Race Music

[union]

I'm sorry, this just made me LoL ... and reminded me of Charles De Mar's (Curtis Armstrong) advice to Lane Myers (John Cusack) in the 1985 movie "Better off Dead" as he's about to take a practice run down the dangerous K2 slopes in preparation for his race ... Charles advises him to "Go that way, really fast. If something gets in your way, turn...."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEHZJNQ5Y4A
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I thought that is how we were supposed to do it.

[BrianC]

I'm not sure that listening to music before a race actually makes me go faster, or if it just helps settle my nerves and puts my mind into attack mode. I honestly think whatever it does wears off by time I'm lined up on the grid, but I do love listening to these songs and visualizing racing...

[BrianC]

What am I, chopped livah? That's what I've been tryin to tell ya

No, what you've said played a role in that.

Even after bumping to amateur I kept the same attitude I had as a novice. Go as fast as I think I can and get by whoever is in front of me. Points never crossed my mind while on track. Sitting back and going easy at the back of the amateur pack is only gonna get you one thing, lapped by the experts faster. And you certainly aren't gonna learn to go faster if you don't try.

I kind of found that forgetting about getting to the front helped me to focus more on learning some things I needed to learn... for example, one race I specifically focused on my braking, and even though what I was practicing was definitely slowing me down, I now have the knowledge I need to go faster. Basically I saw that I wasn't entering the corner w/enough speed to actually warrant all the brake I was applying. Now I know I can start to push back the markers and come in with more speed. Not saying that I wanted to go slow, but my mentality had definitely changed once I bumped and I knew that just pushing myself and bike to the edge to get to the front wasn't gonna cut it anymore... I actually had to slow down and start learning things!

Music helped alot when I bumped, to at least get my confidence back up before a race... when I was a novice, I had healthy confidence and went out to the grid each time expecting to dominate... the music gets me feeling that way now, so that when I get back out there it will be more like, "I can do this" rather than, "these guys are gonna smoke me"! Heavy music can make a person feel more powerful than they are I guess.

[smokinjoe]

I think the music thing has something to do with what gets you to your peak performance level mentally.
I mountainbike like 120mi/wk at high intensity listening to the same playlists. It gets me in a very focused power-producing state of mind.

I can reproduce this mental state by listening to the same music at the track.

It really depends on what you have trained yourself to do. My brain assosiates it with going fast on 2 wheels and being focused, so for me it works.

In a recent interview Colin Edwards and Ben spies both said they prep with music. as does Nicky and many others. (of course they all train intensely)

ALL extreme sports atheletes use music. I just dont feel like most club racers treat this as a sport. They don't train like an athlete or prepare physicly at all, which seems odd to me considering whats at stake.

For me half the intensity (of racing) is training all winter (p90x, weights, MTB).

I can't treat it like a weekend getaway (which takes no training)

[nt650hawk]

I like to be alone and peal an orange. I may be the just nervousness, a focus for the race. Just ask some people that know me. Right Jane.....

I try to build up a game plan with scenarios. I know the cast of characters, their strengths and weaknesses and how things should turn out, but I still come up with if this than that. How am I going to approach all the turns? Inside outside, what am I going to be looking for where will/can I make a pass on them? My head is running a million miles a min. I really don't lose this feeling until the board starts to turn. Then the focus is just on one thing. The Flagger. What muscle is he twitching before the wave.....GO.... Whatever happens, happens. I have already run thru a ton of scenarios beforehand. Now which one do I implement and where. For me racing is a chess match. One move always is always thought out and calculated for the next couple of moves. Always thinking, analyzing, reevaluating, and planning. It is a curse.

[Mr Bread]

I listen to this before i ski race, or while i'm skiing down a sketchy line.

http://youtu.be/htBUm0Loj00

i fail at this posting video business.

[brady]

Even after bumping to amateur I kept the same attitude I had as a novice. Go as fast as I think I can and get by whoever is in front of me.

[CBR929RE]

I'm sorry, this just made me LoL ... and reminded me of Charles De Mar's (Curtis Armstrong) advice to Lane Myers (John Cusack) in the 1985 movie "Better off Dead" as he's about to take a practice run down the dangerous K2 slopes in preparation for his race ... Charles advises him to "Go that way, really fast. If something gets in your way, turn...."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEHZJNQ5Y4A
.
.

Booger really knows what he's talking about

[KB]

I like to be alone and peal an orange. I may be the just nervousness, a focus for the race. Just ask some people that know me. Right Jane.....

I try to build up a game plan with scenarios. I know the cast of characters, their strengths and weaknesses and how things should turn out, but I still come up with if this than that. How am I going to approach all the turns? Inside outside, what am I going to be looking for where will/can I make a pass on them? My head is running a million miles a min. I really don't lose this feeling until the board starts to turn. Then the focus is just on one thing. The Flagger. What muscle is he twitching before the wave.....GO.... Whatever happens, happens. I have already run thru a ton of scenarios beforehand. Now which one do I implement and where. For me racing is a chess match. One move always is always thought out and calculated for the next couple of moves. Always thinking, analyzing, reevaluating, and planning. It is a curse.

Gino ENOUGH with all the secrets already shhhhhhhh!!!

KB

[TheIglu]

"Go have fun. If that means passing everyone you can, so be it. If that means you aren't feeling it, don't even head to hot pit."

That was my rule. Stopped racing when it wasn't fun anymore. Had my best finishes having the most fun, not the other way around.

[smokinjoe]

Hey bread, that busta song is the most nervous sounding music I can recall hearing. Had a heart palpitation just listening. Don't think that would make me smooth. focused or in rythm. Every 3rd beat stuff throws me off.

[butcher bergs]

^^^

I can't post YouTube from here at work but try "Zeplike" by Slightly Stoopid

[Jim]

BrianC, next time you should play some Rebecca Black.

[BrianC]

[Jim]

hey, if that doesnt get you angry...then you need to try something other than music

[13]

http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_u...?v=pJf4USdb8lg

[PainfullySlow]

As corny as it sounds, my pre-race routine is simply closing my eyes, taking some deep breaths and "finding my zen". I ride my best when I am completely emotionless, no adrenaline, no "pump up" at all.

I mentally go over the areas that I know need work so that they are fresh in my mind. I always have to remind myself to brake later than my body is telling me to into T1..every single time.

My mantra is "Purity of Purpose" which I recite to myself mentally while I am prepping or even when I am on the track and I can feel my nerves starting to act up.

Lame, I know, but it works for me =)

[gixxer72]

^^^

I can't post YouTube from here at work but try "Zeplike" by Slightly Stoopid

Cool. Thanks for that.

[BrianC]

Not lame at all... Meditation is powerful in a lot of ways. Staying calm, w/a clear mind and focus seems to be the theme...

As corny as it sounds, my pre-race routine is simply closing my eyes, taking some deep breaths and "finding my zen". I ride my best when I am completely emotionless, no adrenaline, no "pump up" at all.

I mentally go over the areas that I know need work so that they are fresh in my mind. I always have to remind myself to brake later than my body is telling me to into T1..every single time.

My mantra is "Purity of Purpose" which I recite to myself mentally while I am prepping or even when I am on the track and I can feel my nerves starting to act up.

Lame, I know, but it works for me =)