Lesser known “Top-Tips” for successful Enduro Racing; instead of starting off this three part series with the predictable training or “fitness” tips I thought it made more sense to start as I mean to continue; breaking away from the old, mechanistic view of training and performance improvement and embracing the total package approach to performance improvement on your MTB “Point1 style”! That means less Vo2 Max, zones and pure physiology and more characteristic, applicable and understandable tips that you can try out straight away…or at least at your next Asian Enduro Race. So here it goes
Using nutrition strategies in training to get the most from your body is something that must be practiced before you get to racing. How much to eat and drink, when, what etc.… What to eat for dinner the night before or the race day breakfast. But when it comes to certain training rides you may want to eat in a totally different way. For example if you are on a ride for fun or training longer than 2hrs then try to not eat anything in the first 1hr or 90min. This will help promote better “adaptation” to the ride and you may just get more aerobically fit…faster!
A simply stupid tip I always say…that’s because I made this mistake myself when I first started racing Enduro! Your bikes suspension, tyres and smaller details like bar angle and gear ratios should be set-up for how you ride when you have a full load of food, water and equipment and t give you the best shot of riding well when fatigued. So that means a good balance of stiffness and compliance in the suspension and tyre pressure that grip but don’t squirm too much when you are fully loaded for example.
About Point1 Athletic: founded by Chris Kilmurray in 2012, Point1 offer world class coaching and physical preparation solutions to all MTBers from World beating pros to weekend warriors. Based in Morzine, France but traveling often to UCI DH world cups and EWS events Chris’ passion for racing, riding and the enjoyment and experience of MTB is at the core of everything Point1 do. |