling versus other riders to see where I am, and to make goals about how to improve. I generally look at Strava and compare my time versus the all time best, as a percentage. Doing so has really given me a clear view about how I stack up, and allowed me to set goals. In my big race I do every year, I didn’t place how I wanted to. When I looked at the results as a percentage however, I realized that I performed how I wanted to, but the field was just really competitive this year.
(To be clear – the trails I use Strava on are dedicated downhill MTB trails – so I can ride fast without encountering other trail users – these are not multi-use trails, and there is no uphill traffic on these trails).