[Tootrikky]

Getting my ass handed to me by some of the local pros on some XC rides around here recently, got me to thinking. I thought of all the guys who are faster than me and realized, they are also faster XC riders than me, and would probably be faster at a road race, or any type of bike racing that involves speed, or time trials as well. The interesting part, is that I would guess that xc/roadies who could kill me at their respective xc/roadie races would be significantly slower than me at a dh race.

I could see this not being true at an expert or below level, or for the groms. Otherewise I think It would allmost always hold true?

Anyone have different experiences?
Is this pretty obvious, and I just never realized it?
or is the observation just flawed in general?

Word

 

[ÆX]

gererally true but sometimes a semipro dh er who just got there
road licence races cat 5.

on the flip side i have killed on my flatbar road bike at crits.
goes both ways but everynow and then there is a person
who has al kinds of skill.

 

[luelling]

I race semi-pro DH and I'm top three for Sr. Exp XC. On the split side we have Erik Tonkin (Pro roadie, XC, Cyclocross) and he is so damn fast on the downhills I bet he could be a semi-pro dh'r if he wanted

 

[Westy]

I think there are a lot of people who are just bike folks, they will excel at anything on two wheels. Of course there are some people who are just good at one thing.

 

[jonKranked]

cross train as much as you possibly can. I do trials and bmx for bike handling skills (bmx also to get used to maintaining your speed - ride park and just pump transitions, try not to use your brake; some people just take them off). I do road for endurance and cardio, and i just started doing xc again for the same thing, plus more offroad skillz.

 

[julian_dh]

i think alot of xc racers could come and do really well in a dh race but some of them would get owned. i find riding a dh bike really changes the way you ride xc at least for me anyway, i find before i was so sketchy on a xc bike before i started riding downhill, now i rip downhill sections of xc track like i was on my downhill bike.

 

[khoolhandz]

What separates Downhill Semipro/Proelite from Senior Experts is basically just that...fitness.

When you get up to the Senior Expert category then you already have the skill.

To do good and be competitive at Semi-pro your gonna need to train and train and train your cardio.

 

[beaverbiker]

that is far from the truth man. there is a huuuuuuuuuuge skill jump between expert/semi-pros and ELITE PROS. huge.

 

[stoney]

that is far from the truth man. there is a huuuuuuuuuuge skill jump between expert/semi-pros and ELITE PROS. huge.

Correct, but between expert and semi is fitness. Skill wise, you always had me by a tiny bit, fitness you had me by miles and it showed. I could ride the same stuff as you, but as I got winded I got sloppy. That is why you stepped up to semi faster and excelled when I stopped training. My skills were there, but your were just hands down more fit. Uthman is a great example as well. We all had the same skill level, but he had fitness. Which is why he's a cat2 roadie now.

 

[jonKranked]

there's also a difference in the mindset between xc racers and dh racers. its not just the time difference. straight up you gotta be a little nuts to ride dh. and i mean that in the best of ways. some xc guys just don't have the stones for dh. its nothing personal and i'm not trying to talk smack, just an observation.

 

[sweetimzack]

practice makes prefect

 

[Biscuit]

What separates Downhill Semipro/Proelite from Senior Experts is basically just that...fitness.

I used to think that.

There is far, far more skill involved than you realize. Riding at that level also requires a sh*ton of fitness. But if you ride enough to get the skills to go that fast, your already going to be pretty fit. Which is why fast downhillers can hang in xc/road stuff.

 

[Metal Dude]

Some good points made here but it takes a different kind of fitness
from a roadie to a Dher. I ride xc with my roadie buddy some- He rides
tons of miles and can kill me in a long climb but, on the flat or down
hill I can drop him instantly, if I sprint - and not just a technical area but, he can't get the pop like I can cause that's not what he focuses on.
If he incounters a sprint in a race he has 25 miles or whatever left
he can drag the guy back.
Hence even though some guys are gifted enough to be able to do both,
a Dher shouldn't cross train or want to be able to hang with a fast roadie
or xc guy on a climb or over a long distance. It's training your slow twitch muscles not the fast ones. Who cares if you can go 10-20 miles fast if your dh race is 2 mi.- You aren't putting out the max. you can go in a short dis. if you are training to be able to go fast for a long distance.
Think of runners - Sprinters may put in some longer runs for training but,
I am sure they don't focus on whether they can hang with a marathon
and vice versa!

 

[haromtnbiker]

I don't have very much fitness, and I should ride xc more often. I do ride the local dh trails on my hardtail alot, which I think helps out when I get on my dh bike!

 

[Biscuit]

I don't have very much fitness, and I should ride xc more often. I do ride the local dh trails on my hardtail alot, which I think helps out when I get on my dh bike!

Now go ride local xc trails on your dh bike! That's how you get fast. Seat low, standing.

 

[muddy beast]

Now go ride local xc trails on your dh bike! That's how you get fast. Seat low, standing.

haha since I only have a DH bike, thats exactly what I do. It really helps you flow and learn to conserve your energy for certain spots and keep your speed moving well so you can get up the hill without pedaling much.