I have question about XC racing and my bike.  Well I have my 2nd XC race coming up Jun. 20 and it’s a 15 mile race and my question is where at on an XC course is it best to try to pass other racers and hopefully win?

I race on an ‘07 Trek 3900 and almost all the other racers are on 2 to 3 thousand dollar bikes and on race teams i guess that means ‘m a privateer racer im asking this question because i didn’t do good at all on my last race (also 15 miles). I‘m racing and ride in western PA and my race is near cook forest state park also what would be some good training I have been going on long aggressive rides and try to push myself I’m 17 and i think I’m racing against people up to 20 years old the race website is www.Fattirechallenge.com it is part of a five-race series called bike the wilds points series slime sponsors it

 

Geoff Kabush hits the gas in a successful effort to get into the singletrack ahead of stronger riders. Rob Jones photo

RC: Depending upon your physical fitness and bike-handling skills, you can gain an advantage in a variety of ways. The first and most practiced method is to control the race by lining up in the front line (find two racers who are about half a bike width apart and back your bike into the space--remember to say "thanks") and getting to the first singletrack in front of most of the pack. Ride slow when the trail is narrow and force the riders behind you to bang into each other and get frustrated (both waste energy and instigate forced errors), speed up when the trail widens to thwart passing of any kind.

When you think that it is inevitable that you will be passed, let the most aggressive riders by at the base of the steepest hill on the course and let them blow their legs and lungs apart while you pedal smoothly making sure that you are on the racing line so they will have to pass and accelerate in the rough. This gives you the best chance of closing the gap later. Continue this throughout the race, always staying on the best line and not letting anyone by. remember, you are there to win and you have as muck right as anyone else there--let the insults roll off your shoulder by making up an imaginary contest for the biggest whiner behind you--this will make you wish for more and better insults as you recover by taking your time up and down the narrow trails on the course.

Divide the race into thirds Suffer the first third to earn and maintain your position at all costs. Ride through the middle third at a pace just fast enough to keep those behind you behind and those ahead in sight. The beginning of the final third is where savvy racers always make their move. Nobody feels like hammering then, because they think that by some magic, they will find a burst of strength to pass everyone for the win in the final two miles of the race, or that the leaders will blow up (rarely if ever happens).

Time your passing at the beginning of the final third of the race and keep the pressure on. Pass racers where you catch them--don't wait for a happy moment or a wider section of the course. Say "Race leader" and blow by even if you have to rub handlebars--then set your sights on the next rider ahead. You will feel horrible, gasping for breath and legs burning, but what's the point of suffering like all the other suckers on the course if you have nothing to show for it at the finish line? If you blow up--you blow up, but keep the pressure on until you finish--or your legs burn into skeletal sticks with Asian Chicken bits clinging to them. Most often--you will finish.

Remember everyone in the race who is going for the win hurts and hates life from start to finish--the only one who forgets about the pain and suffering is the man or woman who wins the race. One hour of your life? You can suffer that long and laugh about it in two hours.

So, that's it--but I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention where you learned your race-winning tactics.

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