I want to better prep my T.E. For S.T. This year. Advice?

[JasonfromMN]

The problem: I ride with a couple guys who race enduros. My speed is good but I can only maintain it for about an hour or so. I know one of the large problems is my physical condition and I am addressing that. It seems after that golden hour I hit a wall and am exhausted. We will ride for a good hour+ after that where my speed declines heavily and things get dangerous- like having a hard time hanging on and making mistakes. So this year I'm trying to gather ideas to better combat this problem.

So far I'm: dealing with the physical conditioning part, changing my hard grips to soft ones to help reduce the vibes, trying a Kush rear sprocket to Smoothen some of the jerkiness(and other reasons). Im also finishing up my revalve project for the forks. The bike I came from was a Yam WR250F-great bike for single track. The 450 Husky is great in the early on when riding like your racing but gets to be quite a handful and fatiguing past the half way point. I'm wondering if any of you have done any little mods to tame the beast a bit for single track riding. I do think part of this is power output and part weight.

 

[moto66]

Sorry Jason, little chances of doing the riding you get over there here. Guessing set your own pace and don't try to play constant catch up with the fast boys. Get fit, sort the bike to suit you, practice lots and then ride and enjoy at a pace that you know you're quick but safe at.

 

[Motosportz]

First off sound like you need to train harder which you are working on. Make sure you hydrate very well the day BEFORE. Make sure your now doing much or any caffeine. Lots of aerobic workouts, basketball and racketball is good. Then ride as much as you can. I know lots of old guy tricks to keep my stamina up. Use humps in the trail to get you standing, bring lots of momentum into hill climbs because pushing a bike will zap you quick, etc.

The other issue is the bike. I had a 08 TXC450, awesome bike but a handful in the tight stuff. G2 throttle cam, autoclutch, lowering the suspension, a damper, all things that will limit the fatigue. a Wr244 or TXC250 is going to be WAY EZer to deal with for long periods of single track. No matter the weight the less reciprocating mass makes a world of difference. I don't know if you are ready to swap bikes but if you do a lot of single track get yourself a 150-250 2 stoke and enjoy, they are soooo much EZer in the woods unless your a top caliber rider.

 

[ray_ray]

Taming the beast? Not sure.... it is a 450 ... There are some different throttle cams that change the way a bike responds to the twisting of the throttle ... As far as the bike riding, I try to relax and let the bike do most of the work ... U gotta just get comfortable on the bike and pick places to rest ... Like on downhills I try to rest ... Just be smart about the riding .... I also have to tell myself during a ride to let the bike pull all of me along and not get stretched out behind the bike as it pulls me through the trails ... More seat time helps during the week if possible ...

UR gonna have to drink during the ride also and maybe take in some CARBOs along the way to keep UR body from running out of juice ... Load up on the CARBS the night before if possible ... rice and spaghetti are very good here ... Stay away from simple sugars ... simple sugars make energy quickly and are gone just as fast and will leave you drained ...

Depending on how hard all this riding really is and on how serious U really are, maybe crossing training and weight lifting is in store ... Rowing, swimming, and biking are low impact cross training events that will help lots and injury risk is low ... running is good but too hard for most and injuries are very possible ...

Good luck ...

 

[Simmo737]

Magnesium powder, get the good quality ones that have a level of magnesium phosphate as part of the magnesium content, somewhere around 500 mg total magnesium (follow the instructions) the day before then the same in your camel back day of ride, combined with some protein day before, carb night before/day of/during and protein soon after a ride (as soon as you can stomach it). The powder will reduce salt loss and therefore cramping and arm pump, protein will feed your muscles and allow them to recover and get stronger for your next ride or training and low GI carbs (generally the further the carbs are from the natural state, the higher the GI, avoid any sucrose- cane sugar or high fructose corn syrup especially) will supply energy during your ride. Constantly sipping water during/after a ride will rehydrate you faster than a big guzzle now and then (the body cannot absorb it and just passes it).

Always warm up before any exercise (slow first mile or two on the bike stretching out your limbs is good, don't stretch em into a tree)

Depending on your level of muscular development, start a program of weights training concentrating on back, shoulder legs and core. Start with weights that are EASILY handled (lighter than you think you need - don't look around the gym and copy the roid munchers) and concentrate on technique and correct speed, there is oodles of info on the net, or if you have an iphone/pad Ifitness works a treat. Try to avoid exercise that don't do more than one muscle group at a time and always stabilise your core (flex it) during all weight training and breath as the exercise requires. many people after a while avoid stomach exercises completely using core stabilisation during weights as their stomach workout. a big chest does nothing but look good, it will increase to the size needed by your use of your body. Try three times a week concentrating on legs/arms one day, back/chest one day and shoulders/arms on day three (big group with a small group). If it all sounds too much go to a gym and get them to work something out for you, avoid big franchise gyms, go to an owner operator place and see the service difference. stretching between exercise gently (and after all exercise is finished) is good practice for injury prevention and increased flexabilty

If you are riding once a week or more, hard for more than an hr or 2 that will be a great endurance workout, so concentrate on interval training, basically anything that has your heart rate going up and down (on a rowing machine/bike/treadmill 20 to 30 seconds at 85 percent peak heart rate + then get your heart rate down to 130 ( maybe a minute or two) then go again. 10 minutes of this is worth 20 to 30 mins of constant heart rate exercise and you will see rapid improvement compared to the constant heart rate drudge. Start slowly and make sure you don't have any hidden problems in the ticker department. As stated by motosportz, racket ball, basketball, tennis etc, work in this way, intense bursts followed by a level of recovery time = interval training. Boxing is a total workout and doesn't mean getting your face punched in, no contact boxing training one on one has been the best results i've experienced for aerobic and anaerobic improvement.

