Mind Games: What should be going through your head on race day?

A Racer’s mind-set

As a regular racer and someone who has competed on various types of bikes over the years, I know that quite often one of my biggest downfalls of MTB racing is nothing to do with luck or preparation, its more that of the limitations of the mind. Forget being tired, having the right tyres, air pressures, suspension settings or fitness, if your mind isn’t on the job of putting in that perfect run, then you might as well forget it. This season I have been really suffered with a lack of ‘attack mode’ when racing the UK’s UKGE series, always seeming to put an “ok” run in, but feeling so much faster and more relaxed in practice or when out trail riding with mates; quite frankly its starting to do my head in.

The Riders

So I thought I would do some mind comparisons of three different types of riders and compare exactly what goes through their heads before, during and after a race. Firstly we have a total first time racer, that in the form of Dom Fowler, this chap at 41 years old has never ridden a bike in competition before in his life. He has been riding MTB’s for around 25 years now so is no newbie to the 2-wheeled fun. Although having ridden for years Dom is definitely more of your ‘trail-centre warrior’ type rider, he even has the Orange 5 and the Audi estate to prove it!! Dom runs a large group of like-minded riders on Facebook called Mega Ride On, and like the rest of us in the group, he lives and breathes mountain biking, but when it comes to racing, Dom is a true beginner.

Next up is yours truly, 43 years old, done so many years of racing lots of disciplines and always seeming to end up in and around the top ten of my (now Vets) category at the tender age of 43! I guess I’m kind of in the middle, especially when compared to our pro.

Next up is the fast kiddy, that of none other than the UK’s fastest Enduro racer Neil Donoghue, aka Donny. Donny is no stranger to winning events over here in Blighty, he is the King of smooth and makes a living from teaching people the correct way to ride a bike, including the mindset of a good race. Donny, of course is the top end of the scale.

The Event

We used the ever-fantastic Mini-Enduro to reveal our inner thoughts, the location being the very local Eastridge woods, Dom’s 1st race and the place I have never got a result at in over 18 years! Donny managed to separate his shoulder at the Trans Savoir, just prior to this event, but it didn’t matter, as I just asked him to replicate his thoughts at one of his many other Eastridge winning weekends. So it was on, three very different riders with one thing in mind, do the best they can; but what exactly would we all be thinking?

Dom

Before

I grew up in Shropshire, riding the woods and lanes surrounding my home town, but never Eastridge. Race day was literally the first time I’d ridden there and arriving late at 10am left little time to get some practice runs in. After meeting up with another first timer and fellow Mega Ride On club member we headed up the old school steep field finish to get some practice runs in. Having a busy life with two babies and demanding job I only manage to get one ride in a week (two if I’m really lucky) so straight away I’m starting to worry about having enough left in the tank to actually ‘race’.

Getting to the top to where stages 1,2 & 4 start I decide to practice 1 & 2 then do the others blind. First thoughts are just rocks and roots, I’d heard a few people in the past say that if you can ride Eastridge fast you can ride fast anywhere, they weren’t joking! On my second run I’m bought off by another rider who thouhgt standing on the track is a good idea smashing my newish Bell Super (shout out to Alan from the Trailhead for offering to lend me his and the photographers that made sure I was OK) so after some spending I had a shiny new lid and some fantastic bruises.

During

Strangely I was calm throughout all the stages. I had a really silly crash on stage 1, which cost me 10 seconds, but worse that that it bought on the ‘fear’ from my earlier crash in practice. During the race I knew I could be going faster, but just couldn’t muster the balls to drive on over the lines, which I would normally take. Most of the time I was thinking about staying on the bike and not where I should be trying to put the bike, doing that cost me loads of time.

After

I was really excited to find out my position, but couldn’t hang around to see them come in, I had a 135 mile drive home. When they were in I ended up mid-table. One part of me was chuffed with my ‘half blind, first time, 10 second off result’, but the other half was pissed off that my fellow rider I started the day with beat me! For the next week I was constantly wondering why I didn’t push harder, after all there were only seconds in the places. That said, I was also buzzing for days!

