Training tips for trail racing

[shadowsniper]

i'm lookin to start trail racing next year so that i can get some training. i was wondering if anyone could give me some tips on what i should be doing to prepare myself for trail racing and any kind of training exercises i need to do. even a couple of pointers for setting up my bike would be awsome.

 

[76GMC1500]

I like doing slow speed drills to work on balance, coordination, and clutch control. One of my favorites is to ride the bike in circles with the handle bars at full lock while standing. This seems to hit all of the major points. Practice locking up the back tire and sliding the bike around really tight turns, this helps keep your momentum going when you're negotiating trees. Popping the front wheel up predictably at low speed is a helpful skill. You don't need to ride wheelies, just pop it up a foot or so in the air. Normally, this is really easy, but when you have to do it at a specific time before you hit an obstacle, it gets really tricky.

 

[shadowsniper]

i have also been seeing some guys going straight up dirt cliffs, how do you do that?

 

[76GMC1500]

Momentum. They hit the bottom with a lot of speed and just launch up the face. I don't suggest this one for the amature. It's hard on equipment and hard on bodies. The best I've been able to do on a vertical wall is launch the bike up it while I stay at the bottom.

 

[thebleakness]

Practice riding slow, really slow. Stand up and balance yourself so that you can ride slowing than a slow walk. Good balance is key. Like GMC said, practice popping up the front tire some so that when the time comes to hop a log you can get the front tire up and over.

The cliffs are hard, I've only attempted one before and it was because there was no other way around (we were stuck in a ditch). The wall we had to climb was about 12' feet high with the first 8' quite steep and the last 4 feet vertical. I almost shat myself. :D

 

[trailqueen]

The best I've been able to do on a vertical wall is launch the bike up it while I stay at the bottom.

:rotfl:

 

[High Lord Gomer]

i have also been seeing some guys going straight up dirt cliffs, how do you do that?

It's easy!

 

[biglou]

Is that David Knight in that first pic?!

 

[High Lord Gomer]

I'm pretty sure the guy in the first pic is a little better than David Knight.

 

[High Lord Gomer]

As far as helpful tips...

I assume you have bark busters? If not, get them!

Geta drinking system and do enough riding with it to figure out how to mount it to make sure it is comfortable and usable for a long ride (4-6 hour enduro). Play with loading it with ice to see how long it will take to melt and figure out how much ice / water / Gatoraide to put in it. I used to put as much ice as possible then fill the rest with a 50/50 mix of Gatoraide and water.

Most woods races allow you x number of feet to the right and left of the marked trail. Get in the habit of looking far enough ahead for alternate lines when you come to turns. Frequently the designated line will have developed ruts and braking/acceleraton bumps and an alternate line will be less tiring. It is also a good place to pass people if they won't get out of the way.

In gneral, I think it is good practice to work on using all of the trail. Too many novice riders try to always take the inside line in turns. Taking the inside often limits how far you can lean the bike. Don't be afraid to ride that outside berm or even use roots/trees as berms.

 

[shadowsniper]

cool thanks thats a big help.

 

[SpeedyManiac]

Here's another training tip. Ride a lot of motocross. It's very good training for offroad as it's more intense and usually faster. Talk to any pro offroader and they'll say the same thing.

 

[shadowsniper]

a buddy of mine does mx, i'm goin to be riding with him when i can. thanks for extra tip, any tips are a great help.

 

[thebleakness]

Here's another training tip. Ride a lot of motocross. It's very good training for offroad as it's more intense and usually faster. Talk to any pro offroader and they'll say the same thing.

Hehe, not always. We took an A class MXer out riding on his first ST ride. He was talking so much smack about how good he was (granted he was really good on a track) so we thought he would do fine on some really gnarly trail. I made it through to the top and we sat there for a long time and he never showed up. We ended up going back and finding him and I kid you not, he was crying! He wasn't used to the beating he was receiving and it wiped him out.

