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I have been racing mountian bikes for about 5 years now, and I have a few pointers that helped me out alot.
1. Find a good bike shop. If you go to a place like k-mart to get parts for your bike, they will just sell you whatever they have in the store at the time. A good local shop will make sure you get exactly what you need.
2. Find a friend interested in joining you. Biking is 10x as fun with a friend. You will find yourself pushing harder (friendly compitition between friends is great) and having a lot more fun than going it alone.
3. Try some off-road stuff. When I first started, I just rode around town with a friend. We started going off road, and found it to be far far more fun. A few years after that, I started entering local races. You will find out you push alot harder knowing you have an upcomming race.
4. Make sure you have a good all around corse, and time yourself on it. I have 3 or 4 routes I take around my house, and know how long it should take me (I have a book, but its not really needed). That way you can push yourself more and more.
5. Most importantly, have fun. Any kind of sport is going to suck unless you have fun doing it. Try and meet people at your local shop and see if they have weekend or weeknight rides you can join in on. You will get lots of tips on your bike and riding style. Plus you might meet some new friends while your at it =)
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