How to Race in the World’s Biggest Mountain Bike Stage Races

March 16, 2015

It was a great pleasure to have Nic Lamond at our RSAWEB offices sharing his insights, expertise and advice on how to race in the world’s biggest mountain bike stage races.

When you first meet Nic it quickly becomes obvious he has one overriding passion: cycling. Nic is a writer, a rider and recently, the owner of Podium Sports – a sports marketing agency which, among other things, looks after some of the most inspiring young professional athletes on the planet.

Nic can certainly claim to be an authority on the subject of peddling a bicycle with fat tyres, as under his saddle he has done 7 Cape Epics, 1 Lesotho Sky, 4 Mont 24 Hour Races (Australia), 3 JoBurg2C’s, 1 Wines to Whales, 2 Grape Escapes, 3 Sani2C’s and 1 BC Bike Race (Canada).

It is his love for bicycles with fat tyres that inspires him to mould and nurture young talent with the aim of making them the mountain biking pro’s of the future. It is for this reason that we sponsor athletes who share our vision of “Connecting Tomorrow.”

“Make friends with fellow mountain bike riders and you will never train a day in your life.” – Nic Lamond

RSAWEB envisioned the event as the perfect place to bring people together to help them find out ‘how to smile more when stage racing.’  With Nic’s easy ability to make the crowd laugh and enthusiastic interaction, the event was an ‘Epic’ lesson for all the attendees who were keen on trying out mountain bike stage racing. Here are some tips he shared on the subject of keeping that smile while in the saddle:

1. Get the best bike – And the best bike to ride for any stage racing is the one you have, you know it well, it is a part of you. You are always in sync with each other.
2. After getting the best bike, make sure it is comfortable.
3. Make friends with fellow mountain bike riders and you will never train a day in your life – When you train with friends you don’t feel like it is a training day and a lot of mountain bikers are friendly.
4. Remember to share – Remember to always share with your team mates whatever you have, be it energy bars, a drink of water or your first aid kit.
5. Always thank the marshals – Let them know they are appreciated because you want the volunteers to come back for the next race.
6. Always take somebody with you who knows how to fix your bike – When you buy a bike, you must learn to understand it and how it works. A mechanic won’t be able to help you if you break down in the middle of a race. Never comment that it has never broken down, because it might just do that after your comment!
7. Recovery is as important as training – Scale everything back and spend time thinking about recovery, you always want to be ready for your next ride.
8. Pack well, remember to always have appropriate clothing. There is nothing worse in stage racing than not preparing for potential bad weather.
9. Stop whining – because the road will end, the pain in your legs will end, you will meet nice medics or the finish line will come. Whining will not help. Always get back on the saddle.

We want to express a deep felt thanks to everyone involved with Nic Lamond’s talk. From each person who took the time to hear what he had to say, the knowledgeable riders who brought their mountain bikes and the hopefuls who were so interactive and asked questions about the sport.  Also thank-you to all our Facebook friends and partners who helped to share the flyer for the event.

As you read this, I hope you have the same thought I had; “My community needs this.” Promote mountain bike cycling every chance you get.  We as individuals need more people on bikes for our health and to keep the friend zone growing. As H.G Wells once said “Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race.”

Here is another article we wrote on the Cape Epic MTB stage race:

Nic Lamond races to the top at the Cape Epic