5 tips to improving your next enduro race
Did you think you had everything covered when you turned up for your last enduro race, only to go home disappointed? If you want to do better it’s time to start using the ‘six-P’s! ‘What are the six-P’s’ I hear you ask! ‘Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance!’ There are other variants, all meaning the same thing, but you get the idea. We brings you five tips to keep you ahead of the game for your next race.
Check the event Information
Getting the heads-up on an event prior to the weekend’s racing is always a good one, and there are several factors to consider. Check the loop out as this can change lots of things when it comes to your pre-event prep. There’s no point taking a massive pack stuffed with 3 liters of hydration, tools and gels if you are doing a small loop, where you will be riding past your vehicle after every stage. So pack and equip yourself to suit the type and size of track, it is lots easier to ride light without a big pack on if you are able to call via your vehicle for the non-essentials mid race.
Always check the weather
This is a bit of a tough one, it’s easy to get a weather forecast nowadays with all the weather apps out there, but they aren’t always that accurate as weather can change in an instant. The closer to the event you check out the weather, then the more chance you have of getting it right for the race ahead of you. For instance if you know it is highly likely to be hammering down with rain, then a set of mud tyres may be worth fitting prior to the event. Maybe it’s the kind of terrain where you can always run trail tyres or even need a tough casing DH tyre on the rear, local forums are a great resource for planning!
What kit to carry for racing
This really is a topic that can be quite governed by the weather forecast, but our advice would be to bring what you have in the car, if you have the room to squeeze in any extra kit for wet or dry riding, then why not bring it. Remember here the ‘sod’s law’ rule goes along the lines of ‘if you bring wet weather kit, it won’t rain and if you don’t bring it, then it will piss down!’ Check the organisers rules on helmets, half or full face, and do you need the likes of elbow protection or a back plate, there is nothing worse than having to buy an item of kit at a race that you already have sat at home in your shed! Also a great tip for your equipment is to have a kit list at home that you can go through for all the items you need to bring, so simple but very effective. When it comes to eyewear, clean dry glasses or goggles with scratch-free lenses are sometimes worth their weight in gold, we advise carrying a small piece of microfiber cloth in a waterproof bag for drying/cleaning, if not they soak up water and become a useless sodden rag in your pocket!
Preparing your bike for racing
Along with the tyres there are other areas of prep that can be done prior to the event. You can also find out about the terrain on the stages or tracks with the use of social media or forums. With some races often sharing similar types of terrain on all stages then it can be worth finding out about things like rockiness, big drops, g-outs and how much and for how long you are going to be sprinting etc. If you can get enough of this info (also the weather prediction can change this) then you can be pre-prepped enough to set your suspension to suit the terrain. If you know the tracks are going to be fast and steep or slow and tight, then some bikes may have adjustable head angles with the use of flip-chips, these too can be set right along with tyre pressures prior to arrival.
Mind and Body
Everyone talks about gels, fluid and trail snacks keeping you going during the event, but really, that is only an add-on to what has been taken into your digestion a couple of days prior to the race. All the hydration in the world during an event will never make up for two days prior of binging on nothing but coffee and fast food! You need to be thinking about good hydration days before the event, get your system well and truly up to scratch with plenty of fluid and healthy food days prior to putting it through its toughest test; it really does make a difference. Finally the mind of the racers is such an important factor in how well he or she will perform. You can be fitter, stronger and riding better than ever before in your life, but if you go through that race with a negative mindset your race is lost from the start. This can be the toughest battle to win, we find some tricks to help with this can be, ten long and deep breaths whilst on the start line to calm your nerves and heart rate and think about every part of the track you may have any issues with, picturing yourself getting through them like a boss, as opposed to imagining your crash or fuck-up on that same section!
How you get on in a race really can be a lottery, we all have good days and bad days on the bike and we can all experience that feeling of zero energy off the start line caused by nerves. How many times have you put a timed run in and thought ‘I was so much faster in practice!” This is sometimes the name of the game with racing, but if you come to a race feeling well prepped with your bike, kit, body and mind then confidence can only go up and enjoyment of your riding leads to a more relaxed fluid riding style and hopefully, just hopefully; better results!