Ok, so this is going to sound like a really stupid question but how do you pace yourself for XC sort of riding?

Got my new Voodoo Bizango yesterday, mostly to follow the 5yo around as he rides but I also want to get out for a bit of harder riding. So this evening I popped out on my own to have a ride around the common on a mix of gravelly paths, woodland trails, and open grass areas.

In order to have a bit of fun I want to be going fast but as the area is relatively flat, in order to maintain any pace, particularly though the woodland areas, to have a bit of fun popping off roots and stuff I found myself constantly having to sprint and running out of puff every few minutes.

Is that normal? Do you guys find yourselves doing lots of stop start sprints? Or do you tend to leisurely pace yourself around? Or am I just unfit? (I’m fairly fit, I have run a 5K XC in 25mins odd) Or do you really only go fast when you’re going downhill? Or maybe I’m just using the gears wrong?

The bike is lovely, it’s a joy to ride and I love going out on it whether it is killing myself for 25mins at pace or pootling around behind the 5yo for an hour.

Cheers all.

“It never gets easier, you just go faster”

Jam bo, haha, well i suppose that reassuring in some ways!

You’ll learn your pace to even out the power output to a constant rather than a burst over time and has Jam bo said, it’ll never get easier you’ll always want to go faster.

Running and cycling use two different sets of skills and muscles.
I can ride lots but can’t run for toffee.
The more you ride the better you will get, just keep knocking out the miles and go as fast as you want/can.

Wrong gears, wrong line, wrong tyre pressures – all sorts of reasons you could be knackered. Just practice and experiment and it will get faster but not easier.

I had a new bike that was like riding on Velcro.
I swapped the tyres and the bike was instantly faster….
That and I got fitter.

Why worry, just ride the bloody thing!

Pump the bike to carry more speed, don’t brake.

Cheers guys. Guess I need to give it more that a 25min ride on day one! Will keep at it!

Why worry, just ride the bloody thing!

It’s a bike forum. He wants to know. . . He probably does enjoy it also.

Are these efforts after a thorough warm up? I find that a thorough warm up helps you to maintain that high intensity.

Hey phunkmaster, no, I had half hour before dinner was ready so just jumped on the bike and went for it! 🙂

On flat terrain, carrying speed round turns and through features is critical to maintaining a decent pace and conserving energy!

Another great way to find a rythm is to ride with a group – ideally with riders a bit better than you who will push / encourage you along. That has helped me over the last year anyway.

Enjoy the new bike! Riding with the kids is ace! My 3yr old is fearless!

I find that it helps to split the ride into sectors. In the first sector, go as fast as you can without blowing up. Repeat that for the second sector, then the third, and so on until you get to the last sector. For that one, just ride as fast as you can. I’ve always found this to be the fastest way to ride any route.

There is a big difference between going for a ride and playing in the technical bits, it could be the amount of “fun” sprinty bits is the same as somebody doing a 40km ride they just spread it out more.

In general though there is a less is more approach where the key things to get are generating speed without pedalling, maintaining speed and hitting things slower to go faster. It’s counterintuitive to start with but pays off.
But in general sprinting lots will make you knackered, it’s why they only do short sprints 🙂

Lots of good technique advice above. The fitness aspect is part developed but in my case was more learning how hard I can push sustainably so I don’t wear myself out. Riding with others is great motivation to push a little harder too. Everyone’s different tho – I take an hour to warm up properly, after which I can ride much harder.

Maxtorque – you’re definitely right there, my cornering is poor, mostly at tight turns where I’m just worried about ending up in a bush of stinging nettles! I’ll be a bit braver into those corners 🙂

I’ll definitely have a look at techniques to maintaining speed, particularly pumping. I’m assuming it’s a technique that is used over all bumps, not just in pump track style undulating ground?

Build the speed back up gradually (but still fairly quickly) rather than actually sprinting. Will only take a few more seconds would won’t leave you huffing and puffing.

Sometimes I go out to intentionally ride as hard and as fast as possible, others I go out and wander. Distance doesn’t matter nor terrain. You get to know what you can do

Depends what you want. Some ride for a constant pace, some ride Enduro style relaxed on the boring bits, then hammer the singletrack, some just social so it’s all relaxed 😀

For a constant pace I’d say try riding group rides that do that kind of ride. Hopefully they’ll have slower rides to start with and ride as fast as the slowest. Keeping up with the group on regular rides will sort it out in no time, then you start moving up the pack and finding it easier.

I just ride, and mix up the styles. I like the group ride pace stuff, I like the aggressive fun stuff, I like social rides and I like just going out for a wander or explore which is whatever pace I feel like at the time.

I think i need to get over the idea that mtb is about hammering it all the time. Sometimes it can just be a lazy ride around.

It sounds like you’re hoping to bend the laws of physics to me, trying to turn the flat sections into downhill sections. Unfortunately you’re stuck with what you have!

Just do whatever you enjoy. But as has been said, you don’t need to be motoring to enjoy it. It doesn’t have to be massively technical or dangerous. Try going out and setting a pace, and just keeping that intensity, with less focus on the individual parts of the ride. You might find you enjoy it all…

hertsnewb
Maxtorque – you’re definitely right there, my cornering is poor, mostly at tight turns where I’m just worried about ending up in a bush of stinging nettles! I’ll be a bit braver into those corners

Assuming your username is a clue to your location, then go see Tony at Uk Bike Skills and learn to corner and pump like a natural! 😀

Max – brilliant, will check that out!