How Racing Is Different from Riding
On a casual ride, you might start slow and crank up the intensity over the course of the ride, conserving your energy for big climbs. In racing, it's just the opposite:
"It's all about the start," Baum says. "It's about being able to go all out for 10 minutes and then hang on for dear life at an intensity you would normally save for only the steepest hills during a casual ride."
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In addition to a heart-pounding start, Baum highlights four more skills that are essential for racing:
- Fueling on the bike—if your energy reserves run low, it's impossible to race at your highest level.
- Staying focused—mountain bike racing requires extreme focus, especially on technical terrain.
- Having a modicum of technical ability—although she says you can sometimes fake that.
- Keeping a positive mental attitude no matter what—first and foremost, mountain biking should be fun.
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How to Improve
Anyone can race, but if you want to be competitive you need two things: persistence and patience. Persistence to train even when you don't feel like it and the patience to know your hard work will pay off. It takes time to pinpoint what works well and develop the skills that aren't up to par.
Baum recommends homing in on your strengths and weaknesses.
"Identify your weaknesses and hammer on them until they become your strengths," says Baum, whose proudest achievement has been her ability to stick with racing long enough to pass her knowledge on to junior racers.
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Don't be "afraid to make changes, but also [don't be afraid] to stick with something that you think works for you, whether or not it works for anyone else," Baum says.
"Of course," Baum adds, "hiring a coach makes all of the above a lot easier to do; it can be really hard to figure these things out on your own."
More: The Basics: Mountain Bike Skills You Need To Know
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