First mountain bike race

[lovemountainbiking12]

I started mountain biking this year and competed in my first mountain bike race in august and rode the 10 mile short course at two mile run county park in oil city PA my hometown i now live in harrisonburg VA it was a le mans start and i had to run about 80 yards up to my bike then climb for about a quarter mile…my first race was enjoyable with the friendly competition..i would move over for faster riders and i got the same respect from riders that i was faster than..i was at one point when i was pushing myself hard so i wouldn’t hold up a faster rider on tight singletrack and he was always saying nice riding then my front tire kicked out on the root and i went down..he asked if i was ok and i said ya go ahead he then says stay on my back wheel. i began pedaling and my chain had come off…i then quickly got it on and continued the race i was blown away by how respectful everyone was. they could definately tell i was a rookie wearing a blue t shirt and blue jean shorts. finally at the last mile i got a refreshing bottle of water then i had full out cramps in both the quads in my legs..i layed on the ground screaming the pain away until i forced my legs into my chest with my arms and the cramps went away. then less than a quarter of a mile away i got a calf cramp and tried to push through but still found myself screaming on the ground finally they went away and i finished the race in 2 hours and 33 seconds 9th out of 16…78 riders total for both the 10 mile and 18mile course together i got a cool trophy to take home for coming in second in my age group…if i were to do another race i would add another water bottle and get a bike computer to know my time and how far ive gone…they had bananas after the race and i hear by eating bananas before the race the potassium keeps you from cramping is this true? any other advice as i prepare for my next race?

Please share your first race experiences

[Greg Heil ✓ supporter]

What were you eating before and during the race? If you were cramping, sounds like you weren’t taking in enough calories and salts/electrolytes. Try a drink mix in your bottles at the very least, and you might want to try hydrating more too.

Long story short: you shouldn’t be cramping like that, especially on a 10-mile race. Try working on your nutrition and hydration and see if that helps.

Here are some thoughts from my first race: http://www.singletracks.com/blog/uncate … bike-race/

[lovemountainbiking12]

I drank plenty of water the night before and in the morning and i had sausage and eggs for breakfast

[Corey Maddocks ✓ supporter]

"lovemountainbiking12" wrote

I drank plenty of water the night before and in the morning and i had sausage and eggs for breakfast

And yet you still got cramps …

You need fuel and hydration during the race too.

[lovemountainbiking12]

You need fuel and hydration during the race too.[/quote]

ya i only had one bottle of water for the race banking on there would be more than one water station..they said multiple stations would be there…like i said having more water bottles would be good ive heard one for water and one for gatorade is the best option

[trouttrunnell]

You’re going to need more than just plain water if you are cramping up. Start hydrating yourself the day before your next race, and use a sports drink that has some sodium and electrolytes in it. Your LBS should have some good options you can try. I prefer GU Brew myself, it comes in packages of 12 tablets that you dissolve in your water bottle. It’s actually cheaper than Gatorade when you figure how much you get from those 12 tablets, and it tastes pretty good too. If you want to use Gatorade, Powerade, etc… that you can get at the grocery store, that will work well for you too. Drink some more during the day of your race and bring a bottle of it with you on the bike. You don’t have to get carried away, you don’t want to be so full of liquid during your race that you feel sick or have to pee, just getting those electrolytes and sodium in your system will really help. Congratulations on riding a great race despite your cramping issues! Keep it up!

[lovemountainbiking12]

@trouttrunnell thanks for the congrats i’ve been told i did pretty good for just starting out. what does LBS stand for?

[Corey Maddocks ✓ supporter]

"lovemountainbiking12" wrote

what does LBS stand for?

Local Bike Shop

[Dustin Gaddis]

There are lots of causes of cramps, and scientists still haven’t figured out exactly why they happen all the time. I’ve cramped before because I wans’t fueling properly, and I’ve also had days were my nutrition was good but the muscles were simply pushed too hard, beyond their endurance. Sounds like maybe you had a combination of both.

What sort of times were the winners/really fast guys doing? You said it took you 2:00:33 to finish ten miles, that’s pretty slow for most races, BUT, there are some that are super hard and technical and take a lot longer than others. But most cross country races the winners will finish 10 miles in about 45minutes or so. Not trying to call you slow or anything, just getting a feel for the course and your experience level. We all start somewhere!! And I’ve done a 17 mile race that look over 3hrs 😆

A 2+ hour race, yes, you need to keep taking in calories during the race. And, you need to meter your efford to keep from blowing up.

Most 10 mile races are so fast and furious and over so quickly that:
a – you are riding so hard and fast that you don’t have time to eat
b – you wouldn’t be able to process and use the nutrients before the race is over anyways

For those short super high intensity effort races it’s important to show up at the start line well hydrated and already fueled.

For longer rides and races you to figure out what/when/how much to eat and how hard you can push yourself. The only way to do that is to try different stuff and see what works for you.

Glad you had fun at your first race, and what you’ve seen is pretty typical is far as how courteous and nice folks are. Mountain bikers are good people!!!

[lovemountainbiking12]

@dgaddis

One key thing i left out was that im 6’2” 240 pound guy..the first place guy came in at 1:36:27 and 2nd was 1:43:15…i dont think thats bad i was only 24 minutes behind the leader and 17 minutes behind 2nd place.i had cramps twice probably took about an extra 3 or 4 minutes … i even beat some skinny guys lol…i guess that’s just the competiveness in me..The course was very technical with hardly and downhill..mostly logs, dips,rocks, and climbs not to mention we were looking for pink ribbons that werent always that visible…the guy behind me said "You wouldn’t believe how many people went the wrong way" You either went right or down a long downhill so most went down and decided to not go back up or got lost and quit. theres definately room for improvement. BUT for my first race all i wanted to do was finish..thought that maybe i would quit but i was so close to the finish and the guy that finished ahead of me in 8th got around me in the mud and then shortly after i cramped up. and for the long course the leaders came in at 2:18:23 them guys are fast!!! but there is still faster guys than them

Full Results posted here http://smileymiles.com/2012/RES12%20TWO … T%20OA.HTM

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