You will learn heaps from a personal trainer, if you want the best improvement, this is the way. If you get a PT that answers their phone during a session, or doesn't have a plan before your session or doesn't vary your sessions, ditch em.

Finally set achievable goals, and don't go down on yourself if you don't do as much as you set out to do in a session every now and then, you are still doing more than before.

Cheers

 

[Bagman]

All of the above is good info. I think your eventual goal should be to downsize like the guy's mentioned. I rode a KTM520EXC & went to a TE250 & you would be amazzzzed how much more energy you will have at the end of a long race or ride. Staying in shape is still the answer & more bike time is more fun while getting in shape. Get your heart rate up & stay at your upper limit as much as possible safely. Good luck

One of my enjoyments at my age is to get the youngsters tired & then beat em backto the truck with a cold one in my hands.

 

[towpro]

The best thing I have found is practice practice practice the riding part. I started riding enduros in 1990. Before that I used to ride 25 miles every Sunday for a year. My first enduro I hit the 25 mile mark and ran out of steam. My arms were so pumped up they rubbed my sides as I walked.
But I kept riding enduros and the practice part paid off. You get to the point where you are no longer "driving" the bike, you are riding it. Driving it is where you force the bike in every turn, man handle every move the bike makes. This wears you out. Just like riding a street bike, you don't have to force the bike to do anything, you aim it and ride. Your arms are only to point the handle bars to start the bike going the direction you want. You don't have to fight the bars to go straight. You don't need a death grip on the handle bars, there not going to get ripped out of your hands. If you think about it, in order for one side to get ripped out, the other side is driven back into your hand. Relax and enjoy the ride.

The number one "tip" I give new riders is don't look at that rock or tree, look at the path around it. If you stair at it you will hit it. Don't believe me, try it!

Other things that helped. I would start drinking lots of water the night before. (sure you got to get up a couple times and pee, but your hydrated at the start. and drink water all the time while riding. If you have water left in a camleback at the gas stop, your not drinking enough water.

I recall the first enduro I finished. I had Pizza for dinner, then again for breakfast the next day. I later learned it was the carbos I was eating that helped. Complex carbos are even better, rice and beans. (might as well be farting when your up all night peeing from all that water).

Beer the night before has carbos, but it hurts your ride. You start your day dehydrated.
Soda in the morning is also bad. The CO2 attaches to your blood cells (can't recall if it is white or red) but they end up with less ability to carry oxygen with that extra CO2 hanging on them.

but the big one is relax! I have seen people throwing up at the start. Why? It's just a "controlled trail ride with everyone going the same direction". When they start your line of minute, just relax, your not going to win the race in the first couple miles. I like to follow everyone else on my minute off the start. No reason to start out like a bat out of hell only to burn out before you get to that first check point at 3.2 miles. Plus by following everyone else, you see there mistakes and avoid them. Mistakes burn energy. Energy saved is what will get you to the finish.
Sooner or later a pecking order will be established with the testosterone filled faster guys always wanting to go first.

As far as exercise to get ready. I vote more for the exercises that work your heart like riding a bicycle over the weight lifting stuff. As long as I can pick my bike up I am strong enough. But the weights do help with your legs when you remember your supposed to be standing up in the technical stuff instead of sitting down. And don't forget the exercises that strengthen that mussel behind your knee (forget the name). The baseball players run backwards. Others to leg curls.

Did I say relax

 

[ioneater]

Man, that's a lot of good info

Mentally, trying to keep up with those fast guys when you're smoked will result in you not being able to rest as much and can turn the ride into a survival situation, plus it stops being fun. I'm always the slow guy too, it seems, but now I just stop and rest when I want. They can wait. I no longer bring the smokes with me during the ride, either. My 250 is WAY easier to pick up after an oopsie than the 510 was and it doesn't require near as much energy to ride, like mentioned above. Ride your own ride and don't forget to have fun!!

 

[JasonfromMN]

Great info guys, thanks! I have been working on the physical conditioning stuff and already seen results. My kids and I have also taken up cross country skiing this winter and thats been great. I get tired from the work out but its easy on my body. I have a good friend of mine who's surpassed personal trainers(a whole other story) and he's been helping in the departments suggested above. Good info though and a few new things ill be trying. I am riding my speed and not playing catch up when I get tired, just get slower and would like to last a bit longer.

I do know going to a smaller bike would be a big difference but is out of the question. I went from a 250F to the 450 because along with all the S.T. I do, I also do a bunch of fire road stuff where the 250 just doesn't cut it. Im sure the auto clutch and damper would do wonders too but are a bit out of budget this time. A different throttle cam might be worth trying and maybe a damper next year.

B.T.W. Fresh in the beginning, tired in the middle or azzz draggin in the end, its all fun.