First GNCC Race Coming Up - Conditioning?

[atv223]

I am planning to race my first ever GNCC. I have race MX about 12 years ago, but never raced in the woods. I have been working out and trying to get in better shape since Jan. Lost about 10 lbs and much stronger. I can just remeber how exhausted I was after a short MX moto and am getting nervous about what to expect from racing a GNCC for 2+hours.

Any thoughts out there?:confused:

[joshyz125]

Just pace yourself

[Lil - Braff]

You can expect to be very tired afterwards! lol And probably a little sore the next day. Good luck and just remember to have fun!

[bradley300]

drink lots of water the week b4, i mean LOTS and realize, your first race your prolly not going to do to great, so pace your self and use it as a learning experience- good luck, your gonna love it!

[CatMostFeared]

Go around trees :macho drink lots of water.If your riding someones butt go around them your faster.If someone is riding your butt let them by there faster dont hold them up.It could be a Pro Lapping you.Remember to have fun.If you see a bad stop to cross or a bottle neck stop and think about the best way around.
It takes alot of energy to lift your quad out of a mud hole.:rolleyes: Stop by THEQUADSHOP trailer and gets some strickers:D

[bradley300]

Originally posted by CatMostFeared
Stop by THEQUADSHOP trailer and gets some strickers:D

these make your quad faster, handle better, ride smoother and they make you an all around better rider:eek:

[Silverfox@C&DRacing]

Originally posted by atv223
I am planning to race my first ever GNCC. I have race MX about 12 years ago, but never raced in the woods. I have been working out and trying to get in better shape since Jan. Lost about 10 lbs and much stronger. I can just remeber how exhausted I was after a short MX moto and am getting nervous about what to expect from racing a GNCC for 2+hours.

Any thoughts out there?:confused:

I thought I was getting into shape also, come to find out not really, I guess if you are used to riding that terrain you won't be as sore the next day. I thought our riding area was on the rough side untill I raced in TX and MO our riding area is like glass compared to that terrain.

As long as you can stay on the bike you won't be as fatigued, if you have to get off and push it off the tree or for whatever reason it drains the energy.

I am still learning as well so I try to pace myself and be consistent.

The most important this is to be safe and have fun.

And if you are going to TN stop by and say HI :)

[spincr4hire]

have a cooler full of ice cold beer waiting on you at the finish line, that motivates me for sure!;)

[Dan229]

The best way to get ready for a GNCC is to ride hard for two hours each week in an area close to you to build up your stamina and hit the gym three days a week and hammer your legs and cardio. I ride a Prairie in the stock utility class and after my first race I was so sore I could barely move and I stayed sore for a solid week after that. As I did more races my body got used to it and now I am only sore for a couple of hours after the race and pretty much fine the next day.
You really need to make sure your hands are well protected and you have a hydration system with you – I drink 100 ounces of a heavy mix of Gator Aid to water during every race. Do what ever you can to keep the blisters to a minimum – I’m not sure there is anyway to prevent them entirely, but do all you can. My hands have had the crap ripped out of them all the way to the meat twice now and the worst time I was wearing blister resisters (I will never wear those things again!). I currently use moleskin and tape to wrap my hands and that seems to work fairly well for me so far. I also replace my gloves and grips fairly often too. I replaced my stock handlebars with a Fasst Bar and that investment has been well worth the money for me. I don’t have arm pump at all now and they really help cut down on the upper body fatigue for me. They are pricy but with close to 850 total pounds (rider and ATV) to deal with they were worth the money for me.
I am sure you have good goggles but I will say that again too. Use a good pair with roll-offs or tear-offs. I run as many as 7 tear-offs on muddy tracks and as few as 4 on less muddy tracks.

Good luck, have fun, be safe, and use the first year to learn and improve.



:macho

[Doibugu2]

Nothing is going to prepare you for the race. Consider the first race soley a practice. I've only done 2 and they are very hard.

I think a realistic goal is just to try and finish.

My worst fault was trying to keep up with the guy in front of you. Don't, just ride as fast as you feel comfortable. If you watch, if you ride consistant for 2 hours, you will finish very good.

Like someone else said, if someone is trying to pass you, just let them go.

Have fun.

[atv223]

Sounds like I should strap on teh Camel Back. Are they commonly used by racers during GNCC events?

[Dan229]

Just about everyone wears a hydration system.

[spincr4hire]

Originally posted by Dan229
Just about everyone wears a hydration system.
except Bradley300, he's a dang camel:blah:

Remember to not have a death grip on the bars. This wil give you arm pump within the first 3 miles. I barely hold onto the bars. They actually move around in my hands the entire time. It also helps if you hit a tree it'll jerk the bars right out of your hands instead of applying all that force to your wrist..:(

Also use this bit of advise that Bill Ballance gave out. When you go out there and race against yourself and not everyone else you'll do better. It has helped me a lot. I tell myself over and over that I"m there to beat myself not the other riders. :cool:

Hydration system is a must. AND NO MATTER WHAT FINISH THE RACE. You'll kick yourself a hundred times for quitting if you do not finish it. Unless theres a mechanical failure..

