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Aye, fair point that! In fact he'd have only been a minute behind me, I need to get quicker as well 🙂
Try and ride with some riders who are a bit quicker than you on the downhills. Follow their lines, see what they are doing with their body positions. Good riders are moving constantly and keeping the speed up.
I was lucky enough to ride with Steve Peat a few years back, learnt quite a bit from him, especially a few small things that help maintain speed on singletrack.
Confidence is very important, so the more you can ride something the more confident you are likely to become.
Probably agree pete68, a little more fitness required. I have worked out a 3 point battle plan;
1. Work on endureance fitness during the holidays, at least 1 long road ride a week.
2. Work on out of the saddle stamina, I distinctly remember being out the saddle more on lap one, but not having the strength to keep it up.
3. Ride behind Dave Larkin next week coopying his every move to pick up some skills.
4. Don't go out drinking before the next race! It's got to have made a few places difference.
So you went out on the pop , and came in a respectable 25th, and then you moan .
Try a 48hr alcohol abstinance around racing and heavy training days .
Eat properly , and carb up before a long race like the BM's.
Rotate your brake levers so they are almost horizontal
'Float' over your saddle and head up / heel down through fast corners
Look through the corner at the vanishing point of the next section , not the lycra covered ass of the rider in front .
Now , Not sure on next point , but try either.- Twist torso , upper body and shoulders to either 'Apex' or 'Exit' as you enter the corner, not sure which is best but see what feels right.
Check you have not got too slow rebound on your forks as they might be tucking under and this will not inspire confidence.
I'm by no means an expert but I've recently discovered two key things that have improved my general riding (especially my cornering) massively.
They are 'look well ahead' and 'strive for perfect balance on the bike' It's almost become a mantra for me.
I always thought I looked far enough ahead but I did't and as soon as I did I speeded up. Switching to a hardtail from a full suss made me more aware of balance and the benefits of being in that perfect attack position. These two things have for me at least helped my cornering. Now I attack corners at speed out of the saddle daring my bike to lose grip. Sometimes if I get my weight in just the right place I can get the back wheel to drift out on loose corners which is the best feeling in the world.
thanks for the recommend guys.i coached richard stannard to off road national title this year , shame he fell ill for exterra 🙁