If my lap splits over 3-4 laps each get a minute or so slower, would I be better served taking the first 15 min slower? I’m cat 2 with a number of seasons under my belt. I typically try and be near the front when the singletrack starts, and I’ve been finishing top third this season. To be near the front at the start usually means going fairly deep in the first 10-15 min. These short races typically start fast, sometimes with a climb to string people out. It feels like if I’m behind too many folks when the single track comes, I have to work hard to pass and can get stuck behind someone getting off the bike on a technical climb. I figure go deep at the start, since there are always descents and twisty turns that make me coast and I can bounce back.
I can tell my second and thirds laps aren’t as fast as my first, so would I finish better overall by having negative splits? Let’s say for sake of argument I have nutrition and hydration dialed, and that’s not the cause for my positive splits. Im not blowing up later in the race, but I’m not saving my best lap for last either. What say you?
If you finish top 3, you are not doing it wrong.. but you will only know if your could finish better with a negative split, you can only try..
I assume in most cases giving more at the start is beneficial to prevent delays out of your control later on, those can really add up. That’s why you see that starting hard is the main tactic for the top of the field.
You could also try to improve your hard start, so the impact will be lower on the rest of your race
Top third of the cat 2s, top 3 of 50+ yo in cat 2. So I’m in the mix, but not fighting for the win. Especially when a raft of young devo team riders line up at the front that I will never see after the start.
I suggest you look at the pros. Not a single one, even halfway down the pack paces XCO with a negative strategy. They all go hell for leather out of the start gate, whether it’s Tom P or the bloke fighting for position 55. Sadly, this is one of the bits of XCO that I really struggle with psychologically. It’s just horrible. But I don’t think you’re really going to be in a better position later on if you’re now having to pass most of the field rather than just hold on to the middle or top of the field.
This is going to be course dependent. If it is difficult to pass in the singletrack, then you need to go hard to get there and just hold on. If you have plenty of passing opportunities, maybe easing off will be better.
A long time ago I used an even pacing strategy to great effect on a lot of races, but there were ample passing opportunities. But it also failed me when I tried a race with difficult singletrack and suffered badly with slow traffic ahead of me.
I’ve tried the “easy start” in cx once, and it doesn’t work. You just end up behind people, and have to work extra hard to get past them.
Afaik, if your lap times get (much) slower over the race, you’re lacking endurance/fatigue resistance. Thought to a degree it’s also normal - look at the lap times of your competitors, and see what happens with theirs.
For me it really depends on the course. If they have pinch points I’m going full gas because getting stuck behind is a bigger time suck vs even pacing. If the course doesnt have any pinch points im racing it like a TT trying to measure my effort.
I’m also doubtful that this would improve your overall placing, but I have two additional thoughts:
Are your second and third laps slower because you’re getting caught behind people? If not, then you’re pushing harder in the first lap than in the second.
Why don’t you try a few different strategies across your next few races? (It sounds like you’re in a series. Or at least have enough races available that you can try different strategies):
A. Try a negative split approach in 1-2 races. It’s likely (as others have said) that you’ll get caught behind slower riders. But if there are several stretches where you can pass on each lap. It may not be a problem.
B. Also try a race where you go hard in the first lap, then match your pace in the second lap as well. Even if you have to hit higher HR or RPE. Could it be possible that once you get into position in the first lap, you don’t push yourself as hard in the next laps? Maybe you have to go faster…?
I do have a few more races to experiment this summer. This weekend’s race had pretty high average speed last year. Not much tech, only a few punchy climbs. There’s a decent road section with a climb on the first lap, and there’s realistically no need for me to try and be the first into the woods. There are a few passing opportunities, if memory serves. So perhaps mid pack to upper third would be a good goal.
One limiter for me is fatigue resistance, I’ll wager. This race will be about 100min unless I’m faster than last year (early indicators say no ), and that last lap last year I was fighting off cramps. I don’t think it was fuel or hydration, just duration. That 4th lap was only a minute slower than my second, so I wasn’t falling to pieces.
Pacing isn’t the only thing I have to work on, for sure.
I also think there’s an reality that after 2-3 laps, your line choice improves with your fatigue. It’s not huge but I know that even with a few practice laps, the first lap is fast but messy because you’re at redline, the second slow because you’re tired but also haven’t developed the muscle memory, and by lap 4ish you’ve settled into a pace that allows you to make better decisions about the course.
Pros may end up with an even split on some courses, but I suspect it is not an even effort level. Lap 1 might be very stochastic getting stuck behind people and sprinting past; lap 5 essentially an individual time trial.
From what you’re describing, it doesn’t sound like you have much extra left at the end of the race. And 100 minutes for 4 laps is about 25 minute laps. Your 4th lap being 27 minutes while your first was 23 doesn’t sound like a pacing problem to me, especially if you know you’re hurting in the fourth lap and you don’t have anything left at the end. If the laps went 20, 23, 27, 30 I’d be more concerned about pacing.
It sounds more like fatigue resistance or durability like you said.
Does the series have marathon events? Or are there any near you? A few 4-hour races - especially ones that are “4 hours and finish the lap” style - would definitely change that for you!
We have the Mid Atlantic Super Series here in, well the Mid Atlantic, which has a marathon event at almost every XC location too.
I would look at the results sheet and see what other people are doing. My experience is that usually the winners are holding the most consistent lap times, and after the top few, most everyone has increasing lap times and usually the lower down up the results sheet, the worse the consistency. One could conclude that better pacing would result in a better result. I think my takeaway is the opposite. The fastest XCO racers have the best durability. They have fast lap times and can do repeats of them. All this to say, be aware of how hard you go out, but you are probably doing just fine. Increased fitness will allow you to bring more consistency to your lap times.
All these events have a marathon as well as XCO, usually 3 hours and finish the lap. Marathon is pretty competitive and popular around here. I would need some focused training to race that long. My weekly volume is only 3+ hours–masters plan for 90min XCO. I would be doing good to finish a 3 hour endurance ride.
I looked at my earlier races this year, and see a mix of negative and positive splits in there actually. So in general I don’t think I’m digging too deep a hole on the first lap. This race will be a little longer duration, so I’ll keep that in mind. I think I’ll try getting fitter.
I raced CAT 1 in my 40’s and did pretty well. I’m in my mid 50’s now and had both knees replaced 5 years ago and downgraded to CAT 2 because I’m not investing as much time into racing as I used to. You pretty much have to put 125% into training/racing to be competitive in CAT 1. That being said, I race a few different series and do quite well in CAT 2, I put in about 10 hours a week between riding and the gym. These days you have to go all out for most of the race to win. Starts are sprints to get in front of the pack. I think your first lap will always be your fastest but you have to be able to keep your subsequent laps within in a minute or so. I’ve had a few wins where I have gone as hard as I could on the first lap and built a lead, then just held on and managed the gap. I would suggest trying to stay with the leader or lead group as long as you can, often for me, the adrenaline I get from just trying to stay on someone’s wheel gets me through the race.