[Admin]

Originally posted by Rico
Remember to not have a death grip on the bars. This wil give you arm pump within the first 3 miles. I barely hold onto the bars. They actually move around in my hands the entire time. It also helps if you hit a tree it'll jerk the bars right out of your hands instead of applying all that force to your wrist..:(

Also use this bit of advise that Bill Ballance gave out. When you go out there and race against yourself and not everyone else you'll do better. It has helped me a lot. I tell myself over and over that I"m there to beat myself not the other riders. :cool:

Hydration system is a must. AND NO MATTER WHAT FINISH THE RACE. You'll kick yourself a hundred times for quitting if you do not finish it. Unless theres a mechanical failure..

Great Advise, Ruco!!!

Originally posted by EXriders Admin
Great Advise, Ruco!!!

I"m startin ta get the hang of this cross country racin stuff....:D


I also forgot to add that drinking booze a few days before a race is not a good idea....:o

[popo]

Don't spend $20,000.00 on a bling bling quad and only finish one lap. :mad:

[Lil - Braff]

Originally posted by popo
Don't spend $20,000.00 on a bling bling quad and only finish one lap. :mad:

LOL! Well POPO I would be more than glad to ride that quad for ya and finish more than one lap! lol :D

[mmills023]

This was my first year at GNCC as well....all i can add to what everyone else said is this..dont get discouraged just because you dont finish as well as you had hoped. I rode for years on the local harescramble series and thought i was good...GNCC is a whole other level. So follow all the advice given here, and learn from the guys that finish ahead of you..

As a side note for all the racing i have ever done, the GNCC series is by far the nicest bunch of people i have ever been around.

For the florida race, i had some mechanical problems that happenend the day before the race, not knowing anyone, and not having the right tools (oh yeah..you WILL forget somthing trust me) the guys on both sides of me in the pits offered help...and for 2 of them i would be racing in thier class!!..After many hours of trying to fix my problems i still wasnt anywhere near being able to get things working. So i held my head high and went to rider registration on the hopes that i would complete my repairs before the next morning (plus racer productions will refund the money if you dont start the race), while in line a guy by the name of Brian Schmid (whom i found out later was the number 25 rider in the Pro-Am class), started a conversation with me that eventually led to him offering to "look" at my problems. Well like 4 hours later and some fancy machining work he had fixed my problems. For all that i offered him some money, which he refused, beer, food, all of which he refused, stating that he "liked" to help out..I did finally convince him that a trip to the local Sonny BBQ was in order. All that help from strangers, guys who the next day i would go head to head with..I can tell you this..i have never even heard of that kind of sportsmanship untill i started racing in the GNCC.

Thanks guys, all that helped that day and for all who offered advice and tips to help me get better.....

BTW the others that i know the name of are

Mark Fulton and Matt Fulton.....thanks guys..


Mike

[Doibugu2]

Most ATV riders are some of the nicest guys. Going to my first H/M ride, I was amazed at the generosity of everyone. Everyone is more than happy to give you the shirt off there back to get you to ride.:)

[Bill Fuller]

All good advice!!And that Marty guy knows a thing or two about racing:D

[spincr4hire]

Originally posted by Rico
I also forgot to add that drinking booze a few days before a race is not a good idea....:o

dang, Rico, thought I'd never hear you say that...the end must be near:(

[bs784]

I have spent a lot of time preparing for the GNCC races. This is my first full year of racing in the woods. I have previous experience with dirtbikes on motocross. Last summer I began training for the 2004 GNCC's.

During the summer I ride as much as possible. On average I go riding three days a week. My riding time consists of a one hour moto on a motocross track as hard as I can ride safely. I then take a ten minute break. After that I do half hour motos with ten minute breaks in between until I run out of light or time. I strongly recommend concentrating on using proper techniques at all times.

I am not able to go riding everyday so I spend a lot of time on my road bike. Everyday that I am not able to ride my fourwheeler I ride my bicycle about seventeen miles (50-60 minutes). I do this with my heart rate around one hundred and sixty beats per minute. About one day a week I go on a longer ride for maybe one and a half to two hours. I do this at a slower pace of about one hundred and fourty beats per minute. I also spend a lot of my training hours in insulated coveralls to increase my lung capacity and work on my mental training. I would recommend to do ninety percent of your training outdoors. This will help you to deal with tough conditions you may experience during racing.

