Your Secret Weapon – 4 Steps to Dominate the 2025 National Secondary School MTB Champs.

 

Alright, let’s get real. You’re heading to the National Secondary Schools MTB Champs in Nelson. You’re fit, you’ve put in the hours, and you can ride. But so can everyone else lining up at that start gate. [1] Hard work is just the entry fee.

If you want to stand on the podium, you need an edge. This isn’t about riding more; it’s about riding smarter. This is the playbook for the stuff 95% of your competition won’t do. It’s hard, it’s gotta be deliberate, and it’s your secret weapon. Let’s get into it.

 

1. Know the Track Better Than Your TikTok Feed

Winning isn’t about reacting to the trail; it’s about telling the trail what to do. To do that, you need to know it so well you could ride it in your sleep.

Pro racers memorize tracks to free up their brain’s “bandwidth.” [5] If you’re thinking, “Okay, left-hand berm, then roots,” you’re already losing time. By memorizing the track, you automate the navigation. Your brain is free to focus on the important stuff: nailing a line, managing your energy, or planning an attack. [6]

Your Mission:

• Film Everything: During practice on the Nelson courses (DT25, Koata Whetu, Top Dog, the Maitai XC loop, etc.), stick a GoPro on and record your runs.
• Study the Replay: Watch your footage. Where were you slow? Where were your lines messy? Errors you don’t even notice while riding will be glaringly obvious on video.
• Visualize Your Perfect Run: Before you go to sleep, close your eyes and “ride” the entire course in your head. See your lines, feel the compressions, hear your freehub buzzing. If you make a mistake in your head, rewind and do it again until it’s perfect. [8] Your brain will build muscle memory even while you’re lying in bed. [10]

2. Build a Race-Winning Power Plant

Mountain bike races aren’t won at a steady pace. They’re won in short, violent, leg-searing bursts: sprinting out of corners, punching over climbs, and dropping the hammer on the flats. [11] You need an engine built for that.

The Workout: This High-Intensity Interval (HIIT) session is brutal, which is why most people skip it.

• The Set: Find a hill or a quiet road. In a 3-minute window, smash out as many 10-second, all-out sprints as you can. Aim for ten or more.
• The Recovery: After the 3-minute block, spin easy for 5 minutes.
• Repeat: Start with 3-4 sets and build up to 6-8 over a few weeks.

Your Mission:

This workout builds raw power, but that power is useless unless you know where to use it. During your practice laps, identify 5-10 “Power Zones” on each course—places where a 10-second sprint will gain you time. [13] This could be out of a slow corner on Loam Ranger, over a rooty pinch on the XC course, or on a flat pedal-fest on the DT25 DH track. [14] Program these sprint points into your mental map.

3. Brake Less to Go Faster

This sounds wrong, but it’s the key to carrying speed. Most riders drag their brakes, killing momentum. Pros brake with controlled aggression: later, harder, and for a shorter amount of time. [15] The goal is to separate braking from turning. Brake hard on the straight, then get off the levers to let the bike rip through the corner. [17]

Your Mission:

• The Front Brake Drill: This is the pro’s secret. Find a safe section of trail and ride it using increasing amounts of your front brake, start slow and safe, then build speed and your trust in the front brake. This drill is scary at first, but it forces you into a strong, low attack position and teaches you to trust the most powerful brake on your bike. [19] Master this, and you’ll master your braking.
• Map Your Braking: Just like your sprint points, you need to know your braking points. Identify the sections where you’ll brake hard and, just as importantly, the “no-brake zones” (like wet roots or off-camber sections) where you need to roll in with your speed already set. [18]

4. Turn Your Weak Spots into Strengths

Every track has a section that makes people nervous. For you, that section is now an opportunity. The process is called “sessioning,” and it’s about turning a weakness into a weapon. [21]

Instead of just surviving a tricky part of the trail, you stop and work on it until you own it. Most racers just do full laps, practicing their mistakes over and over. You’re going to be different. [23]

Your Mission:

• Isolate and Analyze: Pick that one root garden, steep chute, or awkward switchback that throws you off. Get off your bike and walk it. Look for different lines—the main line isn’t always the fastest. [24]
• Ride, Repeat, Film: Ride the section slowly, focusing on your new line. Then, hike back up and do it again. And again. [26] Prop your phone up and film yourself. You might feel like you’re in a good position, but the video doesn’t lie. [21]
• Experiment: Try different body positions, enter with more speed, try a different gear. Keep experimenting until you can flow through it with confidence and speed. [28]
• Lock It In: Once you’ve solved it, that new line, body position, and gear choice becomes part of your mental blueprint from step one. The section that used to cause anxiety is now a place where you’ll gain time and confidence.

The Final Word

These four steps aren’t just separate tips; they’re an interconnected system. Your mental map needs to include your sprint zones, your braking points, and your perfected lines through the hard sections.

This is the deliberate, focused work that makes a difference on race day. It’s tough, and it requires discipline, which is exactly why it will give you the edge.

The Nats are just around the corner. You have the plan. Now go earn the result.

For a more detailed breakdown of these techniques, including specific drills and video resources, you can email us on info@gravitynelson.co.nz to request our full, in-depth report.

Works cited

1. 2024 Secondary School MTB champs. – Nelson Mountain Bike Club, accessed July 15, 2025, https://nelsonmtb.club/elementor-12913/
2. National School MTB Championships 2024 | My Next Challenge, accessed July 15, 2025, https://mynextchallenge.co.nz/events/bike/national-school-mtb-championships-2024/
3. NZ Secondary School Champs. Event Sponsorship Terms 2024 – Nelson Mountain Bike Club, accessed July 15, 2025, https://nelsonmtb.club/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/NZ-Secondary-School-Champs.-Event-Sponsorship-Terms-2024-3.pdf
4. National School MTB Championships – Cycling New Zealand Schools, accessed July 15, 2025, https://schools.cyclingnewzealand.nz/events-and-results/national-school-mtb-championships/
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20. MTB skills: How to boss the brakes – woom, accessed July 15, 2025, https://woom.com/en_INT/mountain-biking/riding-technique-braking
21. Section Training to Improve Your Riding – Mountain Bikes Apart, accessed July 15, 2025, https://www.mountainbikesapart.com/training/section-training-to-improve-your-riding/
22. How To Session A Street Spot With Blake & Martyn – YouTube, accessed July 15, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_ThXL4MC6U
23. Sessioning Trail Features: The Best Way to Enhance Your MTB Skills – Singletracks, accessed July 15, 2025, https://www.singletracks.com/mtb-tips/sessioning-trail-features-the-best-way-to-enhance-your-mountain-biking-skills/
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28. How to Looks Like a Session | Mountain Bike Technique » Psychological – IMB, accessed July 15, 2025, https://www.imbikemag.com/technique/psychological/looks-like-a-session/