MOUNTAIN BIKE SKILLS

Bill and I became friends immediately. I knew I wanted to do expedition races and therefore I spent hours quizzing him during the race on everything from foot-care to mountain bike skills tips.

When he returned home to California I e-mailed him every day with questions. I asked a lot about training. He was so patient and gave me a wealth of information, some of which were mountain bike skills tips.

With Bill's help I made it to Primal Quest, the toughest endurance race on earth. Within 18 months of meeting him, I was racing against the top racers in the world.

With Bill's help I went on to be a successful long distance adventure racer.

Below are the questions I asked Bill and his unedited mountain bike skills tips.

How much faster should you be able to ride on a road bike vs a mountain bike?

On average, I'd say about 25 % faster on the roads.

...the key is having crazy partners that don't ever give up...we torture each other in running races, cycling up hills are anything else we do together....we chase each other every where.

You should be gearing up more on the road bike so you get a good 'burn' in your quads. One significant difference is you should be going much faster on a road bike.

On road rides, we ride 24 plus mph and, unless you are going downhill, you cannot get that speed on a mountain bike. You also ride longer on roads.

A 15 to 20 mile mountain bike workout (where we are in the mountains) is good, whereas we will ride 50 to 100 miles on a road ride.

What is a good training speed on the bike?

I do 100 mile rides in 5 1/2 to 6 hours so 16 miles an hours for a work out is very doable. I try to do 20 mph in workouts, depending on terrain. With a tail wind on the flats we can get up to 28 mph.

How can I improve cycling technique?

Then imagine lifting your leg by driving your knee into the handle bars. Driving forward like that will give you a big pull.

AND technique must be relied upon when you get tired.

Every time you ride or spin, think about your form....it will truly amaze you.

Technique will get you through the times when you really are tired.

What if you do not have a road bike and want to increase your training speed?

In the short term, you could buy a second set of wheels for your mountain bike and put skinny tires without knobs and change wheels when you road ride. It will give you more speed.

Spinning vs Road Riding

The main thing about spinning is you get a really intense workout for 45 minutes to an hour (depending on the instructor) which is hard to reproduce on the roads. It is an excellent supplement to road riding......spinning is like road riding.

Mountain bike racers normally do at least 75 % of their training on roads because you get a better workout than you do on a mountain bike.

Other than hills any recommendations for strength on the bike?

Big (yet do-able gears) on the bike.

How often should I work on technical mountain biking?

I would definitely spend the vast majority of my time working on increasing fitness levels.

The technical parts rarely comprise more than a fraction of ANY adventure race in my experience.

What about pedal speed?

Most 'experts' say you should pedal at about 80 or 90 rpms....I NEVER pedal that fast...it isn't efficient for me...my suggestion is pedal with the resistance you feel maximizes your performance.

The ONLY caution is over gearing can bother your knees if it is too extreme.

Does a higher tire pressure increase speed?

I inflate my tires to 115 PSI on a road bike... on a mountain bike (less)...to answer your question, yes, absolutely, a harder tire rolls faster and more smoothly.

Did you ever put your backpack on your rack?

I haven't put anything of any consequence on the bike rack because it puts too much weight behind me and changes the way the bike handles.

The exception being taking some of the load off a teammate when they needed it...as for myself, I'd always keep the weight on my back where it is more evenly distributed.

Weight on the back really changes the way the bike handles, especially in uneven terrain.

I would try loosening the pack so that it sits low on your back keeping the overall center of gravity low.

You can even get a rack like mine and actually let the pack almost drop onto it. First try keeping the pack low on your back about 'butt' level. You' feel the difference immediately.

Do you have any suggestions for controlling your bike with a heavy pack on a technical trail.

I would try loosening the pack so that it sits low on your back keeping the overall center of gravity low. The higher the weight on your back, the more unbalanced you will be. You can even get a rack like mine and actually let the pack almost drop onto it. First try keeping the pack low on your back about 'butt' level. You' feel the difference immediately.