I'm not saying that MX won't help you on the trails because it will but they are different and can't really be compared. Listen to Pastrana talk about the Erzberg Rodeo, he doesn't finish it at first and ends up falling asleep in the next one he was so tired. :laugh:

 

[76GMC1500]

The MX track is great practice for running the fast fire roads, but there is no substitute for slow speed, trials style drills for the single track goat trails. Why do you think David Knight is so good? He started out as a trials rider.

Almost forgot the most important rule: Eyes forward while you're in the ruts.

 

[shadowsniper]

ok, so basically the best thing for me to do would be to focus on riding trails than mx tracks?

 

[High Lord Gomer]

Any riding will help, but if you're going to race in the woods, your best practice would be in the woods.

I find that riding trails helps my motocross much more than motocross helps trail speed. In the woods, you have to be much more precise and that helps you hold ruts better on the mx track. On the track, if you miss your rut or run over it, you catch the next one or end up going off the track. In the woods, you miss your rut and you might be getting up close and personal with a tree.

 

[Ol'89r]

I find that riding trails helps my motocross much more than motocross helps trail speed. QUOTE]

Have to agree with that. :cool:

IMO, concentration and flow is the key to going fast on trail. Look where you want to go. We tend to go where we look. If you are on a skinny trail with a cliff on one side and you look over the cliff, you will gravitate towards the cliff. Almost like a big magnet is pulling you. :yikes: If you ignore the cliff and look as far forward on the trail as you can it will help you balance yourself better on the skinny trail and you won't get the feeling that something is trying to pull you off the cliff.

Same with tight single track trails. Look as far ahead on the trail as you can see. Don't look down right in front of your bike. This will only slow you down since you will notice every little bump, rock, root and irregularity on the trail. If you look as far ahead as you can and let your peripheral vision take care of what is right in front of you, you will find yourself going much faster. You will be surprised what you can easily ride over without actually looking at it. Your peripheral vision sees it and registers it in your mind without you actually having to look at it.

Same thing with busting a turn. If you find yourself going way too fast into a turn and can't make the turn. Don't look at the tree you are about to hit. If you do, you will hit it. :nod: Instead, look for an escape route, a hole between the trees or any place safer than the tree or rock or cliff. That is where you will go.

Flow is very important. Like Gomer said, use all of the trail. Outside, inside, whatever works but, keep your momentum up and try not to come to a near stop to make a corner. The outside line is usually the fastest and smoothest.

Trail riding will make you a better MX racer. On a track, we know what to expect. Unless someone is laying in the middle of a corner, we know that corner will be the same as it was on the last lap. On trail, you don't know what to expect. So, you have to train yourself to react to the situation as it happens. This trains you to be a better racer and to know what to do when you can't use the same line as you did the lap before. You will notice the good riders can change their lines and ride anywhere on the track if they have to. They don't have to think about it, they just automatically do it. Trail riding will teach you to do this.

 

[76GMC1500]

ok, so basically the best thing for me to do would be to focus on riding trails than mx tracks?

The best thing to do is get seat time. It doesn't matter what you do, you'll always get better the more time you spend on the seat. The drills will help refine your skills.

 

[SpeedyManiac]

I still stand by my opinion. Yes, you need to do lots of trail riding to develop the skills to negotiate the obstacles, but once you have those skills, hitting the motocross track helps up your overall speed immensely. Juha Salminen pretty much uses motocross as his only form of training. Locally, Cory Graffunder (4th LMS, ISDE Gold Medalist, etc) and Trent Burgiss (ISDE Silver Medalist, local fast guy) both told me if I want to get faster, start pounding laps on the motocross track.

So, get lots of seat time, learn to negotiate the gnarly obstacles (logs, cliffs, etc), do a little trials riding and don't be afraid to pound laps on the motocross track.

 

[Matt 193]

I would say just get as much seat time as possible. If you will be racing in the tight trails get some good bark usters and don't be afraid to bounce of a few trees. Also I would work on slow technical uphills and muddy uphills, they seem to show up a lot in my races. Another important tactict for the race is to be patient behind slower riders. You have 2-3 hours to work to the front of the pack. Also remember to have as much fun as you can.