10 reasons to NOT race

[josephr]

saw this, thought I'd share here...seems like could apply to any big cycling event, not just mountain biking. #10 should be #1 for me. :beer:

http://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-events/opinion-10-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-race-your-mountain-bike/

[Mikej]

I have a one reason list TO race mtb- I like it.

[sandyrs]

I have a one reason list TO race mtb- I like it.

Seriously. That's all that matters.

[benb]

I really liked MTB racing when I did it. (Not a lot, I missed the wave of popularity it had.)

He misses the big one though.. I don't want my hobby to be substantially driving a car. Around here MTB racing is a lot like skiing/boarding, you might come close to 1:1 in terms of time you spend driving to the race/mountain and home from the race and the time you spend racing/skiing/boarding. I really enjoy skiing/boarding but it could easily be 6-8 hours in the car to get 6 hours on the trails which is highly unattractive for me.

Perhaps just because of local popularity road & cross can both involve less car driving. Even non-racing MTB suffers quite a bit in terms of reliance on a car. I am lucky enough to be able to ride out my door to some good trails but at some point once you do that the whole "mixed terrain" thing with a gravel bike starts to be more attractive than a pure MTB.

[chiasticon]

He misses the big one though.. I don't want my hobby to be substantially driving a car. Around here MTB racing is a lot like skiing/boarding, you might come close to 1:1 in terms of time you spend driving to the race/mountain and home from the race and the time you spend racing/skiing/boarding. I really enjoy skiing/boarding but it could easily be 6-8 hours in the car to get 6 hours on the trails which is highly unattractive for me.that's a good point. this past season of cross was my second one racing and I decided to try out of town races, in addition to the local ones. had a ton of fun doing them, but limited myself to only races within a couple hours, with one exception. they can make for a really long day. it's an odd balance too, because the local ones are within an hour and I'll spend about the same amount of time away from home, but more time hanging out and BS'ing with people I know, sticking around to watch friends race, etc. further away races, there's less people I know and less time to chit-chat, but it still feels like you're in "GO!" mode all day.

[peanutgallery]

I'm not a mtb racer anymore, consider myself more of a participant these days. I "race" a few times a year just to keep from building ships in a bottle. I consider it a donation to whater org is promoting it.

Sad to note but my category (45 plus) is the biggest

[kgreene10]

How does Tim Krabbé put in in The Rider -- "non-cyclists...the emptiness of those lives shocks me."

[Repack Rider]

Number 6 is, "It reduces self-reliance."

I wrote the first set of mountain bike racing rules in 1983 when I was a founding member of NORBA. There were only three real rules. You had to wear a helmet, your bike had to have a working brake, and you had to deal with your own mechanical problems.

The last rule was a result of my attendance at the National Cyclocross championships shortly before. The eventual national champion showed up with six bikes and a pit crew of half a dozen, who moved bikes around the course, so he could go uphill on a light one, downhill on one a lot more rugged, and then have someone shuttle each bike back to where he changed onto it.

Everyone else showed up with a bike and a dream. They might as well have handed the winner the trophy before the start, and raced among themselves. The basic unfairness of money being the deciding factor was insulting to everyone except the champion.

Mountain bikes were illegal machinery by the 1983 UCI standards, and we didn't much care what they thought about everything else we did with them. We were already outlaws in the eyes of official bicycle racing, so like every other aspect of the sport at that time, we wrote our own rules.

The original mountain bikes had come out of the "Repack" downhill races (http://www.sonic.net/~ckelly/Seekay/repack.htm) I started putting on in 1976, for riders on funky old balloon tire bikes. Competition sorted out the machinery, and used a lot of it up. The races inspired the design and construction of the first real "mountain bikes" by Joe Breeze (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Breeze) in 1977-78. A lot of people had ridden old bikes on trails before I raced one downhill, but it took a form of competition to move the sport beyond buying a junk bike for a few bucks and replacing it when it fell apart.

As originally written, the NORBA rules (http://www.sonic.net/~ckelly/Seekay/norba.htm) were designed to reduce the influence of sponsored teams, and give the individual rider a reasonably fair shot once the race started. The other reason for the rule was that since racing had contributed to the design of the machinery, it was a good way to advance it, because durability was as important as any other aspect. Durability is the most important thing for the non-racer, lightness is second. The racing was meant to replicate the conditions of ordinary riding, where the rider is definitely responsible for his own repairs.

