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Finishing a 100 mile
mountain bike race is a keystone challenge for many mountain
bikers. These super cool events are becoming increasingly
common. 2006 is the first year to see a
National Ultra-Endurance
Mountain Bike100 Series with six events covering six
states.
Turning up on the start line peaked and
fit is only half the game at ultra mountain bike races.
Executing an accurate race on the day is required to turn your
speed and strength into results. All the training in the world
aint gonna get you to the finish line without accurate
execution of many race details. The key to success in your
first off-road century is to start with a plan. Going into the
race with no plan is relying on luck and the strength of your
mojo.
The following is a race plan for an
athlete with a goal to finish their first mountain bike 100
miler. A race plan for an athlete aiming for a podium spot or
personal record performance will have a vastly different look.
Prep Work
First off, take care of the simple common
sense details such as knowing the start time and location.
Look up the weather. Considering you may be out on the trail
for over 12 hours at a variety of elevations, knowing what
conditions to anticipate and clothing to carry is essential.
Check sunrise and sunset times to see if you will need lights.
The more challenging 100 milers such as
The E-100 in Park City,
Utah will start and finish in the dark for some racers. Being
left out on the trail after dark with no lights is a
preventable preparation mistake.
Learn as much as you can about the course
from race staff and past racers. Race websites,
mountain bike blogs
and
forums can be good information sources. Pre-riding
sections of the course over a weekend trip is especially
beneficial to assist with tire selection and bike choice. I
recommend leaving the single-speed at home for your first ever
100 miler and choosing a full suspension cross country set up.
Pacing
Toeing the start line with an appropriate
pacing strategy is required to achieve your goal. The goal
assumed for this article is to finish within the time cut-off,
elated and tired. To achieve this goal you must pace the race
with close to even splits, meaning keep an even pace all day.
This is not the same as keeping an even effort level or heart
rate the whole day. Perceived exertion should be very low in
the first few miles and gradually climb for the duration of
the event. Pacing at an appropriate perceived exertion off the
start line is extremely difficult in the face of race day
excitement. Having an objective pacing control such as watts
or heart rate on board can be useful.
Pacing Tips
- Keep your
pace entirely aerobic at all times.
- It is ok
to walk short steep sections (in fact your butt will love
it) to stay aerobic.
- Limit
power spikes by avoiding short intense burst of speed or
power.
- Ignore
other racers in the first few miles and focus on yourself.
- Ride the
first half of the race at a moderate to high cadence to keep
your muscles fresh.
- Allow
cadence to drop in the second half of the race as your legs
get tired.
Fueling
Speed, positive mental outlook and
enjoyment of the second half of a 100 miler is almost entirely
reliant on the fuel plan followed in the first half of the
race ø or more specifically keeping your stomach working. A
foul stomach is the number one reason for ultra mountain bike
race DNFs at every level from first timer to pro.
A fuel plan has five parts:
- Pacing
How weird to have pacing as part one of the fuel plan right?
Wrong Over-pacing with sustained time over threshold at the
start of a 100 miler is the fastest way to shut down your
stomach and derail your fuel plan. A working stomach is the
foundation of a fuel plan.
- Timing
The stomach is a delicate creature and you should treat it
with lots of TLC if you want to get some love back. Throwing
down a big wad of anything quickly puts stress on your
stomach and it will rebel. If you are indulging in a double
whammy and over-pacing at the same time it will visibly
rebel and that is no fun. Whatever goes into you stomach
needs be in frequent and small portions. The smaller and
more frequent, the happier your gut will be.
- Calorie
Intake Personal differences in the calorie amount
athletes can process through their stomachs occur but a good
rule of thumb is to aim for 0.5 grams of carbohydrate per
pound of body mass per hour. A 150 pound athlete will be
shooting for 75 grams per hour or 300 calories per hour.
This is only achievable if #1 and #2 above are taken care
of.
-
Hydration Balance Ideally replace the fluid you lose,
no more and no less. On hot days you will lose more than
cool days. Dehydration will slow stomach emptying and
decrease performance. In training, weigh yourself before and
after rides. For every pound lost, replace with 16 oz of
fluid. Over-hydration is less than ideal and has its own
problems. If you gain weight on a ride, drink less next time
you are out in identical conditions.
-
Electrolyte Balance During exercise, electrolytes,
largely sodium, are lost in sweat. Perfect body functioning
and athletic performance requires attention to electrolyte
balance. Again significant differences in electrolyte
demands exist between athletes and under varying
environmental conditions. Anywhere between 500 ø 2000 mg of
sodium per hour may be required.
The Head Game
100 miles of mountain biking is a long
time to be happy and focused. Having goals and staying task
oriented are the keys. Remember at all times your goal: to
finish. This keeps everything in the correct perspective and
in general keeps your self-talk positive when you are behind
schedule or you feel too many racers are in front of you. Keep
your eyes on your prize and don't allow distractions to derail
you. But accidents and incidents do occur, from flat tires to
developing leg cramps, interrupting your A race plan. When
plan A goes awry, stay task focused and immediately get on the
job of fixing what went wrong and moving on with plan B. Never
waste time and energy getting annoyed that plan A didn't work
out perfectly. 100 miles is far too long for everything to
work out perfectly. How to successfully deal with mishaps is
part of the ultra mountain bike game.
Mechanical
Second in line to your stomach for TLC is
your bike. You depend on your steed to make it over the finish
line.
Ultra mtb bike care tips:
- Start with
a bike in tip-top condition.
- Don't
crash. Crashing has a tendency to break non-repairable
parts, including frames.
- Put lube
on your chain 1-4 times during the event depending on
conditions. Use a long lasting lube such as
Rock n Roll Extreme lube.
- Shift
gently and smoothly.
- Ride
around deep puddles, not through them, especially hub and
bottom bracket deep puddles. These parts dislike swimming.
- Walk your
bike through any technical section you are unsure about.
Take up the challenge
of your first 100 miler with a plan and finish with a smile. |
