Jim Hewett's Blog – June 2014 Archive (3)

Mountain bike racing means different things to different people.  No doubt it involves a predominately dirt course, and mountain bikes, but from there tastes diverge.  Is it about technical skill?  Fitness?  Power?  Endurance? 

To some, XC racing has come to mean a competition of lean and fit racers on light and fragile hardtails, traveling fast enough on smooth dirt courses to benefit from drafting.  Long climbs are an important aspect, often deciding the winners.  Technical…

I have never done this race, which is relatively close to home in Vacaville.  I'm usually in a low fitness point this time of year and the weather is also a deterrent.  This year I am just beginning intensity training, so I figured I would check it out, despite the forecast for high temps.  Seemingly as an afterthought, this was also the USAC California State Championship race.

Shiloh, Phil and I rode up together.  I had tried to hydrate well the days before, drinking lots of water…

It is a beautiful thing when I can ride my bike from home to the race venue.  This is only possible once a year, when the purpose-built mountain bike trails around Camp Tamarancho are opened for the Tamarancho Dirt Classic.  This year, the action occurred both Saturday and Sunday, with a short track race, chainless downhill race, and cross country race.

I have just completed my "base" period of training, where I develop aerobic fitness and prepare my body for the intense training to…