It has been over 30 years since I wrote those rules, and there was no way to defend the original philosophy in the face of so much money pushing for disposable bikes and massive team support, just like the Tour de France.. But now you know how I felt about it then.

[Ronsonic]

If it's fun for you, you should race.

Racing any kind of bike has only one serious downside for me, training. In the limited time available to anyone with a real job training for racing just sucks time and life out of just riding. "Shouldn't I be doing intervals?"

I'll probably feel less strongly about this in a few months when I can get out more, but just going out to ride like a retard is too much fun to ruin with a training program. Sometimes I push, sometimes smell flowers.

Riding is fun. Racing is fun. Training is taking something fun and messing it up.

And, yeah, just my opinion about where I am in my life. Everyone will feel more or less differently and that's good.

[unterhausen]

if I wanted to race, MTB is the only thing I could do without driving a lot. We have a number of really good races here.

Only problem is, the trails are just too hard for me. Not sure if I'm ever going to get good enough. The Wilderness 101 is something I'd like to do, but I can't see being able to finish it for the next few years. Didn't read the article, I'm just not to that point in my training right now

[Black Dog]

There is a kernel of truth to the list for road as well as dirt. I say this having spent time on both sides of the fence (racing and just riding that is).

[Repack Rider]

If you want to race bicycles, cross-country mountain bike racing is your entry point, no matter what your goal, even if that goal is the Tour de France.

Road racing is terrifying for new riders. The tactical and strategic element is delicate and difficult, the close in riding puts the other riders at risk with someone in the group who is new at it. You usually have to be on a team to have a chance. It goes on and on.

Mountain bike racing starts at low levels of skill, and younger ages than road racing and works up. Toughness and riding skills are polished without risk to other riders, or at least to large groups of them. It's an entry point now for the pro road ranks. No coincidence that the Tour field has more and more riders described as "the former mountain bike racer..."

It used to be that there were riders who won the World's and the Tour, but Cadel Evans, who started out as a mountain biker, has the hat trick, World MTB championship, World Pro Championship, Yellow Jersey. Peter Sagan, whose riding skills are the new benchmark in the peleton, started as a mountain biker.

[CampyorBust]

Can't believe this did not make the list...#11 - Crashing and Injury.

I would argue that chances of crashing and physical injury increase dramatically with racing. That would be my first reason for not racing closely followed by #9 all day long.

[martinez]

my number one would've been: Sucks the fun out of what you love!

Cycling, to me, has always been to have fun and enjoy my surroundings/explore. I feel like taking it to a competitive level essentially sucks the fun out of a simple concept...which is exactly how I feel about the world of "professional" sports, but that's a whole other conversation.
Taking something recreational/fun seriously and competitively always seemed kinda silly tome, but some people just want their skills challenged/egos fed.

But then again...maybe I'm missing something.
...like skills for any sport? :confused:

[chiasticon]

Riding is fun. Racing is fun. Training is taking something fun and messing it up.I can see that. however, I do have friends who never do any real training and are doing perfectly fine as cat 1 or 2 racers on the road. and then I have friends who never ride without having the details of the ride dictated by their coach, and are similarly ranked racers.

this is part of the reason why I'm happy only racing cross. it's only a few months out of the year and the type of training you do is a nice change from just riding road all year.

[carpediemracing]

Interesting.

The main reason I don't race or even ride mtb (or cyclocross ever) is poison ivy and ticks/Lyme-disease/the-new-one.

Another is that it's usually pretty messy, meaning it takes forever to clean the bike after.

A lot of people assume that since I race I want to beat everyone else out there. That's not the case. I want to optimize my performance, and that can mean different things depending on the field/etc. If doing the best I can means 15th in a P123 race, that's great. If I get 2nd in an easier race but I think I didn't do everything right, then I'm disappointed in myself. And a win, as rare as they are, is much more satisfying if I feel like I punched above my weight. Virtually all my wins are like that, but there is one where I felt like I was in the wrong category (a collegiate B race). It was about 30 years ago and I still don't think it was a good win.

I understand people go riding to take in nature and such but frankly, I don't care what's around me when I'm riding unless it negatively impacts my riding. I don't stop to take in vistas on my road or mtb (when I rode the mtb). Generally I prefer to JRA on the trainer than go outside; only if I want to really open up on some sprints or blast through some corners or something I can't do on the trainer will I long to go outside.

