Race like a Pro, Steve Larsen

Race Like Steve Larsen

Steve Larsen was at or near the top of the points standings in the USA pro cross-country ranks often during his career and even had a stint in the motorola Team. What is his secret? Read on.

THE IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING

"The longer you've been training, the better. Your final hard training should be completed two weeks before the race. You need to lighten the intensity of your training in the fourteen days before the race so you're ready when the race comes around.

"The week before the race, do just enough intensity to feel sharp. Do some quality training, but not hard enough to wear yourself out before the race. Learn to listen to your own body."

THE DAY BEFORE THE RACE

"Pre ride the course, and make your final tire selection. Do some high-intensity training on the course. Do some hard, ten- to twenty-second sprints, but not enough to feel tired afterwards.

"You need to be consciously fueling and hydrating your body for your race at least a couple of days before_eating well, but not stuffing yourself. I eat well, but not heavily, the day before the race, and I avoid hot and spicy foods. Lean more towards carbohydrates. Hydration is more important than what you eat."

THE DAY OF THE RACE

"If my race is at ten a.m., I get up and eat a light breakfast, maybe a bowl of oatmeal, three hours before the race. If you're not hungry, you can eat something as simple as a Clif Bar and have an energy replacement drink. Most of my fueling for the race has taken place in the days before. I may not even be hungry that morning, but I like to eat something just so I can tell myself that I've eaten. I don't eat a lot the morning of the race. I like to start a race feeling almost a little bit hungry."

WARMING UP

"I start my warm-up an hour and a half before the race. The biggest mistake racers make is not getting warmed up. If you're an amateur, finish your warm-up just before the start of your race. You want to get your heart rate up to race pace, but don't wear yourself out. Start out by riding easy for 20 or 30 minutes. Then do maybe three minutes at a medium to hard pace, then one minute at race pace, keeping a high cadence_more than 110 rpm. Then do four or five minutes at an easy pace and repeat that cycle again."

THE START

"If you can get on the front line, that's great. If you're on the front at the start, go off aggressively and stay at the front. If you start farther back, plan on making your big move later. Be patient at the start or you'll pay the price later."

PASSING

"You have to find out what part of the course you're stronger on than the other riders. I'm faster on the short steep climbs, so that's where I look to pass other riders. I try to get to the singletrack first, because I may not be as fast as some of the other guys there."

WHEN TO PUSH YOURSELF HARDER

"Quality training lets you know when to push yourself in a race. Mountain biking is all about suffering. You have to find the amount of suffering you can tolerate and just lock onto that amount if you want to win. If you just want to participate, you don't have to push yourself so hard.

"Be smart and economical in your use of energy. Wait until the trail opens up to pass somebody. You don't want to go off into rough terrain trying to pass somebody else who's on a smooth singletrack. Most people, if they're fairly well trained, have enough energy to go flat out for 90 minutes. If you know your race is going to be three hours long, you know you have to pace yourself more slowly. The longer the race, the more you have to adjust your pace downward. Thirty minutes out from the finish you should be going full blast."

EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY

"In the first hour of the race, make sure you're consuming a lot of fluids, one to two waterbottles per hour minimum. What you're drinking in the first hour is going to fuel your second hour. Try to pick ahead of time where you're going to drink on the course. I try to find flat sections of the course to drink on. I also try to drink some on top of the first climb. If you've got a hydration system, you can drink anywhere on the course. Make sure to try to drink some off the top of the first climb."

AFTER YOU FINISH

"After the race, rehydrate as soon as you can. Also, get some protein to help repair the muscle damage. If you eat meat, don't shy away from eating meat. That all helps with the recovery."

BIKE SKLLS DOCTOR