3 Tips to Success in Mountain Biking

We are pleased to welcome 24 hour Mountain bike phenom Julie Kelly to the blog to share her top tips to get started in the sport of Mountain biking.

Julie is a highly successful Canadian mountain biker. Specializing in the 24 hour discipline, Julie has earned 13 1st place finished throughout her career. Her keys to success? Putting in the work when she doesn't want to, recovering well, and racing her race. Read more below!

Prior to racing make sure you have a bike that fits and is set up properly. It doesn’t matter if it’s a 26er, 27.5 or 29er. Get what works for you and what you are comfortable on.

Do the work - If you train properly you will be successful. Put in the hours required, train at a similar intensity to the race and try to simulate the terrain of the course. It’s not easy but that’s why it’s called “work”. Be prepared to suffer!

Recover - Training is important but recovery is just as important. I often hear “the under trained athlete will perform better than the over trained”. Make sure you are taking enough time off the bike. Get enough sleep, hydrate and fuel properly on and off the bike.

Race your race - It’s easy to get caught up in the “game” of racing. Don’t worry about what other people are doing. Focus on your goals and expected outcome. This may change based on race conditions, how you feel that day and who shows up. Be prepared to adapt but remain focused and think about the long game rather than the short.