Riding/racing unknown tracks faster/better ?

How do you ride faster on tracks you don’t really know ?

Engage your sub conscious - sing. Honestly!

I dont sing, but I do whoop and holler and talk to myself. This is a proven technique for a number of activities, the idea is that your sub-conscious brain works much, much faster than your conscious brain. By occupying your conscious brain with something else (singing!) then you free up the unconscious side to do the bike riding.

Theres a great video somewhere with Tracy Hannah doing some coaching at a bikepark with someone and it shows empirically that it works. The trainee starts singing, and instantly starts riding faster, smoother, clearing the jumps...

Look further ahead. Unless I force myself to do this, I always focus on a zone quite close to the front of the bike which means on new trails I am constantly reacting to things at the last minute. I ride much better when I remember to keep my head-up & my eyes looking further down the trail.

As above, look further ahead. Also, ride harder stuff more often - that way the threshold of features that catch your eye / suck you in gets raised.

MTB coaching, look well ahead, its all about higher average speed, rather than going too fast into corners/ features and braking too hard and coming out slower with the need to pedal, hence wasting energy.

I'm pretty sure the locals will be high up the tables this weekend at AE forest. riding a track multiple times will always get you better times, I'm just taking AE as a learning experience, I'll be midpack/possibly lower down, but happy just to ride somewhere new.

as per @frogstomp, ride more difficult / steeper trails / features, and ride at race speed more often.

riding different places rather than what you know will help too, Need to get your eye in the weeks preceeding a race.

Looking further ahead is a big thing but specifically looking for the line of least resistance through any rocky/rooty sections. When it comes to practice, you'll never remember everything so just try to remember if a section is flat out or a specific hard braking section. It's almost better to think of where you can avoid losing time rather than thinking of gaining time, there's always more time to be lost with a big mistake than by nailing a small section.

The above all applies, also don’t try & remember every single fine detail - that’s pretty challenging when you are looking at last weekend, for example, 6-6.30mins of racing I think it was? Even less so when I’ve raced some EWS’s & there have been single stages of 20+ mins.

You should just focus on the key pinch points (tech, slow speed sections, etc) that require a considered change of pace to navigate them. One of the best pieces of advice I got which directly relates to that is, if you arn’t at a pinch point, you should be either pedalling, or flat out.

Also, stop riding stuff in your comfort zone at a comfortable pace, focus more on riding stuff that makes you uncomfortable, or a pace which makes you feel uncomfortable. Get Katy to show you the steeper stuff off to the side of Doeys - there is plenty there you can scare yourself on 🙂

Also, stop riding stuff in your comfort zone at a comfortable pace, focus more on riding stuff that makes you uncomfortable, or a pace which makes you feel uncomfortable. Get Katy to show you the steeper stuff off to the side of Doeys – there is plenty there you can scare yourself on

I'm massively guilty of this... That goes without saying. I was surprised and disappointed how not tired i was at the end of most stages last weekend, because i wasn't pushing, more just hanging on and hoping for the best. I even noticed at the start of stage 3 and 4, i was rolling off the line, whereas the fast ones are PINNED off the line.. but that's as much a skillset thing as anything else.

I don't ride with Katy, i leave the boy with her as i don't want to get in the way of their coaching.. but i can ask next time she's over that way with them.

Got to love Doey’s generosity building lots of those trails m. (Doey said his name rhymes with Joey’s) Even though I live 180 miles away! Such great tracks there.
Are the steep tracks mentioned to the North of the playing field  running down to the Parkend road? I’d like to try find them.
FOD is such a great area to ride.

I suppose ability to ride blind tracks fast comes gradually (or easily to the foolhardy). Step by step has to be the way. Bit more flow, bit less braking. Easier written than achieved.

I'll give you the same advice I've given you in the past.
Stop riding the same easy trails over and over again focusing on getting a second or two faster.

Go ride something that's harder than anything you'll be racing on and just try and get down it smoothly.
That way you'll learn to ride instead of trying to memorise a particular track.

The problem with that is... Mostly i'm not sure i can get down stuff harder than the stuff i race on 😀

That is often at the absolutely limit of what i'm getting down. Happily last weekend I didn't crash.. but i'm pretty sure some of that was more luck than skill. Riding stuff at that level is kinda OK... but over and beyond... well that's a bit bloody harder.