In the winter I am not able to ride as much. I jog or bicycle everyday of the week for about fourty minutes with my heart rate at one hundred and sixty beats per minute. I also make sure that I ride one day a week just to stay comfortable with my bike and work my muscles. Riding in all conditions is great training.

I do arm pump extrasizes everyday that I do not ride to build tough hands and prevent blisters and pumping up of my fore arms.

Racing is the best conditioning you can do because it puts everything infront of you. Such as nervousness, mud, dust, an other riders. I try to race every weekend during the summer. Nothing will condition you better than just plain old seat time.

With all of this I follow a very strict diet which is needed to prevent malnutrition. Good hydration is very important before any race or workout.

(This is what my dad has me do for racing in the "C" class. I can't imagine what he will have me do for next year in the "B" class. I also can't imagine how intense the training must be for the pro riders like Johnny C.)

[brian-250]

Originally posted by spincr4hire
...the end must be near:(

:eek:

[atv223]

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

If everyone trains like bs784, I am in big big trouble!!! In order for me to even ride, I need to trailer my quad at least an hour and a half, so riding that much is an impossiblity. I couldn't possibly have time to work out that much either.

This is sure going to be interesting!!

[crayfz]

Brandon, you keep conditioning like that, you will be on the front row in no time.

Originally posted by bs784


(This is what my dad has me do for racing in the "C" class. I can't imagine what he will have me do for next year in the "B" class. I also can't imagine how intense the training must be for the pro riders like Johnny C.)



Laz is a slave driver.....:eek: :eek:



Welcome to the site Brandon. I'll tell you one thing reguarding your training. It's payin off junior cuz your handin out butt whoopins in your class like it's goin outa style. :muscle:


My training consists of racing at GNCC races every 2 weeks...:huh
If I'm lucky I get to ride on the weekends inbetween races..:o

[CatMostFeared]

I eat lots of cheese burgers and run to the bath room as many time a day I can.Then at Night I curl 12oz. of my favorite drink and then run to the bath room.I ride every 2 weeks when I race to stay in shape.:blah:

[popo]

I run to the fridge and jump on the couch. T.V. remote cures arm-pump.

[cdalejef]

Your a machine Brandon!

[spincr4hire]

Originally posted by Jeff@QuadShop
Your a machine Brandon!

yep, I wish I was that disciplined at 19 years old. Your making us old dudes in our 30s look bad.

Originally posted by spincr4hire
yep, I wish I was that disciplined at 19 years old. Your making us old dudes in our 30s look bad.

Speak for yourself....:grr:

[spincr4hire]

Originally posted by Rico
Speak for yourself....:grr:

Rico, you'll stay in great shape doing all those chores on your newly acquired 'honey-do' list.:blah:

[Johnny_G]

I give PPL credit who train and condition, and as of late I have been seriously considering giving the whole get in shape thing a try. (Due to an injury, and poor results)

But there is also alot to be said for mental preparation. If your first race is coming up, and you are going to go out and try to ride hard for two hours, you need to be mentally ready to have a mind over matter approach to the day.

1) you will hurt..........just don't admit it to yourself till after the race
2) You will get blisters........but don't think about them till after the race

godd luck!!!!

Originally posted by Johnny_G

1) you will hurt..........just don't admit it to yourself till after the race



Good info Johnny



I tell myself once I make it thru 2 laps it's a cakewalk from there. Lap 2 absolutely kills me every race...:mad:

[atv223]

I really appreciate the tips from everyone. Most of my cardio has been on an eliptical trainer. The other day, my neighbor asked if I wanted to go running with her. She is training for a 10K and her husband the NYC Marathon. I figured it would be a good guage to how I was making out. The plan was for a 4 mile run (I have never been a runner and don't think I have ever consciously gone for a "run"). Well, I made the 4 miles, I was quite impressed with my self, and her husband told me later that I was actually "pushing" her to the limit. Really, it was all mental. I know if I was out there by myself I would have never made half of that. We are both competitive, she wasn't going to let me show her up since she has been training for months and I didn't want to be put to shame by a girl, so we both pushed each other to the limit. Next day, I could barely walk. The moral of the story is, I guess I am mentally perparing too!!

[CatMostFeared]

Does Monkeyboy train or a race?:eek2:

[Kilabanshee]

I recommend getting on of the thumb throttle extenders because you will get some bad arm pump your first race. Last race I almost wanted to leave my quad in the pit area and run in and get something to drink, Eat mud if you get hungry :blah: And yeah let the A class riders get ahead of you if they begin to lap other riders or there riding on your arse, Last time borich scared the fregin croop outa me!

[atvchik]

Don't be afraid to start small if you need to, like outlaws or districts just to get used to xc racing since you've been running mc.

I've been learning alot this year running districts & some local series. There are plenty of GNCC'rs out there too getting in some seat time.

Plus, there's a race somewhere every weekend:D