Posts Tagged ‘MTB’

This frightening video from adamwuk clearly demonstrates why it is vital that when mountain biking it is imperative to be in 100% control for 100% of the time.

[youtube=http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsDjh7oAAP0]

Another example from bakewhore of why control on your MTB is essential.

[youtube=http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=wWvSxhfa4Uc]

Having viewed the above and should you be thinking of taking up this ever increasingly popular sport we thought it might be helpful if we gave you some guidelines. Thanks to www.thaimarathon.com for this useful advice.

Anyone who knows how to ride a bicycle can enjoy mountain biking. There are some dangers to mountain biking, when it is compared to the standard bike ride. It is for this reason that mastering the following beginner mountain bike skills is a necessity prior to taking off for your mountain bike excursion.

These skills can all be practiced by heading to any school, local park, around your house, or on a bike path. The key to the right location is if it has a steep hill for you to practice on.

The pedals are an important part of a mountain bike. You can practice getting a feel for the pedals by doing the following:

• Release and Replace your foot while pedaling around;
• Sit and spin for position with the following;
• Adjust the seat height so that the leg is a minimum of 70% extended at the bottom of each pedal cycle;
  Bend arms slightly;
  Keep the body as relaxed as possible, a position should never occur that requires you to lock your elbows or knees.
• Sit on the Mountain bike and pedal;
• Practice shifting gears ;
• Make sure you know the differences in gears on your bike;
• Try a high gear-it is harder to pedal, but rides at a faster speed;
• Try a low gear-easier to pedal, particularly useful while on hills;
• Try shifting gear prior to reaching the hill – it is easier to overcome a shift before the hill than it is while on the hill;
• Practice coasting and;
• Practice this while standing on the pedals, not sitting on the bike seat;
• Do not lock your knees;
• Keep arms slightly bent;
• Attempt coasting while shifting the body towards the rear of the mountain bike;
• Practice pedaling while standing;
• Try pedaling standing up in different ways, once you have become comfortable with standing on the pedals;
• First pedal while standing in a high gear on flatter grounds;
• Then pedal while standing in a low gear on hills;
• Practice dropping down a curb;
• Locate a curb in the area, using a moderate speed, practice coasting and standing off the curb to the lower level from the upper level;
• Continue this at different speeds until you are comfortable with it and it is like second nature.

The above practicing techniques are important because they will give you the feel of the mountain bike trail, without having to be on one while you are training.

Basic stuff but important and the only thing we would add is that it is imperative to take your time in learning these skills – do not rush.

Brazil is hosting this year’s Adventure Racing World Championship in the states of Piauí, Ceará and Maranhão. It will be a challenging course of approximately 550 kms and is rated the ‘most expeditionary ever in Brazil’.

Teams from around the world have arrived in Brazil in the small town of Jericoacoara in the North West in the quest to win this years Championship which runs from the 29th October – 9th November.

Along with the Nike team, from the USA , who were last years World Champions in Scotland, Team Ertips and Quechua from France, and OrionHealth and Powered by Velvet from New Zealand, 22 other international teams will be competing along with 29 Brazilian teams who are determined to pit themselves against the world’s best in a bid to defend the honour of their country.

It will be a chance to experience the highest level of adventure racing ever seen in the country.

The disciplines will be: orientation, double kayak, sailing, trekking, MTB, rope skills and rappel.

The race will be broken into the following disciplines:

Trekking – 130,8 km in total which will be divided into 5 sections. This discipline makes up 22.6% of the overall race. The athletes will be challenged by a variety of terrains – from dunes to mountains, and some really extreme areas known as the Caatinga – a place fondly called the Ecomotion Boiler for the sole reason that it is extremely hot and there is very little water. In fact, it is anticipated that a lot of teams will drop out at this point due to dehydration and heatstroke.

It will be absolutely vital that everyone uses sunscreen and stays well fed and hydrated at all times. Storing energy is going to be essential in this race.

Mountain biking – 277 km divided in 5 sections – as over 47,8 % of the race in distance. The course is very diverse and passes over tracks and roads, sandy terrains, beaches and single tracks. The most exhausting section will almost definitely be the one that crosses the Ecomotion Boiler where 40ºC in the shade is common. A comprehensive bike repair kit will be an essential part of the equipment carried by the teams as the local vegetation is covered in serious thorns.

Kayaking – 140 km divided in 2 sections – 24,1% of the race. The first part will be the most difficult, due to the location on a region that will require a healthy team knowledge of navigation and orientation, in addition to understanding the tides. There will be no drinking water available on ths stretch and the hours of sitting cramped in a double kayak in the blistering sun will be exhausting. The fastest team is expected to complete the first section of the kayaking in 13 hours.