Myself

Before

So this is the place where we all ride a lot around here, the place that all the locals know so well. I have had quite a few races here over the years, but never pulled anything out of the bag, usually puncturing or crashing, Eastridge is very good at giving riders either outcome. I had been up to the woods several times during the up-coming weeks, we can sometimes get hints on which stages will be raced, but never anything solid, so we ride the ones we think will be used. I go up with the locals after work, checking lines and sectioning stuff like the old days of DH. In my younger days I could remember every inch of a track after a bit of practice, but the age thing really seems to hinder the mind and the memory. I remember when I used to hammer down rocky sections, literally as fast as I could go, hopefully coming out un-scathed the other side! Nowadays I tend to try and think more, but always seeming a tad hindered by the sensible part of my brain slowing me down. I now try to go for the smoother lines, letting consistency carry me through the sections.

I feel nervous and excited as the race draws closer, even though its just a fun race, in my mind I want to podium and prove to all the locals I have the jacobs to pull the job off. Come the day before race day I am satisfied I have done enough after official practice, my mind feels settled.

During

Going up the first transition of the day I always seem to feel more tired than I know I should be, I know this is nerves, but there’s always that weird doubt in my mind that I wont be able to pedal the flatter bits on the stages and I hate the first wait at the top. The first stage is always the one I kind of want out of the way, on the start-line I focus on the job I have in hand, hoping not to crash on certain sections I know are tricky, constantly reminding myself to relax. My usual OCD checks are done and repeatedly checked, suspension in DH mode, usually 4th gear, left pedal level to aid the first clip-in as I set off, ‘must relax’ going over and over in my head. I’m off and the adrenalin takes over, I feel ok, I never seem to be as relaxed in the race runs as practice, but the tiredness of the extra pedaling can factor into this. I usually hit most of my race lines right, but it never seems to be as fast as in practice. So many times I have been thinking during a race run ‘why am I going so steady, why did I just brake there?’ Generally I tend not to crash and get down in one piece, as I did all day on the stages. I came in 4th, happy with the result.

After

4th was cool, but there’s always that nagging voice in my mind reminding me how just a few precious seconds would have put me on the podium, but the speed needed to win I feel is currently beyond me; that I except, it’s all about getting fitter and stronger and more importantly more confident, confidence really is the key. I always enjoy a weekend of racing Enduro, especially the chilled out structure of a Mini-Enduro, but it’s usually the following week that I realize just how much fun it was, then I cant wait for the next event.

Neil Donoghue

Before

Confidence matters, whatever level you are riding or racing at, so I try and keep upbeat about a race before I get there. I put a lot of work into training and I ride a lot with my coaching work and social rides, so I don’t doubt my ability to perform at races. I don’t worry about other competitors and I just try to ride to ride as fast as I can when I have to. I try to replicate racing as much as possible in the pre-season build up so I get the feeling of riding fast at max heart rate, that way it isn’t a shock to the system when I hit that first stage of a weekend. I also know the sort of kilometers and meterage I can comfortably ride in a day, so I can then check out the races stats and I know what sort of weekend I am in for.

During

Enduro takes consistent good riding to get results, so I try to focus on carrying good momentum and hitting my lines during the race. I go hard in seeding to get a good time but I also like being last man down if possible, that way you can sometimes gauge how you are going throughout the race if you can make time and close in on the guy in front on track. It can be hard to pace myself so that I don’t go too hard on an early pedally stage and then suffer for the rest of the day, but I need to make sure I have maxed out by the end and I couldn’t have gone harder physically.

After

Winning a race is a great feeling, especially at Eastridge where I consider it to be home turf. Knowing that you were the fastest guy over the whole day is good, but I also try to take away points that I can improve on. Sometimes it is training or maybe it is riding more tech stuff and trying to find time in DH sections.

So that’s it, our three opposing views, take from it what you can to make you a better, faster and more consistent rider/racer. But one thing which really seems to shine through on being the winning formula for the Mindset of a good performing rider is confidence, as they say ‘confidence is key’, if you can get that, the rest will come naturally.

Big thanks to Chris Roberts for the Mini-Enduro, the last one is to be held at the Forest of Dean, which we shall be covering as usual.

More information on
www.neildonoghuecoaching.co.uk www.minienduro.tv

Words: Jim Buchanan | Pictures: Doc Ward, Dom Fowler

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