I take joy in trying to the best I can in whatever situation. For example I really liked approaching "mtb problems" with out of box solutions, if they made me faster. My last race I was experimenting with higher tire pressures with softer suspension settings (didn't work well). There was a stream crossing on one of the trails I did regularly with the guys from the shop. We all worked on not dabbing in the stream, because water. I realized that if I went 100% just before I could jump the whole stream. Different approach, tangible results. I stopped mtb before I got fluent with that.

A similar thing I enjoy - kart racing indoors. You're on the same course, same karts. No "scenic" stuff (inside of a warehouse), just you, your helmet, and your kart. I like trying to optimize my driving technique / lines / etc. I'm so slow compared to the good drivers it's ridiculous. However as long as I can improve, as long as I can optimize my cornering, I'll be thinking about the next time I can get out there, like I am right now.

[oldpotatoe]

When I raced(small 'r', cat 4), all it became was a chore plus the mentioned gig of big drives to get there. Took the fun out of riding a bike. Glad I quit, imho, of course.

[JAllen]

Besides not having a mountain bike, or a car to carry said mountain bike, I'm not the most conventionally competitive person around. I think it would be fun to attend a race as a supporter or spectator, though!

Thanks for sharing the article, Joseph!

Sent from my 306SH using Tapatalk

[peanutgallery]

You're willing to miss out on a race that uses tussy ridge:)

If you're local the rocks kinda grow on you. I love it when all the glorified roadies that race the MASS series show up for a michaux event. Power meters and carbon wheels to go slam into rock gardens. Fun to watch the mahem in certain sections. Many are never seen again, bears eat them

if I wanted to race, MTB is the only thing I could do without driving a lot. We have a number of really good races here.

Only problem is, the trails are just too hard for me. Not sure if I'm ever going to get good enough. The Wilderness 101 is something I'd like to do, but I can't see being able to finish it for the next few years. Didn't read the article, I'm just not to that point in my training right now

[kittytrail]

You're willing to miss out on a race that uses tussy ridge:)

If you're local the rocks kinda grow on you. I love it when all the glorified roadies that race the MASS series show up for a michaux event. Power meters and carbon wheels to go slam into rock gardens. Fun to watch the mahem in certain sections. Many are never seen again, bears eat them


sounds like my kind of fun! :D

too bad i don't race. or that i am a full ocean away. :(

[bikingshearer]

I had delusions of being a racer when I was a teenager (road only - mountain bikes were still a couple years away from being invented). I quickly discovered two things: I wasn't very good at it, and it involved pain.

Great things happened for me because of that very limited exposure to racing. I learned to love riding and learned a ton about bike handling and riding in a group and the like, things that continue to enrich my riding to this very day, and I am glad to have had the experience. But I have no desire to go out of my way to explore the "pain cave." The "challenge cave," sure. The "work hard" cave, okay. But I'll leave the "pain cave" to the masochists among us, thank you very much.

[peanutgallery]

The presence of a power meter attracts the bears...or was it curmudgeons?

sounds like my kind of fun! :D

too bad i don't race. or that i am a full ocean away. :(

[Wayne77]

I've been a passionate and avowed "I bike for me and myself only" cyclist for years. In 2013 I started to race actively.. I can definitely say that my passion for the sport (not just "racing", riding period) has skyrocketed since then. Racing has introduced a motivational/social element to my riding that has changed my life. Before: 195 lb semi-overwieght guy with health issues (hypertension, CF, depression, high cholesterol) and always one excuse or another to not get up early to ride with guys who do or not eat right. After: 165 lbs, health issues largely gone, I've never been happier, FTP up 59 watts, 15+ very close cycling friends on my team and other teams whom I deeply respect, get up regularly at 4 AM to ride with my friends, etc etc. Yeah, racing has its downsides. But, speaking personally, I can name 10 other benefits for each downside.

Yes, I'm still slow compared to most guys on my team, but that's not what racing is about for me.. :-)

[laupsi]

I've been a passionate and avowed "I bike for me and myself only" cyclist for years. I'm 2013 I started to race actively.. I can definitely say that my passion for the sport (not just "racing", riding period) has skyrocketed since then. Racing has introduced a motivational/social element to my riding that has changed my life. Before: 195 lb semi-overwieght guy with health issues (hypertension, CF, depression, high cholesterol) and always one excuse or another to not get up early to ride with guys who do or not eat right. After: 165 lbs, health issues largely gone, I've never been happier, FTP up 59 watts, 15+ very close cycling friends on my team and other teams whom I deeply respect, get up regularly at 4 AM to ride with my friends, etc etc. Yeah, racing has its downsides. But, speaking personally, I can name 10 other benefits for each downside.

