Mountain Bike Stage Racing Strategy with Emma Maaranen
Tips and tricks from a pro and veteran stage racer who never stops learning!
It’s tempting to think of a stage race as just a bunch of single-day races spread out over multiple days. But there’s more to it than that. Small mistakes can add up over the course of, in our case at Singletrack 6, six days. Stage racing is something different, and racers with a stage race-specific plan can not only improve their position on the leaderboard, but the fun factor as well.
Luckily for us, professional mountain biker and prolific stage racer Emma Maaranen joined us as a presenter for our first TransRockies Singletrack 6 Virtual Training Camp back in 2020. She’s done a lot of stage racing and was kind enough to share with us what her claim to fame—coming in second at every stage race she’s done—has taught her over the years.
“Coming in second, it’s kind of always the bridesmaid, never the bride sort of scenario,” said Emma during the training camp, “When I reflect on every single one of those races, it was a series of mistakes that just kind of added up over time. Every time I get to give a stage race another go, I'm refining my process… I've learned from an awful lot of coming in second!”
In case you missed it, here’s what Emma had to say about the big picture, pre-race and on-course planning and strategy.
5 big picture tips
1. It’s a 6-day race, not 6 days of racing
Stage races are very different from a 1-day race. Rather than 6 days of racing, Emma prefers to think of them as a 6-day race. Everything she does from her pre-race routine to when she cracks her post-race beer at the end of stage 6 takes this into account. She believes it’s a mindset that will help racers make a series of good choices that stack up over time.
2. Stay ahead of fueling and hydration
Consistent fueling and hydration are critical both during the race and between stages. By the time Emma is 15 minutes into a stage race, she’s already fueling and hydrating. She even sets a timer to remind her that every 15 minutes she should be eating and drinking. And because racing is spread out over a number of days, Emma stays on top of these two important factors even when she isn’t on the bike.
“I pretty much feel like I am just a garbage truck when I'm at a stage race,” she admits, “If there isn’t some sort of food and a water bottle in my hand, something is definitely amiss”.
Dietitian and stage racer Meghan Molnar presented on nutrition during the ST6 Virtual Training Camp. For a more in-depth discussion on the finer points of fueling, you can find the blog post version of her talk here!
3. Make sleep a priority
Coming up with a good sleep strategy is important. Our bodies are great at recovering—but not without adequate sleep. At the most simple level, know what your evening routine is and stick to a very specific sleep schedule.
It helps to calculate when you need to go to sleep by working back from the start time of the next day’s stage. Add the awake time you need before the start to the amount of sleep that works best for you. For example, Emma does best with 9 hours of sleep, but this can vary from person to person. A sleep mask and ear plugs can help tune out roommates and other noises.
You may find your bedtime is earlier than you think, so be sure to plan accordingly! Working back from your bedtime, time your travel, meals and other tasks that day so you’re sure to have time to get all of them done. And it’s never a bad idea to try and fit in a nap, if time allows.
4. Consistency wins
Try to keep your race pace consistent from day to day and don’t overdo it. Enjoy the days where you’re feeling good but, “keep in mind that if you put 10 minutes into everybody on day three, but your legs are totally trashed, and you end up bleeding five or eight minutes every other day, you're going to lose that 10 minutes pretty quickly and probably not have as much fun,” notes Emma.
You’ll also be tired and may want to check out the sights or other things not directly race-related in your downtime. Avoid rushing around and adding stress by being consistent in your habits as well. Plan your meals, transportation, etc. in advance and try to stick to a plan.
5. Have a support network
If you’re traveling in a group (team, friends, family) a great way to avoid stress is to designate certain roles to group members, such as who will deal with food or clothing problems as they arise.
Pre-race planning
Know the course
One of Emma’s favourite parts of stage racing is “geeking out” over stages. She researches each stage in advance using course maps and profiles on sites/apps like Ride with GPS and Trailforks (Singletrack 6 provides specific route information for each stage on Ride with GPS and on the website). They give a good idea of course length, technical difficulty, elevation gain and steepness as well as where the climbs are located along the route.
Trailforks and Youtube will often even have photos and video footage that can help you gauge the technical difficulty of a stage. For example, does it have drops? Are they large or small? Are their different lines available?
Knowing what’s coming will help you set a consistent pace and minimize the risk of being caught off guard by technical features.
Guestimate time
By using available data, it’s possible to come up with a rough idea of how long stages will take you to complete. For example, previous year’s race results will show how quickly a range of people can move through that terrain. Singletrack 6 uses unique courses each year but often returns to host communities. So even if the trails aren’t exactly the same, similar routes on similar terrain can offer a close approximation.
