Why do I start to ride good when it's time to go h

[Gary B.]

How come when I go riding it seems I spend the first 4 hours "riding tight", (fighting the bike, arm pump, exhaustion, etc.) then, it seems, when it is nearly time to call it a day, I have no fear, start relaxing on the bike, and having a great time? I figure it's more of a mental thing, but I've been doing this in various degrees since I began riding 17 years ago. I usually don't have much of a problem on a trail ride, but when I go to a MX track is when this problem really rears it's ugly head. Does anyone else have this problem, or am I just a severe head case (or maybe just a wussy)?:think

 

[BillyWho]

That's pretty normal if you don't ride on tracks ALL the time, like two or three times a week. Your first sentence explains it all. When your riding trails, you are out to have a good time and relax and enjoy your self right? When you go to a track, it is automatic to think " I have to get around this track as fast as possible" because for the most part tracks are meant to be "raced" in most cicumstances. It happens in the exact order you said which is your not 100% comfortable at first so you fight the the bike, which makes you extra tense, which when your tense causes arm pump because your not relaxed, and then you add being tense with arm pump which causes you to fight the bike even more which tires you out 5 times faster than any thing. Then towards the end of the day, when your more comfortable with riding the track, you don't ride as tense and your arms are already tired from riding all day so they don't pump and you ride much more relaxed for alot longer time. It's kinda an aged old problem, and the only cure is to ride all the time, it's simply a matter of being comfortable on your bike, which takes alot of practice. Hope this helps.

 

[Gary B.]

Thanks. So I need to tell my wife and family that it is not only important, but nessecary that I ride a couple of times a week!;) Boy I had the best excuse to go riding right in front of me all the time!:) But seriosly, thanks for taking the time to put into words what I was suspecting all along. I believe I'm probably done riding for the year, but I wanted to get prepared, and get the correct "mindset" for next year. I just can't believe that it's taken me this long to realize this. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that now my sons are old enough and fast enough that now I have to keep up on tracks that I normally just avoided riding on.