Big Bear Lessons

So I've been trying to figure out what I need to do to close the gap between me and the guys ahead of me at a race like Big Bear.

Here are the results:

1 JANSSEN KURT 26 1:36:14.36
2 SEVERSON MATTHEW 29 1:39:51.67
3 POYTRESS ADAM 28 1:40:31.53
4 MEYER RYAN 29 1:44:07.27
5 BUTLER BRET 28 1:47:11.21
6 BURNDUM ADAM 27 1:54:25.46
7 PEREZ ROEL 27 2:05:45.63

So I lost third place by 4 minutes. Or if we want to get specific (and we do), I lost by 216 seconds. If was 216 seconds faster on Sunday I would have been on the podium.

I would look at what it takes to catch the first place finisher, but I need to start somewhere right? Haha. Let's start with third.

I've thought a lot about this and I've become convinced that I can bridge this gap with smarter riding. Bike weight, fitness, pushing hard ... let's keep all that the same. I can only do so much of that. I can't suddenly change my fitness level during a race or right before it. I can only push so hard before I blow up.

I think it's little things that can help bridge the 216 second gap.

For example:

Turns

On the fire road descents there were several wide turns with loose sand and gravel. Some of them were even really wide switchbacks.

I came into several of them too fast and ended up going wide on them. I would come in hot, fail to turn well and then slow way down as I tried to get back on a good line.

That costs time. How much? Maybe not much. Maybe only 5 to 10 seconds. But there were a lot of turns I took poorly.


Downhill Confidence

I'm not that fast on the downhill. I would pass people often only to have them catch me on the descents. I wouldn't go as far to say I'm super slow, but I'm just not as fast as the guys around me at these races.

How much time am I losing here? Brake less in a few spots and I might make up 30 seconds.


Better Lines

What if I pick better lines on the downhill? What if I pick better lines on the climbs? A bad line can take energy from you and can stall you. It can kill your momentum and that means time.

Maybe I should always try to cut corners short? Taking a corner wide might cost 1 second. 1 second adds up when I'm trying to eliminate 216 of them.


Better on Technical

Some of the technical spots were very slow for me. If I was faster on these sections I could make up time. I need to get more aggressive and confident. Remember all I need to do is make up seconds, not minutes.


Overall I think that making better mental decisions could help a lot. I really believe that I give away precious seconds during these races with poor mental focus.

Also I realize that mentally I'm not prepared for these XC races. I always ride with friends and I'm not used to staying aggressive for long periods of time. I'm used to attacking maybe one climb and then spinning for a bit.

I need to make sure that I stay focused and smart during these races from start to finish. At the 1:30 mark I should still be trying to find the best line and trying to find the right gear so I can stay in attack mode. I can't relax because I think I've settled into third place or because I think I've done "pretty good" to that point.

We'll see if I can focus better for the next race and we'll see if little things really do add up. If they don't, then I guess I just suck compared to the other guys in my class. Hahaha.