Yes, I'm still slow compared to most guys on my team, but that's not what racing is about for me.. :-)

Beautiful!

[carpediemracing]

I had delusions of being a racer when I was a teenager (road only - mountain bikes were still a couple years away from being invented). I quickly discovered two things: I wasn't very good at it, and it involved pain.

Great things happened for me because of that very limited exposure to racing. I learned to love riding and learned a ton about bike handling and riding in a group and the like, things that continue to enrich my riding to this very day, and I am glad to have had the experience. But I have no desire to go out of my way to explore the "pain cave." The "challenge cave," sure. The "work hard" cave, okay. But I'll leave the "pain cave" to the masochists among us, thank you very much.

Interesting. I don't explore the "pain cave", last time I went as hard as I could was in 1989 or something, meaning burying myself on a stupid hill in the UMASS crit in Amherst. There's definitely some pain, yes, but it's so fleeting, 30 seconds, maybe 60 seconds at a time. Last lap or last 2 minutes don't count, I don't feel pain as much as my legs betray me.

I am all about the "challenge cave".

For training I'm 100% not into the "work hard" cave. JRA and, if I'm training outside, I'll chase a truck if it works out.

Racing as a teen is the hardest thing in the world. "Juniors" can mean Cat 1s to Cat 5s, and it takes just one or two very good riders to just annihilate an entire Junior field. I lined up regularly against George Hincapie, who would attack early, lap the field with his brother Richard, and win. Although he was just the local Junior hotshot at the time, I realized really quick that I wasn't a talented racer. Hence the "challenge cave".

[PFSLABD]

If it's fun for you, you should race.

Racing any kind of bike has only one serious downside for me, training. In the limited time available to anyone with a real job training for racing just sucks time and life out of just riding. "Shouldn't I be doing intervals?"

I'll probably feel less strongly about this in a few months when I can get out more, but just going out to ride like a retard is too much fun to ruin with a training program. Sometimes I push, sometimes smell flowers.

Riding is fun. Racing is fun. Training is taking something fun and messing it up.

And, yeah, just my opinion about where I am in my life. Everyone will feel more or less differently and that's good.

The more you suffer during training, the more fun you will have during racing.

[PFSLABD]

Interesting. I don't explore the "pain cave", last time I went as hard as I could was in 1989 or something, meaning burying myself on a stupid hill in the UMASS crit in Amherst. There's definitely some pain, yes, but it's so fleeting, 30 seconds, maybe 60 seconds at a time. Last lap or last 2 minutes don't count, I don't feel pain as much as my legs betray me.

I am all about the "challenge cave".

For training I'm 100% not into the "work hard" cave. JRA and, if I'm training outside, I'll chase a truck if it works out.

Racing as a teen is the hardest thing in the world. "Juniors" can mean Cat 1s to Cat 5s, and it takes just one or two very good riders to just annihilate an entire Junior field. I lined up regularly against George Hincapie, who would attack early, lap the field with his brother Richard, and win. Although he was just the local Junior hotshot at the time, I realized really quick that I wasn't a talented racer. Hence the "challenge cave".

Yes, the pain is fleeting, but you have to make sure you can recover from the pain, immediately and keep recovering time after time, and that's where proper training comes into play, as well as proper rest between training sessions.

[josephr]

The more you suffer during training, the more fun you will have during racing.

I think that's the point --- fun is relative, isn't it?

[fuzzalow]

Racing? I had in the distant past but not no more.

I am completely attuned to the desire for challenge and trying to be your own best at what you do. Thing is that that condition exists not just for bike racing but for every single thing that exists in anybody's life totality: work/career, school, relationships, parenting, etc etc etc.

Some things I gotta be the best I can be at because either I signed up for the job i.e. Parent or spouse, or I have no choice because that is the nature of my job & profession. So I long ago lost any need or desire to heap any more expectation or overt challenge to yet another pastime as an outlet for excellence.

