Doing better than you imagined possible.
Discussion
Not quite sure what I'm asking here but here goes.
I'm a keen MTB'er, I ride at least three times a week & that pretty much involves a set route of about 8 or 9 miles with roughly 1000ft of climbing & a longer ride at the weekends, up to 25 miles or thereabouts. I find this keeps me fit to the level I want & at my age (46) it's enough, if not the most pushiest regime ever.
I also like to ride alone, I like the solitude of it & to drink in the countryside. Here's the thing though, I did a charity 20 miler at the weekend roughly 2000 feet of climbing over the course & felt a bit leggy by the end although I was pretty steady & only took a couple of minutes breather at 19 miles.
To my astonishment, I came 13th out of 314 finishers in just over two hours. I wasn't racing, it wasn't a race, I was just focused on getting round at a steady pace & moreover keeping going & had no sense of place or even where I was on the marked course during the event, I was just following the markers.
Now though, I'm wondering if I should do more of this stuff. I reckon in hindsight riders in front were subconscious targets for me to pick off & a competitive element I don't usually experience worked to speed me along - my Strava was packed with PR's.
I guess what I'm asking is whether there's any benefit in pursuing competitive riding as this isolated experience seems to have pushed me harder than I'd ordinarily ever try. Probably old hat for you guys, but I only really ride for fitness & I'm now questioning if I can squeeze that much harder?
I'm a keen MTB'er, I ride at least three times a week & that pretty much involves a set route of about 8 or 9 miles with roughly 1000ft of climbing & a longer ride at the weekends, up to 25 miles or thereabouts. I find this keeps me fit to the level I want & at my age (46) it's enough, if not the most pushiest regime ever.
I also like to ride alone, I like the solitude of it & to drink in the countryside. Here's the thing though, I did a charity 20 miler at the weekend roughly 2000 feet of climbing over the course & felt a bit leggy by the end although I was pretty steady & only took a couple of minutes breather at 19 miles.
To my astonishment, I came 13th out of 314 finishers in just over two hours. I wasn't racing, it wasn't a race, I was just focused on getting round at a steady pace & moreover keeping going & had no sense of place or even where I was on the marked course during the event, I was just following the markers.
Now though, I'm wondering if I should do more of this stuff. I reckon in hindsight riders in front were subconscious targets for me to pick off & a competitive element I don't usually experience worked to speed me along - my Strava was packed with PR's.
I guess what I'm asking is whether there's any benefit in pursuing competitive riding as this isolated experience seems to have pushed me harder than I'd ordinarily ever try. Probably old hat for you guys, but I only really ride for fitness & I'm now questioning if I can squeeze that much harder?
A couple of thoughts...
A charity 20 miler? Don't take this the wrong way, but these sort of distances don't appeal to the stronger, more competitive element of riders. I presume it was an off-road ride, as you talk of being a MTBer? Nice to finish high up in the order though. Especially if you didn't set out to be quick.
The only way to find out how you REALLY compare is to enter a MTB race. I'm seen as "pretty quick" by the local Strava mob. Got a bunch of KOMs, can hold my own on most off-road segments, etc, etc. But when the chips are down, and I've cable-tied that RFD chipped race number to the front of the bike? Suddenly my route for the day has attracted the cream of local MTB talent from across the area, and I'm languishing in mid-table when the results come out.
And no, I'm not trying to put you off. I'd say do it. Enter a race, see how you enjoy it. There'll usually be a local MTB race series somewhere in reach for you. Locally to me (Farnborough, Hampshire) there's the Gorrick races, and Southern XC series. Many MTB races have oodles of different classes and races. Fun, Sport, Open, age group categories, etc. Do a bit of research, pick an easier, shorter 'fun' or 'sport' race for your first outing and see how you compare when you KNOW everyone else is trying their best. If you find that too easy, move up a category. MTB racing is easier to get into than road racing because, in the main (and especially at "entry level") you don't even need a license or any sort of experience. Just make sure you move aside when the race leaders lap you, and don't make any crazy overtakes and you'll be fine.
I started 'racing' just to say I'd done it. Having the number board to pin up on the garage wall makes a nice souvenir of the day, but I enjoyed it so much (bearing in mind my first race was sheer hell, weather-wise) that I went back for more. Best I managed was "just outside the points" on a couple of races, so top 30 or so. Only you can know if racing really is for you, and then only really after giving it a try. I aim for four races per year. One three-race "winter series" between November and January, and a beach/MTB race in March/April. The rest of the year I'm like you, only slightly longer distances. I enjoy riding alone, occasionally ride with a couple of friends I've made through PistonHeads and Strava, I'm the same age as you too. I'm very fortunate in living in a great area for MTBing, with lots of the race venues nearby, but I wouldn't describe my riding as "training" really. It has no structure, I just like to get out and about on my bike.
A charity 20 miler? Don't take this the wrong way, but these sort of distances don't appeal to the stronger, more competitive element of riders. I presume it was an off-road ride, as you talk of being a MTBer? Nice to finish high up in the order though. Especially if you didn't set out to be quick.
The only way to find out how you REALLY compare is to enter a MTB race. I'm seen as "pretty quick" by the local Strava mob. Got a bunch of KOMs, can hold my own on most off-road segments, etc, etc. But when the chips are down, and I've cable-tied that RFD chipped race number to the front of the bike? Suddenly my route for the day has attracted the cream of local MTB talent from across the area, and I'm languishing in mid-table when the results come out.
And no, I'm not trying to put you off. I'd say do it. Enter a race, see how you enjoy it. There'll usually be a local MTB race series somewhere in reach for you. Locally to me (Farnborough, Hampshire) there's the Gorrick races, and Southern XC series. Many MTB races have oodles of different classes and races. Fun, Sport, Open, age group categories, etc. Do a bit of research, pick an easier, shorter 'fun' or 'sport' race for your first outing and see how you compare when you KNOW everyone else is trying their best. If you find that too easy, move up a category. MTB racing is easier to get into than road racing because, in the main (and especially at "entry level") you don't even need a license or any sort of experience. Just make sure you move aside when the race leaders lap you, and don't make any crazy overtakes and you'll be fine.
I started 'racing' just to say I'd done it. Having the number board to pin up on the garage wall makes a nice souvenir of the day, but I enjoyed it so much (bearing in mind my first race was sheer hell, weather-wise) that I went back for more. Best I managed was "just outside the points" on a couple of races, so top 30 or so. Only you can know if racing really is for you, and then only really after giving it a try. I aim for four races per year. One three-race "winter series" between November and January, and a beach/MTB race in March/April. The rest of the year I'm like you, only slightly longer distances. I enjoy riding alone, occasionally ride with a couple of friends I've made through PistonHeads and Strava, I'm the same age as you too. I'm very fortunate in living in a great area for MTBing, with lots of the race venues nearby, but I wouldn't describe my riding as "training" really. It has no structure, I just like to get out and about on my bike.
gazza285 said:
Pin a number on and find out.
Where abouts are you based? There's bound to be a local race series near you.
I love racing, no matter how hard I think I'm trying on a normal ride, it's nothing like how hard I try when there's other people to beat...
I think that's what I'm getting at - you find that in a race scenario, you consistently put more effort in? Might be an obvious question but I've never ridden for anything other than the pleasure of it.Where abouts are you based? There's bound to be a local race series near you.
I love racing, no matter how hard I think I'm trying on a normal ride, it's nothing like how hard I try when there's other people to beat...
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