Stop riding the same easy trails over and over again focusing on getting a second or two faster.

Go ride something that’s harder than anything you’ll be racing on and just try and get down it smoothly.
That way you’ll learn to ride instead of trying to memorise a particular track.

This.

You need to ride challenging trail to raise your skills. Then these easy enduro stages will be a walk in the park.

You really need a couple of weeks in the Alps or somewhere riding actual difficult trails in places that are longer and steeper than anything you've done before. That will totally change your perspective on UK riding.

If you're really at the limit of your ability already you'll never be fast as you'll always be in survival mode.

Mostly i’m not sure i can get down stuff harder than the stuff i race on

Go and try, then try again. Then once you have it move on to something more difficult.
Try and desensitise yourself to stuff that scares you now.

well that’s a bit bloody harder.

There are very few people who can ride well without putting a lot of time and effort into it to learn.

If you’re really at the limit of your ability already you’ll never be fast as you’ll always be in survival mode.

Welcome to race day for me 😀 😀

I do try and get to places that push/test me... But often that's less viable than i'd like as for example at the moment we're in the middle of 8 weekends on the bounce away from home.. Many of which i am not riding on. So i'm mostly riding local stuff currently which isn't really possible to find more tech. I do need to take more advantage of Weds evenings as i can push myself harder in the off-piste as FoD yeah.

I know you're committed to your sons racing schedule but honestly if it was me I'd take a couple of months off from racing on boring UK stuff and have a proper riding holiday. Go and ride some actual mountains. You've got the van and the bikes, just pop through the tunnel and you're on your way to endless bikepark laps and scary tech off-piste nastiness that will make FOD look like tellytubby land.

You'll both come back changed men.

I know you’re committed to your sons racing schedule but honestly if it was me I’d take a couple of months off from racing on boring UK stuff and have a proper riding holiday. Go and ride some proper mountains. You’ve got the van and the bikes, just pop through the tunnel and you’re on your way to endless bikepark laps and scary tech off-piste nastiness that will make FOD look like tellytubby land.

You’ll both come back changed men

Yeah that's simply not happening at the moment fella.. We're where we are in this game and right or wrong, i don't know, but as i say, it's where we are. We've committed ourselves to certain things and it's the path we're staying on. With Nationals coming up at Llangollen, Rhyd-Y-Felin, Glencoe and Antur, he's got plenty of tech coming in. Next year we may change some of the focus as you say above with a family/fortnight away in Alps... but it's simply not an option this year.

All of this does of course mean that I'm missing out on certain things, but that's a parent thing and kinda what we do.

Look ahead and look further ahead - talk about what you are seeing and where you are wanting to go - the talking helps to focus your brain on doing what it says...and the talking encourages you to be looking further ahead to see what is coming along.

The talking doesn't need to be loud but it should be out loud, not just in your head.

It’s  just like anything, you need to practice. Ride more things blind. Growing up we used to always go ride new places and just wing it, half the time we’d just been given a rough location or a few directions and that’s all we knew. Other times we’d just be picking somewhere that looked steep on a map and then follow the deer and animal trails as fast as we could  with no idea what was ahead.

As others have said, try not to focus and concentrate on every feature there.  On your track walk just spot the gnarly parts and remember the landmarks so you’ll know when you come up to it later.

After a while you start to get a feel about looking further ahead and judging trails better. Having a bike that you’re confident with helps as well, I’ve tried a few longer bikes and they do seem to inspire confidence when hitting stuff faster.

But mainly it’s practice.

i was recently thinking about this.

After a great time at Ard Moors, i finished, as predicted mid-pack of my class. I felt like i was going flat out, with a couple of scary moments, but was still beaten by 50% of the pack. It made me wonder how i was so 'slow'.

It dawned on me that there is a good chance those faster have been racing a lot longer, so already have their eye in, whereas i am very casual. Plus natural skill and fitness levels. And some people just ride faster.

I wonder if someone like me could put enough effort into training and coaching to say get into a top 10 finish, but i suspect it would take a large amount of time, effort and money for what.... a tiny bit of kudos or feeling or achievement.

But as many have said, the more you ride outside of your comfort zone, the more natural it becomes, so less chance of brake checks etc which ultimately will lead to higher speeds. I feel like i am riding better than i ever have and go into features with much more confidence than i ever used to.