I am a skilled cyclist. I know what I'm doing. I don't care much about speed or FTP but I do care a little. Lotsa riders they are faster than me, largely I suspect because they wanna be and put in the hours and the miles to be that way. Me? I just ride.

[redir]

There is room for both. Most people who race enjoy their time on the bike for fun too. For about 10 years the only reason why I rode my bike was to train for racing. I enjoyed training rides whether solo or as a group. It's a social activity as well.

Racing was a passion for me. I was good enough to actually win races and move up the cats. I doubt I will ever win a race again but that thrill is what keeps one going. Racing is about camaraderie too. I speak more about road racing but there is nothing like having the whole entire road cleared ahead coming down a mountain. You will never get that experience riding on your own.

I have a mountain bike and attend all the local races. Some of them are classics going way back to the 90's too here in Virginia. I'll never win an MTB race. I'm not even competitive in it. I don't feel like it's a competition because I know I suck at it. Too afraid to go fast. But the event is fun none the less and nothing like the experience you get riding on your own or with a group of friends. Which you can do any other day of the week that you want.

[fuzzalow]

There is room for both. Most people who race enjoy their time on the bike for fun too. For about 10 years the only reason why I rode my bike was to train for racing. I enjoyed training rides whether solo or as a group. It's a social activity as well.

Yes, and no dispute over where anybody wants to draw the line for what is good and works for them.

A lotta times when I was getting home from work, I'd see the local riders on the road coming back from their group rides homeward bound. In the spring, when it still got dark earlier, all with their LED blinkies on, like a swarm of pinpoint apparitions transporting through the darkness. Now I don't accept that things can't be done because there isn't time to do it - one chooses to do things and you make time for the things you really want to do. But for me I didn't want it bad enough to make the time for. Something hadda give.

Social? Meh. Some of these hard-core riders have a lotta themselves wrapped up in a hobby sports activity and they took the fun outta it for me in the sense that that focus and intensity was always on display. And I didn't want the be around that.

Fun is the operative word.

[Pastashop]

http://le-grimpeur.net/blog/archives/1078#more-1078

[Black Dog]

This is where the truth lives. It does not matter why a person rides a bike and there will more reasons than there are riders. As long as someone is having fun then I am happy for them. Personally, I am where you are in terms of the social aspect; that part is easily spoiled for me if I am ridding with folks who are not finding fun on the bike in the same way I do.

Yes, and no dispute over where anybody wants to draw the line for what is good and works for them.

A lotta times when I was getting home from work, I'd see the local riders on the road coming back from their group rides homeward bound. In the spring, when it still got dark earlier, all with their LED blinkies on, like a swarm of pinpoint apparitions transporting through the darkness. Now I don't accept that things can't be done because there isn't time to do it - one chooses to do things and you make time for the things you really want to do. But for me I didn't want it bad enough to make the time for. Something hadda give.

Social? Meh. Some of these hard-core riders have a lotta themselves wrapped up in a hobby sports activity and they took the fun outta it for me in the sense that that focus and intensity was always on display. And I didn't want the be around that.

Fun is the operative word.

[josephr]

Yes, and no dispute over where anybody wants to draw the line for what is good and works for them.

A lotta times when I was getting home from work, I'd see the local riders on the road coming back from their group rides homeward bound. In the spring, when it still got dark earlier, all with their LED blinkies on, like a swarm of pinpoint apparitions transporting through the darkness. Now I don't accept that things can't be done because there isn't time to do it - one chooses to do things and you make time for the things you really want to do. But for me I didn't want it bad enough to make the time for. Something hadda give.

Social? Meh. Some of these hard-core riders have a lotta themselves wrapped up in a hobby sports activity and they took the fun outta it for me in the sense that that focus and intensity was always on display. And I didn't want the be around that.

Fun is the operative word.

don't get me started on those folks that wear headphones while they ride...

[redir]

As for the social aspect of it I guess I'm lucky. Living in a college town I ride mostly with the collegiate team and I guess the young folk are a bit more open minded and willing to learn and the older one's like myself are mostly their professors or other locals. One of these kids BTW is racing in the big leagues in Europe today and when started he was just a humble kid who could rip the lycra off anyone who dared to follow his wheel. There are not a lot of 'upper management' riders around here but I guess I could see that happening elsewhere.

They are indeed very competitive but you have to be if you want to race. But being competitive does not mean being an arsehole either.