Take this a step further by comparing your time against those who you may know to ride at a similar speed to you, or to those that might finish in a similar position in the overall field of riders.
Another way to guestimate time is to use Strava segments. You can look at what kind of times others have posted and get an idea of how long those segments can take.
Planning your route execution
During her course research, Emma will draw up an elevation profile with notes for each stage. For her, this exercise provides “some really intimate familiarity with what the course is going to look like''. This is a great chance to mark out any personal course notes that are important. For example, using the information she gathered about the course, Emma will note things like:
What the start looks like. Is it a neutral start? Does she need to try and get into a good position before riders are funneled into singletrack?
Aid station locations
Points along the course where there will be room to pass and where that room may be limited
The technical difficulty and characteristics of each trail
The length of the climbs
Known forks in the trail so she knows where to look out for possible wrong turns
The timed descents
Emma can then use this information to plan her race. With these notes in hand, she’s got a good idea of where she needs to be in the pack going into climbs, where she can back off on the throttle and where and when she wants or needs to refuel at aid stations, among other things.
An example of Emma’s detailed profile drawing for Singletrack 6 2021 Stage 5 in Rossland, BC.
Know the course II
Emma’s detailed stage drawings are prepared weeks or even months in advance. But she’ll go through each one the night before a stage and before the rider meeting. That way, the notes are fresh in her mind and she knows what to pay particular attention to.
After the rider meeting, Emma makes any adjustments to her notes and then draws up a smaller version of the notes on a cue card that she can then tape to her top tube. This way she can glance down at it for quick reference while riding. In addition to an elevation profile, the smaller drawing includes distances of some important course waypoints such as transitions between road gravel and singletrack as well as trail segments, the Timed DH and aid stations.
An example of a stage cue card for Singletrack 6 2021 Stage 5 in Rossland, BC that Emma would tape to her top tube.
A few of Emma’s final thoughts on knowing the course:
Don’t expect the riders in front of you to know the course and make all the right turns. Emma has followed local riders off course who were veterans of that race.
Be familiar with course markings. If the course has been marked, Emma tries to get out for a short ride the day before the stage 1 start to familiarize herself with the flagging and course marking systems.
Know where the major trail changes are. Where does the route transition from road to gravel to singletrack and back again.
Know where the aid stations are. Even if she doesn’t plan on using them, Emma likes to know where they are and thinks of them as “beacons of safety” in case anything goes wrong on the trail.
Be prepared to stop if you think you’re off course. It’s important to take some time to figure out if you are really off course before continuing. This could save you precious time and energy.
During the race
Important points to remember for stage 1
“The thing that I always say, and I have never done yet is on day one, don't go too hard,” says Emma. Something that Emma tells herself often is that stage 1 winners rarely ever win the GC.
Also important on day one is to really stay on top of fuel and hydration. It’s not the time to think about losing weight!
The start
Don’t let ego pick your start wave, but don’t be a martyr either. Emma finds that if starting positions aren’t assigned, women tend to underestimate where their start position should be and then end up frustrated by being behind slower riders for much of the race.
“And then you have riders like me who have a big ego and I always put myself in the very front of the very first wave,” admits Emma, “And that'll get me in trouble sometimes”.
Being thoughtful about who you’re riding with, and where you are in the group, can really set the tone for the stage.
Some starts—like those at Singletrack 6—begin with a leadout to separate riders. In that case, as long as you line up close to where you think you should be, there will be time to move around somewhat before heading into the singletrack where passing can be trickier.
Neutral rollouts can be used as a warmup. If the start isn’t set up this way, it’s best to warm up prior, in case you have to do any early passing before entering the singletrack.
Riding partners & alliances
Often, during a stage race, you’ll get to know pretty quickly the group of riders you will be riding with for much of the race, and this can be a chance to form alliances. For Emma, riding with people who are moving at a similar pace and are stoked about the same things as her is important—technical climbs, for example. She’ll also often create dynamic alliances by moving between different groups.
Emma also looks for riders who have a different skill set than her so they can work together. For example, she can help others pace up long climbs and then follow strong descenders who may also know the route, down the descents.
Friendly competition can make for a fun day. If an alliance isn’t mutually beneficial, it’s fine to separate. Riders can even discuss in advance where the alliance will be dropped. For example, at the bottom of a descent. You are riding your own race after all!
Strategic rider order
Be thoughtful about who you’re riding with and what your agenda is for the day. Emma suggests letting good descenders, or locals who know the trails, go first on descents so you can follow their wheel. Alternatively, if you’re in a group where you’re the fastest descender, you may have to reposition yourself on a climb to be in the lead for an upcoming descent.
