Lessons Learned from Elings Park
I always think there is a lot of value in going back over a race and seeing what could have been done better. Obviously the idea is to get better for the next race.
After the race in Big Bear I was really focused on making good mental decisions. I thought that if I took a turn on the inside and if I was shifting often and early that I could make up precious seconds over the course of the race.
I'm not so sure that means anything now. It seems that no matter the conditions I am destined to finish a few minutes behind the leaders. Wake up early, eat good, eat bad, pre-ride course, ride the course blind, sleep in, have a good working bike, have a bad working bike, ride in heat, ride in cold ... all of these things don't add up to much. Other riders deal with the same issues and fitness is always going to be the differentiating factor.
Fitness comes down to climbing. I need to climb better. That is one of two things I took away from Elings Park. I simply have to climb better.
The second thing I took away is that I might have to up my pain threshold to improve. I might be too hard on myself because I'm sitting comfortably at my desk now, but I almost always feel like I could have gone harder when the race is over. During the race I tell myself not to push too hard because I don't want to blow up.
So maybe I can combine these two areas. I need to climb faster and be willing to suffer more.
Actually I just remembered one other very important lesson I learned.
Bigger gears are not always better. I found myself in too high of a gear several times on the course and it made me feel like I was riding underwater. There is a magic gear for every climb and a magic cadence that goes with it. My goal is to be able to quickly identify the right gear and cadence for any part of a trail. The goal is to be able to be fast and yet not exert more energy than I have to. What is the point of riding in your big ring if you are going super slow and killing yourself in getting the pedals around?
Still learning ...
After the race in Big Bear I was really focused on making good mental decisions. I thought that if I took a turn on the inside and if I was shifting often and early that I could make up precious seconds over the course of the race.
I'm not so sure that means anything now. It seems that no matter the conditions I am destined to finish a few minutes behind the leaders. Wake up early, eat good, eat bad, pre-ride course, ride the course blind, sleep in, have a good working bike, have a bad working bike, ride in heat, ride in cold ... all of these things don't add up to much. Other riders deal with the same issues and fitness is always going to be the differentiating factor.
Fitness comes down to climbing. I need to climb better. That is one of two things I took away from Elings Park. I simply have to climb better.
The second thing I took away is that I might have to up my pain threshold to improve. I might be too hard on myself because I'm sitting comfortably at my desk now, but I almost always feel like I could have gone harder when the race is over. During the race I tell myself not to push too hard because I don't want to blow up.
So maybe I can combine these two areas. I need to climb faster and be willing to suffer more.
Actually I just remembered one other very important lesson I learned.
Bigger gears are not always better. I found myself in too high of a gear several times on the course and it made me feel like I was riding underwater. There is a magic gear for every climb and a magic cadence that goes with it. My goal is to be able to quickly identify the right gear and cadence for any part of a trail. The goal is to be able to be fast and yet not exert more energy than I have to. What is the point of riding in your big ring if you are going super slow and killing yourself in getting the pedals around?
Still learning ...
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