Hey Guys!

I'm a bit new to Woods riding on my 97 CR250R.  I'm an Avid mountain biker, downhill XC, do weights, pretty reasonable shape, 33yrs old and 6ft 195lbs.

We've been doing 3.5-4.5hrs woods riding, in the low mountains, its been very muddy lately, working hard to get the bike out of the pits, dont' really drive fast, just techincal.
Anywho, i'm not that tired when riding, but when I get home i'm sort of fuzzy in the head for the night often. And the next day, I'm really tired, feel wasted even after eating lots and a good 8-9hrs sleep, usually the next day or after another couple hours of sleep I get back to feeling ok.

Is there any kind of conditioning, or breaks, or something I can do to help combat this mega tiredness thing I'm hitting?  Its a bit wierd, I haven't had this problem with mountain biking before!

Thanks!!

Sometimes if you ride in a close group you suck in lots of exhaust. You may be experiencing mild Carbon Monoxide poisoning.

I feel like that every time I ride... it gets worse the less I ride and better the more I ride. For a while I was riding 3-4 even 5 times a week and it didnt really bothered me. Now that Im busy with work and stuff around the house I dont get out nearly as often... my body lets me know the next day. Never during the ride unless its extremely hot out, but when I get home and start unloading and cleaning bikes is when it usually hits me.

I'm in a similar boat, 20 yrs on mountain bikes in terrain of all kinds, but dirt biking the technical stuff kicks my ass.  Dirt biking just requires more strength in certain muscle groups than MTB, and the reverse is true as well.  You're probably trying to throw the bike around like you would an MTB, but you can't because it weighs nearly 10x as much.  I was very used to picking and riding a tight line on the MTB, but found I use a lot less energy if I just "go with it" on the dirt bike.  

Bottom line; keep riding, you'll get stronger and your technique will improve.  That will lead to lower energy output for the same ride.  I've also started a core training class, which has helped me.

Edit:  Forgot to add that I'm 35, 5'11", and 175lb.  I was 185lb before I bought the bike.  ;-)

Edited by benny_mech, 27 June 2012 - 11:53 AM.

Hey Guys! thanks for the feedback!!!
I went out again the other day for a good 3.5hrs, legs are pretty sore, etc etc. Although its been extremly muddy the last few months here in Calgary, I've been having to haul the bike out of deep bogs, lift it up out of stuff, at least 10 times during rides (its just mud pit madness with all this rain) perhaps some of that is tiring me out?

I haven't gone to any training days yet, in fact I all I know about riding a dirt bike is bits and pieces from the internet, maybe with some technique it'll help with my fatigue!  I might be trying to follow too close a line like the MTB, its strange getting used to the fact the dirt bike can roll over giant rocks and roots with total ease!

Perhaps more practice is what I need! Its a shame I have to load the trailer and drive 30min to the closest place, I bet if I got some tips from Vets, it would help! I mostly ride with a Quad guy, he doesn't have a ton of tips to help with so much )

Thanks for the responses! hopefully I can figure it out, its just kickin my butt!

Your glutamine level is low. It,s the most abundant amino acid in your body. Get it at GNC and mix with water or juice on empty stomach. They say use after a workout but I've had good results with a half dose in the morning of the ride.

Kingsoup, on 27 June 2012 - 11:37 AM, said:

Wow close to exhaustion, I did those long rides 4 to 6 hours in a desert like area and suffered muscle spasm. It also killed my riding schedule for a week or so. I found that I feel way better doing shorter trips, max 2 hours, going home normally and leaving the next day for another ride if time allows for it.

Glutamine! thats worth trying out for sure! I went for a shorter ride the other day, 3hrs, or so, without struggling through the deep mud, or slick roots etc and wasn't tired after at all! I must just be overdoing it on the hard terrain, my friend on the Quad doesn't seem as tired
Its finally drying out around here, I think it might be the overall exertion from hauling the bike around the mud, maybe with smoother riding I'll last longer!

Also I sure did put this in the wrong section, alas such a n00b

glad you found your borders, I stay under 2 hours but I'm close to 50 already

I think the reason MX and riding off road is so taxing is that there are a lot of involuntary motions.  Once you learn to ride at a basic level, and you are working the suspension a little, your body develops a lot of reflexes that involve large body motions and a lot of muscle mass.  In many sports...when it starts to get physically painful to exert yourself more....you can just slack off, and the pain diminishes.  It is mental.  But MX is a lot like fighting (boxing, MMA, etc).  The motions are involuntary...and involve survival type instinct reflexes.  You literally have no choice to slack off....your body just does what it does.  There is no thought or voluntary decision involved.  Your body is continually making these fast twitch reflexive moves that just wear you down.

