Start with my Mountain Biker Assessment form from the Joe Friel book.
Race Ability Profile
| Ability | Rating | Objectives to Improve |
| Race endurance | 4 | Moving from 4h to 6h events in 2010 to 12h in 2011. So will need to work on this. |
| Fast starts | 2 | Given the focus on 12h events not sure how important this is for me. |
| Finish sprints | 2 | As above, with 12h events not sure this is critical. |
| Short climbs | 3 | Will do training around these to ensure they don’t catch me out. Useful for Ashton Court. |
| Long climbs | 4 | Definitely an area to look at, will be focusing on power to weight to help improvement here. |
| Fast, single-track descents | 4 | Practise makes perfect! |
| Dealing with mud | 3 | Get out in it! |
| Riding on roots, rocks etc. | 3 | BasqueMTB trip should help improve technical skills. |
| Clearing obstacles | 3 | Skills session with UK Bike Skills should help this (and one above), let’s hope this old dog can be taught some new tricks! |
Natural Abilities Profile
| Ability | Rating | Objectives to Improve |
| Strength | 3 | Do more off the bike workouts. |
| Speed | 1 | Focus Base training on this area. |
| Endurance | 4 | Fit in more longer rides where possible. |
Mental Skills Profile
| Ability | Rating | Objectives to Improve |
| Motivation | 3 | Getting this plan right should help keep motivation high. |
| Confidence | 4 | Improving with experience. |
| Thought habits | 3 | Stay positive! |
| Focus | 3 | Surprised this score was low, but will watch for letting things drift too much. |
| Visualization | 4 | Not something I’ve considered before, good score but with some thought should be able to improve. |
Miscellaneous Factors
| Ability | Rating | Objectives to Improve |
| Nutrition | 4 | Working hard to watch what I eat. |
| Technical knowledge | 4 | Just make sure I can do the essential stuff for a 12h race. Quick change of brake pads might be important. |
| Race strategy | 3 | Really need to watch the HR at the start of races, keep in the right zone. Also watch food/water strategy on the longer races. |
| Body composition | 3 | Monitoring body fat levels and diet. |
| Support of family | 4 | Make sure I stay happy and engaged when I’m not on a bike! Their support is critical. |
| Race experience | 3 | Do more racing? |
| Tendency to over train | 4 | Will try some new software to monitor training levels more closely. Will also improve my recovery ride technique. |
gothandy 
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