If you don’t plan to use all of the aid stations, stop at them strategically. You may need to skip an aid station to stay ahead of other riders if, for example, you’re a stronger climber and a climb begins soon after that aid station.
Be aware of timed segment motivation. If you aren’t motivated to try and win a timed descent, but others around you are, let them go ahead. If you are, communicate it to those around you—they may be willing to let you take the lead.
For Emma, this all leads to a more positive experience, “The less stress I have, the better I ride!”.
Aid stations
At Singletrack 6, there are generally 2-3 aid stations per stage. Emma believes that if you stop at an aid station you should really make it count. Don’t get flustered, take the time you need to do everything you need to do. That might include refueling, refilling water and adjusting your clothing or bike. On a hot day, you can even ask the attendants to dump some water down your back!
Aid stations are also a great place to take a step back and assess how your day is going. Maybe it’s not going your way, and this is a good time to try and get things under control.
Mistakes are exponentially costly
And this is especially the case in stage racing. As days go by, the effects of mistakes can begin to compound and become even more costly.
Dial back your risk assumption to avoid wrecks and injury. Don’t cheat yourself out of the ride you know you are capable of and want, but stage racing isn’t the time to take the glory line just because! Wrecks can lead to poor sleep or having to ride with uncomfortable pads on your knees or elbows, for example.
Stick to your fuel and hydration plans. Eat and drink even if you aren’t hungry or thirsty. It will only benefit you.
Celebrate, but not too hard… “I'm a big believer in that post-ride beer, hanging out with friends and swapping stories and doing all the fun stuff,” says Emma, “but I need for me not to have that second beer, and not to decide to go out dancing at nine o'clock at night. An excellent choice for after the race, but not for after stage 4!”
A clean bike is a fast bike
“One of my coaches early on always told me that a clean bike is a fast bike,” recalls Emma, “And I just rolled my eyes because it was just a way to make me wrench on my own bike.”
But, during a stage race, it’s really important to take care of your bike—after you take care of yourself. Once she’s fueled and hydrated, Emma washes her bike and goes over every component and every inch of it. Especially if she happened to notice any issues on course that day like rough shifting or squeaky brakes.
It’s important to take the time to check everything out and make the necessary adjustments as soon as possible. That way, if something is wrong and you need the event mechanics or a local bike shop to fix it, you’ll have time to connect with them. They may be busy and you’ll want to get your bike to them quickly.
How to approach the middle stages
Manage your energy. Emma loves to race strategically and even burn a few matches during a stage, but she’s careful not to put herself in a hole on any given day. She prefers to end a stage with a little bit of energy left in the tank.
If stuck in a pack, eat, drink, stretch, etc., but don’t stress. Stressing and trying to find a place to pass expends energy. Emma sees this as an opportunity to recover, move around in the saddle and maybe even eat one of her favourite snacks! This sets her up to make a move when the course opens up again.
Friends make the miles tick away. Make some friends. Riding with others makes the race a lot more fun.
Stick to your post-ride routine. Whatever yours is, it’s important to stay consistent so that you don’t miss anything.
How to approach the final stage
If there’s a stage to throw caution to the wind, this is it. You can finish the final stage with nothing left in the tank, and it’s not even the end of the world if you finish below that!
Manage mental fatigue. Six days of stage racing is physically tough, but it’s also very mentally demanding. You’re riding trails you’ve likely never ridden before while also managing the day’s problems and mistakes as they arise. All this can lead to mental fatigue that really adds up. Luckily, to account for this, the last stage of most races is generally a little shorter, and less technically demanding.
Now get out there and race!
For most, dialing in a stage race strategy is done through trial and error, over a long period of time. But learning from others is a great way to save yourself a great deal of time and effort. Armed with Emma’s tips and strategies, you’ll be able to avoid many of the mistakes she’s made over the years and make the most of your own stage racing experience.
Emma Maaranen
Emma is a professional mountain biker and co-founder of the KS Kenda Women’s Elite MTB Team. She’s competed in numerous stage races, including BreckEpic, Downieville All-Mountain and Quebec Singletrack Experience, to name a few. When she isn’t racing, Emma spends time coaching mountain biking with Wenzel Coaching and working on her #LadySwarm project, which strives to bring more women into local races. She is also on the board of directors of the Central Oregon Trail Alliance, an organization that develops new trails and maintains over 800km of singletrack.
We want to hear from you!
What’s a part of your race day routine that you absolutely can’t go without?
How do you celebrate at the end of a stage race?
Let us know in the comments section below.