Preparing for the Bike

Never start the bike leg of an XTERRA race without an extra tube, inflation device (pump or several CO2 cartridges and adapter), a multi-tool, and a well-tuned bike. If your chain has been skipping a lot in training, I guarantee you that during the effort of a race, the problem will be much worse.

Have your bike tuned up at least a week before the race, and be sure that your tires are in good condition, your drive-train is clean and working well, and that everything is tightened properly. This is especially important for those of you who fly to events and have to reassemble your bike by yourself.

Do yourself a favor, and take a basic bike mechanics class or read one of the excellent books on bike maintenance like Lennard Zinn’s “Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance”.

Remember, that while light equipment feels good while climbing, it’s often not durable enough to handle repeated beatings from hard mountain bike riding. High quality and durable components and accessories are extremely valuable assets.

It’s wise to fit your equipment to the race. In Maui, there are lots of sharp rocks and kiawe thorns.

To prevent flats, you need to run high pressure (smaller riders about 45 PSI, and bigger riders about 50-55 PSI) and Slime Tubes (or something) as a tube sealant.

For those of you who wear contacts, I would recommend bringing an extra pair with you during the bike.

At the first XTERRA in Keystone in 1998, I was riding downhill when all of the sudden I blinked, and one of my contacts flew out. On a 30 mph downhill, this is a potentially deadly. I made it, but the lack of depth perception made it… tricky!

If you have a mechanical or problem on the bike, staying relaxed and focused on is the best thing that you can do. Save the mental energy and stress until you’re back on your bike and riding.

Occasionally, a mechanical is so severe that it’s impossible to repair the damage on the course. If you’re close to transition, jog your bike into transition and try to salvage your race. 

There’s no feeling worse than a DNF (did not finish), but sometimes they’re unavoidable. A little patience, and you may still get to the finish line, no matter how you place.

Author Neal Henderson is an XTERRA PRO and the Coordinator of the Sport Science program at the BoulderCenterfor Sports Medicine. He teaches the XTERRA Swim Clinics with Raeleigh Tennant and Grant Holicky, and can be reached at nhenderson@bch.org