MTB-O vs Foot-O Process

This is an intermediate, intermediate-advanced post-- targeted at those who are already familiar with some orienteering terms.

Hmm.. one compass points to the left while the other points to the right. I'll trust my Suunto with the stronger needle, 

but I have to remember that the compass direction can change due to the angle of the board!

As the Mountain Bike Orienteering World Championships approach, the most beneficial training I can do is to carve out a mental process that is particular to mountain bike orienteering.

When orienteering on foot, I have a process- a checklist of sorts.

1. Choose a route based off of an 'attack point'. An attack point is a feature near the control that you can find with confidence before finding the control itself.
2. Fold the map so that it shows only the section I need and keep my thumb on the map as to where I am, moving my thumb as I move in the terrain.
3. Keep my map 'oriented' so that what I see ahead of me on the map matches what I see ahead of me in reality.
4. Once I'm traveling on my chosen route, mentally check off landmarks as I see them and then try to anticipate what I will see next.
5. If I'm running an 'easy' section of the route, such as along a distinct trail that will end at a distinct junction, then I will use the extra 'brain space' to: check the control description, choose an exit out of the control, and even plan a route to the control after that!

One might think that MTB-O would have an identical process, but there are some nuances that differentiate it!

1. Most controls are on trail, so "attack points" are less relevant, but the direction in which you go through a control is even more so. Having to turn around on a mountain bike is a larger time penalty than when on foot, so dog-legging (traveling to and from the control along the same path) is to be avoided when possible.
2. I can't fold or 'thumb' the map, because the map is strapped to a flat board and my hands need to be on the handlebars! Knowing what corner of the map I'm in becomes another bit of information to hold in my brain. I need to be able to glance quickly at the map and get as much information as possible in 2 seconds, instead of wasting 1.5 seconds looking for where on the map I am and only having a half second left to glean information before my eyes dart back to the trail so I can ride over a big root.
3. Keeping the map oriented for every direction change on a trail is not practical on a bike. Instead, I monitor the compass going in and out of alignment and re-orient my map less often.
4. I can't check the map as obsessively as I do on foot, because I need to keep my eyes on the trail! To compensate, I have to hold more information in my memory. 

Those are just a few of the differences between Foot-O and Mtb-O. There are some that deserve posts of their own. Meanwhile, the 2012 MTB-O WOC is drawing near! I had better play some more online memory-O.