Knowing how to prepare for a mountain bike race can be scary and mountain bike races for beginners can be incredibly overwhelming. While professional cyclists have their own training programs, beginners often get confused when trying to learn how to train for a mountain bike race.
If you’re someone looking for last-minute solutions on how to prepare for a bike race, worry not, because we have curated a list of our best tips that cyclists and mountain bikers swear by.
So, ease up those muscles and relax a bit because we are going to tell you each and every detail on how to prepare for a mountain bike race and relieve you from the intense pressure with our super helpful bike race tips.
Let’s get started to figure out how long does it take to ride!
How to Train for a Mountain Bike Race
Whether it’s your first race or you’re going for a mountain bike race for the umpteenth time, staying true to a proper plan is what helps you clear your head quickly.
Our tips include the simple things you might forget in the rush of learning how to prepare for a mountain bike race.
1. Warm Up Your Body a Week Before
Now that you’ve registered for your race, it’s vital that you start training the very next day. This is to break into the stiff muscles and give your legs the time to adapt to the vigorous strain due to the push on the pedals.
This will make sure that you get intense exercise beforehand. By stretching your legs through this exercise, you will get sore legs and have the time to heal them right before the race.
This way, your legs won’t be sore throughout the race, and your legs will be used to taking the stress and excessive wear and tear of the muscle.
2. Sleep as Much as You Can
Get your sleep hours in as much as you can. The body does most of its repair work while you’re sleeping.
For this reason, sleeping is crucial for both professionals and beginners. Your sore muscles will heal during that time the most.
Our body goes through its regeneration period during sleep. Try to get at least 8 hours of sleep in at night and maintain a good sleeping schedule. If possible, try to nap in the afternoons for 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Your Diet and Hydration Matter
Keeping a healthy and nutritious diet is absolutely essential for any activity that requires extensive physical exertion.
Your body gets all its energy from the kind of food you consume. Try to maintain a balanced diet and stay away from processed and unhealthy food.
Similarly, hydration is absolutely vital for your organs to function properly. With exercise and all the sweating, keeping yourself hydrated is necessary to regulate the functions of your body.
Whether you’re practicing, or even on the trail for the race, water intake should be a priority.
4. Test the Bike and Fix Up the Tiny Details
Anything can go wrong on the day of the race if your mountain bike isn’t in good condition.
So, to prevent yourself from getting in a terrible situation like that on the day of the race, it’s best to get your Mongoose bike checked thoroughly and fixed up if needed.
Additionally, clean your bicycle and all the chain components as well. A clean and well-lubricated bike is much smoother to ride and allows you to properly check every detail of the bike.
From tires to tubes and even the brakes, test them all out properly before the race day.
5. Test the Course Out
Testing the course out is a great way to break the nerves and gain some confidence.
You can quickly get the idea of the terrain you’re following and the amount of exertion that’s required. Testing out the course beforehand will make you gain confidence in your own skills.
By testing the course out, you’re giving yourself a test run before the big race. This helps you get the hang of all the bumps and turns you might encounter, and nothing will take you by surprise on the day of the race.
Your muscle memory will kick in after a few times so the race itself will be a piece of cake for you.
6. Warm Up Before the Race
On the race day, make sure you warm up before reaching the venue. This will help in activating all your muscles as well as get rid of all the built-up tension for the race.
While you will have plenty of time to pull and stretch before the race, getting your warm-up done through a quick ride will help you a lot more.
7. Slow and Steady (at the start) Wins the Race
Don’t burn all your matches at once. As the race commences, pick up the pace to gain your momentum and a set position amidst all other riders. Once you’ve selected the pace for yourself within the race, try to ease yourself.
If you keep on putting in all your energy at the beginning of the race, chances are that you’ll be absolutely burnt out by the end of the race.
Losing your position at the end is far worse than losing it at the start of the race. So, divide your energy wisely and pick up the pace near the middle of the race.
8. Enjoy the Ride
Lastly, enjoy your time there. Don’t fixate too much on fishing first and focus on the experience itself.
A competitive environment often creates toxicity within one’s mind, so don’t let it get the best of you. As they once said, “Keep calm and keep riding!”
Conclusion
We hope that through our guide on mountain bike racing tips you’ve learned how to prepare for a mountain bike race.
While bike races can be a fun activity to partake in, stress can often find its way to creep up on us.
By following our tips, you can most certainly get the best out of the experience if not a trophy at the end.
Good luck!