Wow, that’s a ripper of a little back workout!
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Full posterior chain. Good stuff there!
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I raced on the road and in crits for a couple years and realize now that it would be an even greater let-down to not have the fitness I needed if an opportunity arose and I could not produce. If you are going to race without a team, you either need one hell of a sprint or you need the kind of fitness like we discussed above. I don’t see a lot of benefit to racing crits when I don’t have fitness that I can win with, when the cost is broken bones by sitting in the middle of the pack in a race where I have no role.
I’m “trying” five days a week by training on the bike, probably can’t return to racing for another year or two. I did a few CX races in 2018 starting from dead last and finishing top-ten in a few weekend races, but I’m still not there so even though I’ll dip my toe in the water in six months, I probably still need to wait another year or two before I have what I need to race.
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Don’t let that discourage you. I raced successfully with numbers that didn’t come near what Nate is able to put out. Some top 10 finishes, but had lots of fun.
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steephill.tv is a great resource for watching cycling and caters to all different countries 
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Heard a quick mention of racing Bonelli Park. I’m nearby and would love to come watch. When are you guys racing?
I’ve been in a race with Nate and he’s tall. He absolutely stands out in the field. Tall guys tend to have mind-boggling numbers, but you can’t let it get to you. I’ve got similar numbers to you and I hung on his wheel just fine.
… Granted, at the end of the race when things got insane, he took advantage of better fitness and racing skills to position himself more favorably in the lineup going into the final turn, but I’d suggest focusing on the latter part of that conclusion rather than the former. TrainerRoad gets you ready with the fitness component, but you can’t learn to race on a trainer.
It’s fine to not enter races, but unless you’re recovering from an injury, I don’t think you’re going to be ready to race in two years if you think you need two years to be race-ready.
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I tried my first enduro last week. My aim is to get better at riding “unseen” trails so I can get more out of riding Canada next year.
I came 3rd from last out of everyone.
There were only 3 , 40+ women so I got on the podium (a bit embarrassing, given my times)
But what was so amazing and such an achievement for me, were the photos taken by the pro photographers. My body position was spot on - hip hinging, low, knee behind BB, leaning into corners.
I had bought a RipRow and had been using it all winter plus lots of skills practice outside.
I still have lots of improvements to make (but that is never ending) and I did have a little off but only took 12 seconds to recover.
Have a go at stuff. Find something you did well from hard work that’s paid off.
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You know you better than anybody else, but don’t be so quick to count yourself out.
In my opinion, numbers are just numbers and no one gives a **** when you’re on the start line.
Last year I had nowhere near the fitness or experience that I have right now but this year has been a horror show for me. I’m up against far better riders who really know their race craft. I’ve been on the front and out the back in equal measure.
What I have learnt is that I don’t break. If I get spat out, I’ll solo the damn thing. You have to ask yourself if racing is just about winning? Why not see it as a chance to learn about the skills you never knew you had.
Sorry for being so ‘dad’ about the whole thing but winning isn’t the be-all and end-all. I’ve met some really great friends at races and for the most part, they’re handing me my arse for an hour.
Just get out there and try to smile, even when you’re falling apart.
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The sum-up from Eurosport is like 10min on YouTube for both races. But not the full thing of course.
Thanks, Rondal.
Congrats! Awesome to hear you are happy with your progress. 
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This is challenging on typical enduro trails given how technical they usually are. Are you looking to build this skill for racing, or general riding?
I’ve gotten better at this as I’ve ridden more trails unseen. The key skill I found I’ve developed is to be able to quickly assess if something is beyond my capabilities, and if so, I just hop off the bike and walk/step down the trail. I.e. I’m riding along at full speed, and at a technical spot, I quickly decide to either go for it 100%, or get off and walk. This works for general riding, maybe not so much racing. 
My skills aren’t as good as I’d like them to be. One thing I need to master is a proper bunny hop, and generally just being able to move the bike better. That can get you out of a lot of potentially tricky spots, especially to avoid wheel traps, and unexpected logs or rocks that may caus you to endo.
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“workflow” 
It’s UK entry level enduro, so nothing beyond my skill level. The idea is to race the sections without a practice run, although you are allowed to walk them before the event.
In the UK MTB races tend to be laps (like 24h in OP) and you get to pre ride the course.
Having done ST6 in BC a couple of years ago, not knowing what was ahead was really difficult for me. The plan was to do the BCBR next year, but I can’t get July off work, so it will be a non race explore. But I need to up my skills and confidence to get the most out of Canadian trails.
I think you’re right Dave. It’s about being able to look ahead on the trail and make a decision based on judgement of my current skill level- rather than stopping through anxiety or feeling the need to ride it regardless.
I got a manual machine recently which is meant to help with endos as well as manuals but haven’t got that far yet.
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I’ve found the RipRow a big help with bunny hops- enough to get over logs without loosing too much speed
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A POLITE REQUEST
Please Jonathan can you let Chad or Nate answer more fully before you interrupt those guys.
(I really dig your enthusiasm, but please give the other guys a chance. I have noticed this happening quite a lot over the past few months in other podcasts. I’m not attacking you, but this is hard hitting feedback which, hopefully, does not offend you or anyone else.)
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Would it be possible for @Nate_Pearson to share his spreadsheet on nutrition that he mentioned when talking about consuming 100g of carbs 2/1 in a hour.
Hopefully it’ll help us all work out our nutrition baseline.
I love when people talk numbers and FTP… I beat people last year (2nd and 3rd place finishes) when my competition had a 60+ watt higher FTP and were at least 0.5 w/kg higher (according to the TR accounts) than me. Numbers are an indicator but races entail so much more. It’s amazing how far mentality, grit, bike handling, efficiency and race tactics can make up for lack of raw numbers. GET OUT AND RACE!
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I don’t think I have it anymore, but it was dead simple. Columns: name, carbs, glucose, fructose.
I then did some math to try to get that 2:1 ratio of glucose to fructose.
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