Writings on Riding
This is the place for monthy content from
a few of our local members. Here you may find articles
about events in the Triangle, interviews with local
mountain bike leaders, write ups and editorials. Check
back here often for new "news" stories. Want to
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This month, Biking in the Heat and
Not Just Competition.
Biking in the Heat. Jack
Imbriani July 2003
It's summertime. It's hot. It's humid. But
we like to bike, so what do we do? Biking in the heat can
be difficult, but still a lot of fun. There are many
articles available and I'm sure you can find and read
them yourselves, so by all means do so. Most of this is
common sense, but it's better to say it than assume
everyone knows it.
Prepare yourself: You know it's
going to be hot, so be ready for it. Wear light weight,
light colored, and breathable clothes. Bring lots of
water and a sports hydration drink. Make sure you are
well hydrated before riding. Provided you are healthy,
not on medicines, and not overdosing vitamins, your urine
should be clear just prior to riding. This is important
because it's much easier to prevent a problem than solve
one.
While you ride: Drink evenly
throughout the ride. Do not feast and famine your water
intake. Do not wait until you are thirsty. If you are not
sweating or stop sweating, you are not drinking enough.
If you do not have to pee regularly, you are not drinking
enough. Sorry ladies, but being shy is no reason to
dehydrate. I used to bike with a girl who hated to pee
outdoors, so she did not drink adequately. She very
nearly collapsed one day and it scared us both. For
minimal exposure there are products like this
http://www.campmor.com/webapp/commerce/command/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=226&prrfnbr=13827
.
Salts / Electrolytes: In addition
to water your body needs salts / electrolytes. Sports
drinks are a good source. You can also get potassium from
bananas or banana chips. It should be emphasized that
your body needs these things in addition to water.
Cool off: If riding near a stream
or lake, you can soak your shirt or whole body. Rest in
the shade if possible. Fill your hydration pack with cold
water or even add ice. Don't overdo the ice because you
can't drink ice.
Talk to your riding
partners: Communication goes both ways. Ask your
fellow riders how they are doing and tell them how you
are doing. If you are feeling poorly, do not keep it to
yourself in an attempt to "tough it out". You
owe it to your partners to tell them if you are feeling
bad. Watch your partners to see if anyone is having
trouble. Often pride keeps people from speaking up, so
watch for signs of weakness. If someone in the group is
feeling bad, help them. Share water before they run out
so they don't try to ration their water to make it last.
Have a sweep rider who feels good bring up the rear so
nobody gets dropped.
Special Considerations: Your diet
and lifestyle will have an effect on how much you need to
drink. Certain sports supplements and netriceuticals
dehydrate you. For example, if you are taking creatine,
are on a calorie deficit (weight loss) diet, or consume
caffeine, you need to drink more. There are countless
other herbs, supplements, etc that will require a boost
in water intake. Make sure you know what you're doing
with respect to your diet, medications, and supplements.
If you are pregnant, ill, on medications or other drugs,
or countless other conditions, you need to find out how
it will affect your ability to hydrate and exercise in
heat.
Closing:Basically,
you need to ride smart in the heat. Hydrate yourself.
Don't over exert yourself. Rest when you need to. If you
need to quit the ride and cool off, do so and ride
another day.
This writing is not intended to be used to
treat, cure, or prevent any medical problems. Consult
your doctor before doing any exercise. The purpose of
this article is to provide some information on exercising
in the heat.
Be safe, have fun.
NOT JUST
COMPETITION By Tammy
Kaufman July 2003
When most folks hear the word
"race", the first thing that comes to mind is
cutthroat competition, and the concept that it’s all
about winning. Well, the other weekend at the NORBA
(National Off-Road Mountain Bike Association) Nationals
at Snowshoe, West Virginia, the true concept of what
downhill racing means to me became very, very clear. And
surprisingly enough, it honestly had nothing to do with
winning, or even competing really. I had entered the
Expert Women Downhill category for women age 40-44, for
my first time racing as an Expert. As is the procedure, I
began the week with some practice runs. On the first one,
I was accompanied by Shaums March, a pro racer from the
west coast who holds clinics at many National events. I
had signed up for his Snowshoe clinic in an effort to
work on my crippling issues with lack of confidence and
extreme fear of trail obstacles (a death-knoll when
trying to successfully compete at downhill racing). As it
turned out, I was the sole participant in the clinic, so
had a full 3.5 hours of his time all to myself. After
working on basic skills such as cornering, braking, bike
handling, etc., up in the parking lot area, we proceeded
to the downhill course, where he alternately led and
followed, as I fumbled my way down the trail, with him
encouraging and advising me of the best lines to follow.
At many points, I became frozen with fear at the
steepness, massive rocks and excessively slick mud
coating the trail. Luckily, Shaums is very patient, and
when I would stand at a section of trail, too paralyzed
with fear to move, he would calmly hold my bike for me,
while gently urging me to just "jump on your bike
and roll". At one point, I was so frightened on a
very steep, off-camber turn that I simply could not will
myself to ride. He incredibly walked up behind me, held
onto the back of my bike shorts while I got on the bike,
then proceeded to run down the trail behind me while I
rode, all the while still holding onto my shorts so as
not to let me fall. Needless to say, the 2.5 mile course
took us nearly an hour and a half to ride, but with his
encouragement, I was able to ride sections that I had
never before even dared to consider a rideable option,
with multiple small layover crashes, but only one real,
flipping over the bars, landing flat on the ground
superman style, then into a tree, but "yeah,
I’m okay, thank goodness for body armor" wreck.