That is why at the pro level...no amount of off bike training alone will suffice.  There is fit...and there is MX fit.  I read that some of the testing done on the riders at MTF showed they were at fitness levels that were on par...or even above that of many olympic level athletes.  Some coaches had expressed a lot of interest in exactly what MTFs training regime was.  They will not find answers that they can really use, as I would bet that this is not a result so much from MTFs training techniques...but from the fact that they ride a lot, at a high level.

Edited by Blutarsky, 23 July 2012 - 08:20 PM.

Kingsoup, on 05 July 2012 - 10:49 AM, said:

That'll do it!!  Having to drag a 250 lb bike out of the mud over and over wears you down physically and mentally.  Again, same deal here in the Pacific NorthWet!  I've found that as I ride more and get a bit better though, I'm able to ride over stuff that used to stop me in my tracks.  That makes a huge difference in energy expenditure.  Make that motor do the work!  

Also, what Blutarsky wrote above makes perfect sense.  Must be why I'm so crash prone once I get tired out...

Interesting read Blutarsky! you know that makes pretty good sense to me, especially at speed over rough terrain, it takes a huge amount of concentration and constantly fighting the bike to keep it safe.  I wonder if switching to a 450 4 stroke would be a bit easier on me? the 250 2T i've heard is a lot of work to control comparativly, I know i'm always working on keeping it off the power band when its not time!  I bet those MX riders are in super shape, it seems to use every muscle in the body on these bikes!  Since I originally wrote this, I've been taking it a bit easier and not nearly as exhausted, things have been drying out really nicely and its been a lot easier riding, although I got stuck in this 3ft deep super death mud bog the other week, took me 20min to get it out, I think I spent 50% of my energy just on that!

Kingsoup, on 10 August 2012 - 11:19 AM, said:

Blutarsky's post should be read by anyone who wants to ride motocross. What he said is such a critical element to riding on the track at competitive speeds.

Off-road riding at a good clip is just like motocross in many ways, it takes so much concentration and bike control (muscle memory). For me, the biggest difference between the two is the intensity. Motocross is ridden way more aggressively, without much time (outside of jumps) to relax. I feel off-road can be ridden a lot more relaxed because the speeds are more varied. You'll usually have more sit-down moments, time when you can just relax.

Kingsoup, on 10 August 2012 - 11:19 AM, said:

It could be your specific bike and the exact style of riding. Generally speaking, 250 2 strokes are easy to ride, its just how you set them up which makes a difference. Motocross specific bikes, aren't designed for off-road as much as you'd expect. The power delivery can be very abrupt/sharp on a motocross 2 stroke, where on an off-road 2 stroke, much more calm and relaxed. If you were to ride a modern KTM 250XC, you wouldn't know what to do with yourself. Plush suspension, torquy though relaxed motor, super light-weight chassis, etc. You feel like you're cheating riding the thing, thus proving its not 4 stroke vs 2 stroke. Todays modern 2 strokes are pretty amazing, lightyears better then a bike from the 90's.

Kingsoup, on 10 August 2012 - 11:19 AM, said:

You do use a lot of muscle groups that are not used on a regular basis in anything else. So because of that reason a lone, riding more is the best way to overcome the fitness wall when it comes to dirt bike riding. I can ride off-road all day long without feeling it one bit, yet I can only run about 3 - 5 laps on motocross course at full-tilt-boogie. Being efficient with your movements, being aggressive when you need to be and backing off when you don't, all critical elements.

Honestly, its all about seat time. Ride a lot, you will be benefited with longer riding time, its that simple.

Your logic doesn't quite make sense.  Of course off road riding will be easier than riding a track day if you do 100% pace on one and not the other.  You don't need to push 100% on the track just like you don't in the woods.  At full race pace, an enduro or hare scramble is much more intensive than motocross simply because they last much longer.

bring a camelbak. stay hydrated! even if it's cold outside. drink water.

take breaks and wear earplugs. the noise after a long ride wears you down but the plugs will help.

If you are getting seriously fatigued after a day of riding when you are in decent shape you need to see your doctor.  You could be anemic or may have a blood disorder that is causing your fatigue.  At the beginning of the season or after taking a three or four week break you are going to lose fitness and suffer fatigue after riding hard, that's normal.  But if you are in pretty good shape and riding regularly it could be a health problem.  Get some blood test done just to rule it out.  Unfortunately, I'm speaking from experience.  You are too young to have that kind of fatigue without something being wrong.  Hopefully it's just diet related.  I'm no doctor but it's worth getting checked out.

That is overreacting IMO, after 3,5 hours of struggle it is really not important how good you are in shape. Even a person in perfect shape will get tired at some point. Riding a few hours full concentrated gets you already tired. Now pulling the bike out of a mud pool at least tripples the effort of riding.

shrubitup, on 18 August 2012 - 05:48 PM, said:

This...I find if I am dog tired after a good ride it is because i was not well enough hydrated.  Start hydrating heavily a few days before riding and continue through the ride.  It will make a huge difference.