Any mountain bike competitors?

[Amanda44]

As a hobby and sometimes for charity i ride a mountain bike (off road) cross-country, i love it and as its not competitive you go at your own pace and its just fun. I normally do an average of about 30/50km a week over 2 trips, but longer ones in one session if they come up and i have the time. What i'm saying is that its more of an enjoyable hobby than a serious sporting interest.

However, last weekend the people i ride with decided that i'm competent enough to be competing and entered me into a race without telling me. Tbh i was a bit put out. But, they are all really excited and supportive, and, on top of that the admin side are desperate for more women in the sport, so are really piling on the charm and incentive - end result is i now feel unable to back out and obliged to do it.

Its a very rough track (i went to look at it tues), its 3 laps with an estimated overall completion time of 1/2hrs and at a much faster rate than i'm used to, lol, its also soon, 4th nov - leaving little time for practice with work commitments etc and esp with it being my first race.

Sooo, whilst i am excited and sort of looking forward to it, i'm also super nervous and dreading it, lol, i've seen some nasty pile-ups and injuries in the sport at almost every event and i'm not at all surprised so few women take it up competitively! Only one of the ppl i ride with competes and i dont feel i cant ask her for advice at the moment as she's in hospital with a broken collar-bone and smashed wrist from her last race. Maybe not the best person to ask for advice anyway

Now that you see my situation what i'm hoping for is that some of you may have ridden competitively and can give me some much needed tips.

i.e. Like, How to avoid pile-ups
And How to avoid serious injury

And, ofc, any other info you think may be helpful to me.
I can handle the bike - its the other competitors and the speed i'm nervous of.
I'm not expecting to place anywhere other than last, lol, so basicaly just want survival tips and a bit of reassurance

Fingers-crossed at least one of you rides.

[Vihart]

I wouldnt be afraid, you'l be proud of yourself afterwards.


Good luck.

[BallisticMeat]

I don't really know anything about mountain biking, but goodluck with your first competition!

[Kaios]

What is there to worry about? Even if you don't do so great it already sounds like you have some cool friends that will support you before, throughout and after and everyone has to start somewhere. I've only been mountain biking a couple of times but I remember my first time with a few friends and they had to keep waiting on me the whole time. It was fun for me regardless but I was terrible compared to them. Worst case scenario you come in last place or you fall and hurt your self but at least you tried. Best case scenario you actually do well and your friends and peers are impressed!

I'd say it's worth it to give it a shot.

[jordancoles]

Good luck and remember, always cheat

[Amanda44]

Vihart - I'm already a little bit proud of myself that i haven't backed out, lol, i'm sure i'll feel even prouder though when i've crossed the finish line
Thanks for the support.

BallisticMeat - Seem's there's no pro riders in hnh guess that makes sense though, they are busy out riding their bikes, lol, not a keyboard in sight.
Thanks for the good wishes though.

Kaios - What a lovely reply, thank you. And you are right on both counts, lets hope i lean towards the best case scenario though
I don't mind coming last, i was serious when i said i expected to, lol, i just don't want to hurt myself
I'm already at a disadvantage not having competed before and i'm not used to riding at speeds within a group of other riders but, i'm determined to complete the course and will be happy with that for my first time. I've heard a lot of first-timers don't complete the course, which is on my mind a bit.
You should keep going Kaios, once you get used to handling the bike, its really exhilarating.

Jordan - Thanks and,
I did actually think that if i am last i could always just cut across the course and maybe no-one would notice, lol, it is all trees and woods mostly - if i wear green ..............get a few twigs caught in my hair .............

[jordancoles]

Slash a few tires and put a few tacks in a few shoes

And by a few I mean everyone's

[overtyped]

Very good to stay active, I myself run 40k a week on average, Unfortunately running is high impact and my left knee is hurting. Biking is a no impact exercise and the easiest aerobic activity you can do. Just stay on the bike and don't fall off and you'll never get injured and maybe one day when i'm too crippled to walk i'll take up biking!

[Amanda44]

Slash a few tires and put a few tacks in a few shoes

And by a few I mean everyone's

Hmmm, on reflection your tactics sound much more likely to succeed than me trying to camoflage it through the woods toting a blue and yellow mountain bike

@ overtyped - i agree, though its low impact, not 'no' impact

Because it's weight bearing, mountain biking puts little impact on the joints, unlike running. It's a form of interval training with fast and slow spurts that really works your heart rate. For lower-body strength, cycling's hard to beat: it builds great thighs, calves and glutes. Getting out onto trails is more challenging than road riding, so mountain biking allows you to work your core and upper body as you negotiate tricky turns and tough terrain. Because every ride is different, mountain biking offers the variety that our bodies and minds need to increase fitness and stave off boredom.

Ta da

[factnfiction101]

I would avoid the pack and stay far away from others. Riding with a few people close together for me seems dangerous enough. I've never been in any race, thoughts of a pile up seem terrifying.

I was doing 8-10 miles every few days (from one side of my town to the other). I haven't been riding my bike as much recently, my right pedal likes to fall off of my bike, it might be fixed now. It's been awhile since it has fallen off, the nut is hard to tighten cos the stupid pedal.
My wife usually rides 1 hour a day and bikes to the store if we need something small. She also rides it to work, most of the time. She isn't a fan of rain or snow so she'll ask me to take her or take the car. I like riding in rain and cold weather, best times to do it for me. I like going to the store on bike also, people look at you like "can't you afford a car?!"
I turned my mountain bike into a single speed I missed having a coaster brake too much. I hate grip brakes In 2008 and 2009 I was biking a lot with friends of mine who would go on 20+mile trips. My cousin's father goes on really long trips, he's 58 or something and beats the hell out of me Anyway, I don't trust my current bike enough to do much and my old reliable bike needs a new wheel (best $25 bike ever). My newish bike has been nothing but a pain.

I was going to start a topic about lifting weights and exercising to see what some of the people here on the forum like to do. I was afraid that it would turn into a troll thread where people post about what they do in game for exercise.