As long as you are still enjoying riding, its all good 🙂

Are the steep tracks mentioned to the North of the playing field running down to the Parkend road? I’d like to try find them.

I assume you mean the football pitch at Ellwood? They drop down onto the Parkend-Coleford road. Should probably clarify, they are mostly not ‘steep’, but they are (considerably) steeper than Doeys trails (apart from a couple, but it would be a miracle if you found those).

There are other areas in the FoD if you want really steep & techy.

That is often at the absolutely limit of what i’m getting down. Happily last weekend I didn’t crash.. but i’m pretty sure some of that was more luck than skill. Riding stuff at that level is kinda OK… but over and beyond… well that’s a bit bloody harder.

My suggestion is pick one of the above trails that looks uncomfortably hard to you, break it down into sections, session them to the point where everything is doable & in control, then piece it together in a single run & repeat x 10.

You are effectively de-sensitising yourself & then move on to the next grade up of what looks uncomfortable, repeat the process. All of a sudden, the stuff that was challenging, is no longer an issue. We’ve all be through the same process, either proactively or subconsciously when out riding with friends.

I wonder if someone like me could put enough effort into training and coaching to say get into a top 10 finish, but i suspect it would take a large amount of time, effort and money for what…. a tiny bit of kudos or feeling or achievement.

I think to a degree, anyone can do that. When I first started racing DH, I felt like I could ride a bike & was fairly fast so we picked the old Dragon DH series. Short version is I spent most of a year coming in the bottom 15% & I was literally getting smoked every single race. Kept riding, practicing etc & that gradually improved. Looking back, of the last 15 or so races I have done (enduro these days) I am on the podium more than I am off it, with a few wins etc. I’ve never really trained for riding, I just ride my bike as much as I can & go to the gym for general strength stuff - I’m sure I could do more & have better results, but its all a balance & I don’t place enough value on my race results to make that commitment.

I can categorically say I am no Jesse Melamed/Jack Moir 😆

It may not help, but does me. If there’s a practice, I try and work out the flat out bits and make a point of holding my brake fingers on the grip to avert comfort braking. Aside from the looking further ahead, relaxing etc,

@singlespeedstu is right. Go practice on stuff that you can't ride, learn to ride it and get faster on it. Get out of your comfort zone. Riding holidays (or other parts of the UK)  are great for this sort of thing, you're presented with trails that you don't know, and are (probably)  above your paygrade and you watch and absorb how the other riders approach them and you apply it to yourself.

There's a jump at the end of Heart of Darkness in Whistler (humblebragg) that I was staring at the beginning of the week just bewildered, by the end of the week, and was looking for the speed in the track before where I could get the speed in to make the jump.

GoPro you practice runs, then review any bits you might think need some consideration, in the time between practice and race, and while queueing for stages. Might help you familiarise and have more confidence for your race runs.

Hard to explain but “ride well”, almost exaggerate good riding practices, lean the bike, turn your body, pump more, look way ahead.

As everyone is saying, get better skills via practice and get a bit fitter, then you won't be in survival mode, and you'll have more space , time to look what's going on.  And ride as much as you can

I really hope you don't stop racing to specialise in spannering because that won't help.  But as the father of two kids a bit older it might be time for your son to start doing a bit to help you and him in the long run.

I really hope you don’t stop racing to specialise in spannering because that won’t help

Mate I'm 51 years old and have raced motorbikes, xc, Enduro, DH, if I retire/stop I won't feel I've anything left at the table, anything to prove to myself or anyone else. But the reality is, I'm not terribly skilled lol. However I know that and I'm ok with it. If I stop, it's because I want to stop, honestly. Odds are, I'll still play. Tiverton was brilliant fun, both on and off the trails.

Next Southern Enduro is 16th July at QECP which I can likely ride, just need to find budget/balls.

I seem to remember there was some advice from car rallying in the days before pace notes, where they were driving the route blind aside from navigation instructions. Not sure much of it would be transferable.

IIRC one of the things that might, is to set up the car and drive it in a style that keeps it "nervous" going into unknown corners, as it provides more flexibility for you to deal with reality when it comes into view. It was said that cars prone to oversteer were better for this than cars prone to understeer, but cars prone to understeer are easier to drive at the limit on a predictable course.