Question for MTB race length

[Matthew du preez]

hi there guys i'm going to be doing a MTB race next weekend.

i know that i can handle 30km relatively easily, on a fairly flat single track.

now for the they have a 25km and a 45km, routes. the 25 has a an assent of 500m. and the 45km has a 700-800m assent.

mainly dirt farm roads.

here are the routes. please note the 30km is now 25km.

http://www.mountain-trophy.co.za/route_info/

 

which one do you think i should do .

I am 16.

[bullet77]

Do the 25km and go flat out , it will give you an indication of how fit/strong you are going forward.

[sirmoun10goat]

Do the 45 and go flat out, and when you pop, carry on with easy ride back and enjoy it

Unless you going for results, do the longer ride-gives you more mileage and time

[Tomik]

I would go shorter and hit it hard.

It's not lekker hitting the wall with an hour or more of riding left. 

Build up to the 45. 

[sirmoun10goat]

10 minutes ago, Tomik said:

I would go shorter and hit it hard.

It's not lekker hitting the wall with an hour or more of riding left. 

Build up to the 45. 

Agreed - but there is the element of other rides (and gees if it still exists these days) to help get someone through

The races where I suffered the most are the ones I enjoyed the most as well - its more gratifying. I hate getting to the end and thinking 'I could have done more' or 'I could have gone faster'

[porqui]

2 hours ago, matthewdupreez001@gmail.com said:

hi there guys i'm going to be doing a MTB race next weekend.

I am 16.

I think you know the answer.

Race conditions are never the same as a good tough ride - always tougher.

[Moult]

Go short. Go hard. Have fun.

You still very young and have many years ahead to do the longer rides. Physically you will have huge amounts of power (by default of being 16) so have fun with it while its on your side. 

Good luck for the race. Give em hell! 

[Broodryk]

if you are positive that you can take a win, do the 25km. if not, do the 45km and build experience for the longer races.

[RobbyB]

A lot of good comments spoken already but the shorter race should be your aim.

Its a whole lot different doing 30 and then racing 25, especially with a 500m climb thrown in. We also don't know how truly fit you are for maintaining a racing speed (and its difficult to hold back in a race). Racing a shorter route is a whole lot better than blowing out on a longer route. This is your first race so go kick ass on the shorter route and when you're ready go for the 40+ races...

It would be great if you have a GPS device on your bike with the distance you've cycled being prominent so that you can gage when you're a quarter / half / three quarters way through the race so that that you can put in more speed and energy, if you've got it, or hold back and save so you don't bomb before you get home.

Get to know the route and where the hills are and how many and which are the longer climbs. Once the hills are done it usually a fast sprint all the way home. Good luck on your first race - have fun (that's the main thing) and learn lots. Racing is all about the knowledge that you learn and applying it to your next event...

Edited May 31, 2021 by RobbyB
Spell check and grammar

[ChrisF]

Matthew reading your question and the range of replies I think back to the Fine Breede 2019 event -

 

 

EDIT - See the first page of the linked thread ...

 

The 30km race podium was 16 year olds, noting this event has some horrible climbs. Granted this was the sharp end of the field, with most youngsters being a lot slower. 

 

Only you know if you are at the sharp end, or in it for a more relaxing ride.

 

Traditionally less teenagers ride the longer rides.  Certainly possible !!  But normally it is something you build up to ...

 

 

Best wishes on your decision.

 

 

Edited June 1, 2021 by ChrisF

[Spy007]

How about just doing the 45km or even the shorter and get a feel for racing. Groups passing and general stuff that happens in races.

water points, novice and fast racers etc.

 

 

[TNT1]

15 hours ago, matthewdupreez001@gmail.com said:

hi there guys i'm going to be doing a MTB race next weekend.

i know that i can handle 30km relatively easily, on a fairly flat single track.

now for the they have a 25km and a 45km, routes. the 25 has a an assent of 500m. and the 45km has a 700-800m assent.

mainly dirt farm roads.

here are the routes. please note the 30km is now 25km.

http://www.mountain-trophy.co.za/route_info/

 

which one do you think i should do .

I am 16.

The 45km, obviously. And also, ride to the start and back home again.

[Prince Albert Cycles]

Short answer , do the short route . You have plenty of time to increase your distances . It will be better for your morale going forward to finish strongly possibly overtaking a few riders towards the end than finishing spent.

[TheoG]

I'm also saying "do the short".  Crawl, walk, run, fly approach.

[AccidentalGenius]

Start with the short route and build up your confidence. My first ever race was a 100 km, after training for only a week. Bit daft, I know. ???? That almost put me off cycling permanently..

[JJDT]

In my opinion do the 25km race seeing that it is your first race. In your first race the conditions for racing is unknown, do the race to the best of your abilities and after do a recap as where you were in race. Look at your strategy e.g. water table stops, nutrition on the bike (drinking at intervals), terrain (did you feel comfortable on the tech sections) etc.

Once this is known you can plan your next race based on the lessons learnt from your first race.

 

Good Luck