The next day was a
slightly different story. This time, during my practice
session, I had gotten perhaps halfway down the course
when the skies opened up and a thunderstorm burst onto
the scene. Soaked by the chilling rain, I somehow managed
to slip and slide my way down the mountain. However, due
to the lightning, the ski lifts were stopped and we had
to wait for the shuttle bus. When it finally arrived, the
dozen or more of us stuck at the bottom of the slope
crammed our mud-encrusted armor-clad bodies into the bus,
with our bikes on the trailer behind, and we started back
up the mountain. Unfortunately, barely half a mile up the
road, the bus driver suddenly let out a scream/curse and
the bus screeched to a halt. Apparently the water heater
had burst and sprayed the front interior of the bus with
hot antifreeze, luckily with no injuries to either the
driver or the passengers. It was at this point that I
realized there was another woman on the bus, and since
only one course is open for practice at any given time,
there was a good chance that she might be in my class! As
it turns out, she was. Throughout this day, I learned
that there were several women in the Beginner, Sport, and
older Expert (over 40 women, and we race on the Sport
course) classes. I met and talked with several of them,
and we shared our fears and concerns over such a steep,
muddy, rocky course.
By the time race day arrived, I was a
nervous wreck, fearful of the course, the competition,
the other women, etc. But as my start time drew near, I
learned what it is that truly drives me to go to the
races. It isn’t winning, obviously, since I
haven’t had that privilege very many times during my
race "career". But there is a camaraderie
amongst the downhill racers that is akin to that of a
family. While we waited for our turns to go, both the
other women in my class and I chatted like old friends,
even though we had only recently met, and although we
certainly each would have liked to win, the "good
luck" that we wished each other was genuine. Both
Teresa and Shari were sent on their runs, and finally it
was my turn. As I waited anxiously in the start house for
the beeps to begin, I felt a hand on my shoulder, and a
soft female voice reminding me to "just breathe and
relax - you’re gonna be fine". It was yet
another downhiller, Kim, a younger Expert friend of mine.
And I thought to myself, where else can you find this
kind of support and encouragement? Here was someone who
had just finished her own race run and was exhausted, and
yet she took the time to come find me and provide that
last minute support that meant so much to me. And even as
I rode down the course, I heard yet another feminine
voice yelling out encouraging words - this time it was my
teammate. Leigh, who races pro, and as it turns out, she
was videotaping me and had walked all the way through the
course to a section where she knew I felt confident and
strong, so as to make a good video for me.
But the best reminder of why I race came
after I crossed the finish line. Yes, I was the slowest
woman on my course at 16 minutes, but you would have
thought I was Lance Armstrong winning the Tour, the way
the women all ran up to congratulate me on getting
through it, with hugs and cheers. And this happened for
every single woman who crossed the line. There is some
kind of bonding that occurs when you race downhill;
you’ve all done much more than you thought you
could. You have survived something scary, you’ve
reached deep down inside and faced your fears; and
you’ve all shared the experience somehow. Downhill
racing isn’t just about who is faster - the medals
are an aside. It’s a shared experience, a
camaraderie, a bond that makes you a family.
"Just keep riding your bikes. Make
fun of each other, make fun of yourselves. Just keep
riding your bike and have a good time." Zap
Talk to your riding
partners: Communication goes both ways. Ask your
fellow riders how they are doing and tell them how you
are doing. If you are feeling poorly, do not keep it to
yourself in an attempt to "tough it out". You
owe it to your partners to tell them if you are feeling
bad. Watch your partners to see if anyone is having
trouble. Often pride keeps people from speaking up, so
watch for signs of weakness. If someone in the group is
feeling bad, help them. Share water before they run out
so they don't try to ration their water to make it last.
Have a sweep rider who feels good bring up the rear so
nobody gets dropped.
The next day was a
slightly different story. This time, during my practice
session, I had gotten perhaps halfway down the course
when the skies opened up and a thunderstorm burst onto
the scene. Soaked by the chilling rain, I somehow managed
to slip and slide my way down the mountain. However, due
to the lightning, the ski lifts were stopped and we had
to wait for the shuttle bus. When it finally arrived, the
dozen or more of us stuck at the bottom of the slope
crammed our mud-encrusted armor-clad bodies into the bus,
with our bikes on the trailer behind, and we started back
up the mountain. Unfortunately, barely half a mile up the
road, the bus driver suddenly let out a scream/curse and
the bus screeched to a halt. Apparently the water heater
had burst and sprayed the front interior of the bus with
hot antifreeze, luckily with no injuries to either the
driver or the passengers. It was at this point that I
realized there was another woman on the bus, and since
only one course is open for practice at any given time,
there was a good chance that she might be in my class! As
it turns out, she was. Throughout this day, I learned
that there were several women in the Beginner, Sport, and
older Expert (over 40 women, and we race on the Sport
course) classes. I met and talked with several of them,
and we shared our fears and concerns over such a steep,
muddy, rocky course.