New to MTB racing



dutchinco

New Member
Nov 7, 2012
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Hi everyone,

Very excited to be joining a womens mtn bike race team for 2013 and have several questions regarding racing.
1. Races: looking to do a mix of XC and Enduro(Big Mtn Enduro Series) races. I have done off road triathlons, and eight 6-12hr adventure races (mostly mtn bike) with a lot of elevation gain/loss. I

Is it recommended to train for two types of races or should I stick with one or the other?

2. I'm 29, 5'10". 152lbs. I certainly need work on my climbing and my downhill is drastically improving(though i could always use more improvement/ better training). Downside to all this is: I smoked for 12 years and kicked the habit 10 months ago. Since then placed 9th overall and 3rd in my age for off road triathlon series.

How much harder should I be training to make up for those years of smoking?? Feeling better every day but can certainly feel it after 3-4 hrs of riding rolling single track and uphills.

3. And final question is: Can I be race ready by May? I try to push myself hard and understand that recovery rides are needed.

Suggestions on training or general honesty will be much appreciated.

~dutchinco
 
3 to 4 hours of riding is hard for anyone, so don't torture yourself about that because of your smoking habits, i read somewhere that lungs of people who quit smoking gradually return to normal with time, so doing a sport like cycling cannot but make the improvements faster and better, if you train through the winter you will be ready for May, good luck
 
Riding long is all about pacing. You will never do 3-4 hours at the same pace you can do 1-2 hours at.

You could ride the 3-4 hour rides at a pace that will allow you to recover in the time you have to recover. I do. I am usually recovered by the time I am out of my shower.
 

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