The Secret to Winning
Posted by FLATOUT JIM in mountain bike, racing, short track
Actually, it’s the secret to coming in third, but secret to winning sounds a lot better for a title.
The secret has nothing to do with training or nutrition, or equipment. No the key to winning your local race is to wait until you reach an age where you are sure you are faster than everyone else in your category.
Take the case of my second short track mountain bike race. I could have signed up with the senior men, and got my ass royally spanked, but hey, I am not too proud to sign on with the masters, over 30 group. With only 4 other masters registered, I only had to pass one rider to score a medal. And that's the secret. So here’s to old age.
Actually, it probably did have to do with equipment. After last race, I decided flat pedals and sneakers were not conducive to a rock and tree root infested trail, so I immediately embarked on a search for some new gear. Not wanting to drop 200 Canadian clams on shoes and pedals at my LBS, I searched the internet, and found a smoking deal at Mountain Equipment Co-op.
For a little over $150.00, I got me shoes, one sided flat SPD pedals, a set of double sided SPD pedals for my road bike, and a chain cleaner.
Of course the shoes might split apart after a couple of rides, and the pedals might break into little pieces, but for the money, I figured it was worth the risk, and it sure made a difference in a mountain bike race with your feet clamped to the pedals while you are bouncing all over the trail.