The second section of this discipline is a whole different kettle of fish – canoeing a river which has been affected by drought so could mean a lot of carrying of kayaks from one manoeuverable stretch to another. Teams might be tempted to use the aid of a sail here – but they have been warned that the northeast regional winds do not always blow in the direction you will be wanting to go…

Rope skills – This is going to be another tough challenge with 150m of fractionated ascension and with horizontal progression passing over bridges, suspended platforms, 3 rope bridges amongst others. Good rope skills will be required.

The rappel, on the other hand, will be a more relaxed affair in a waterfall.

Sail – This will be 32 km long and is 5.5% of the total race. The teams will be using classic northeastern fishing boats, and the local owner of the boat will be the captain. The athletes will have to use their knowledge in navigation with maps and compass to guide themselves and reach the next CP/TA. During the course the team will be evaluated in order to establish a winner to the sailing discipline. The winning fishermen will receive prizes and will also be encouraged to work with tourism in the region.

Orientation – Orientation will be among dunes and mangroves. Navigation under the tidal influence will demand a lot of technical ability from the teams.

The total distance covered in the race will be 580 kms.

Good luck to them all…

Thanks to Edilson66 for this video. It will give you an idea of the terrain the teams will be covering over the next few days.

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I have already posted a photograph from Derek of a typical ride in the bush for him – remember that wonderful photo of his bike leaning up against a fallen tree and a large elephant enjoying the peace of a waterhole? Well, here’s a fantastic follow-up to that which I am sure will give all you keen mountain bikers something to think about this weekend!

After I moved to the lowveld, I spent a few years with no cycling. But the arrival of an extra six kgs on my waist rang some alarm bells and I realised I had to do something. The closest tar road was 30 minutes’ drive away and so I had to settle for an MTB. Initially, I stuck to the main roads on the ranch. But, having bored with that I soon started off-road excursions (elephant and rhino make GREAT MTB trails) and, having gained in confidence, eventually was going all over the place. There were of course some challenges:

• Deep sand, the bane of any mountain biker. But this pretty much goes with the territory and you just learn to avoid those parts;
• Thorns. These really drove me nuts until tubeless tyres were invented. Slime helped, but the thorns down there were so bad that I still had quite serious problems. But tubeless tyres, well slimed, solved the problem. My bike shop couldn’t believe how much slime I went through and were convinced I was using it the wrong way. Until they came and cycled with me and experienced this first hand. You learn to recognise certain plants and to avoid them. If you see a Shangaan carrying a bicycle down a dirt road, you can bet that the Tribulis creeper (pretty little yellow flowers) has scattered devilish thorns everywhere;
• Basalt soils. When wet, these are impossible and I couldn’t believe it the first time I tried to ride down a slightly damp path. The mud builds up on your tyres until you can’t turn the wheels and you have to carry the bike. And, while you are doing that, the mud also builds up on your shoes until your feet weigh a couple of kgs each. And you will NEVER clip into your pedal cleats with that stuff on your feet!
• Heat. I cycled mostly at lunch (no game drives are out at that time of day and the dangerous animals are all—hopefully—sleeping in the shade somewhere). I was often out when the temperature was more than 45^oC, and quite often cycled on days when the temperature in the sun exceeded 50^oC. There were lots of comments about ‘mad dogs and Englishmen’ but I never had any problems, so long as I drank lots of water and kept moving. I did have to call for help a couple of times having over-heated but that was always when I stopped to handle a puncture and lost the airflow that kept me cool. In fact, this became my strategy for coping with the heat down there: whenever I was feeling uncomfortable from the heat, at home or at work, I would go out for a ride. After that, it never seemed so da1!
• The animals. This, in the end, was my biggest worry. But I never had any problems, unlike on the horses on which we had a few hairy moments. I think the animals see you moving strangely and run away. And, as I mentioned above, I mostly cycled at lunch when any sensible being is having a siesta in the shade. We tried various methods of carrying a weapon, especially when I had people with me. It is, believe it or not, possible to carry a heavy calibre (.458 ) rifle on a bike: I used the rifle boot from my (horse) saddle and strapped it to the frame (picture attached). But it was heavy and screwed up the suspension and I tried to avoid doing that. Most of the time, I carried a .44 magnum revolver and two ‘bear bangers’ (thunder flashes which are fired off a miniflare launcher). But, never had to use any of these, in spite of having bumped into elephant, buffalo and rhino many times, and lion a couple of times. I even saw the Big 5 once on my bike, which was quite something!

After all of that, the sugar cane fields around Ballito are more than a little boring and I do have some difficulty keeping motivated unless there is a race looming. Harare is much better fun: the land invasions have been a disaster for the farmers and for the country, but they have created a mountain bike heaven around Harare. All the fences have gone and footpaths abound: and there are no landowners to chase us away, so we wander basically wherever we want. And the Chinamora Communal Land is a short ride away with all the whalebacks (more photos: and such incredibly friendly people!

It is a fun way to keep fit. It is inconceivable to me that people can keep motivated going to a gym!