Race Day: warming up tips

 Warming up before your big race is critical part of having a good race. Warming up gets your legs ready to ride and gets your blood flowing so when it comes to the race you’re in a good condition and it doesn’t put your legs into shock. If you were not to warm up before a race your legs would be full of lactic acid and when it comes to the race you would tire easy and find it hard to have a good performance.  Warming up is also important because you need to get an idea of what he cause will be throwing at you and it helps you practice certain parts that you are unsure about.

Ideally it is a good idea to get to the venue with just over an hour before the race, that way you have time to get signed on and changed into your kit and then you have plenty of time to check out the course and warm up.

1^st warm up lap:

Your first warm up lap should just be a steady spin around so you can get your bearing of the course, pick out your lines and the tricky parts. The tricky parts can vary from off camber sections, jumping over hurdles or running and many other aspects of the course. Once you understand these parts you, will find it easier to ride and won’t hesitate when it comes to it in the race. It is a good idea to get into the technique of going back to any challenging aspects of the course and getting that section clean so there are no worries, or more importantly, seconds lost when it comes down to the race.

Remember the 6 P’s: Proper Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

                                     2^nd Warm up Lap:

The 2^nd lap is time to do your “hot lap”. This means going round the track at almost race pace and following your lines that you have chosen and the things you need to do to ensure you get the fastest time possible. Don’t forget to pick out the “Sven Line” which is the fastest line through a section which nobody else is taking. There is no need to go at full race pace because you don’t want to tire yourself out before the race starts but it is a good idea to go quite fast so you know that you will have no difficulties in the actual race.

Now that you have done your ‘hot lap’ it is a good idea to ride round a couple more times, not as fast as your race lap but fast enough to get your blood flowing and pick up your heart rate. When riding round make sure to brush up on any sections you are uncomfortable with. Also it is a good idea to keep your warm up jacket on until you line up because that way you stay warm.