Training

Training in the Post Season for Endurance Athletes

Submitted by Ben Welnak on

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Coach Curt Wilhelm

This is the first article in a series, directed towards the changing seasons – off season through race season. They are meant to provide some general guidelines, thoughts, and tips to help you toe the start line in your best shape.
I like to think of the transition period between the end of the race season and the start of the next training season as the “postseason.” It’s an essential period that allows the athlete to fully recover mentally and physically and to allow time to reflect on the previous season.? Once all the racing over, it’s a good time to let the body and mind heal. By the end of the season, you’ve put your body through enough stress preparing for and traveling to races, while maintaining a balance of career and family, that I recommend taking an entire week or two off the bike completely.  Instead, you may want to try some other activities, such as some short hikes, gym workouts, or treadmill or elliptical trainer sessions. It’s important to stay active with short, easy sessions to keep your body moving, and keep your mind clear and ready to come back stronger, fresher, and enthusiastic to train your butt off.

After the postseason break, I use the good weather for a period of two weeks to two months to simply enjoy the time on the bike. It's important to emphasize enjoyment of riding and being outside. You may want to leave the power meter and heart rate monitor at home and don’t worry about getting in your intervals or sprints - only fun riding! You can even ride hard and chase your friends around if you’re feeling up to it. The rides are not about training because you'll have plenty of time to do that later. 

Base training should start about six months before your first “A” race and generally lasts about twelve weeks. For some riders, it works to hang their bike up over the winter. Just keep in mind that if you are one of those that hangs up your bike, that you will likely lose a great deal of fitness and gain unwanted pounds.  If you do hang up the bike during the winter months, focus on cross training, including running, cross country skiing, weight training, or other cardio work, such as elliptical machines.  It's much easier to start the base period with some fitness and within 5-8 pounds of your race weight than having to work your way back and try to lose 10-15 pounds.? The following are some tips to help you get through the postseason and be ready for the base period:

Cross'n it up at night in Denver

Submitted by Kris Thompson on

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By avid reader, John Philips
Cyclocross is alive and kicking in the South Denver Suburbs! At BikeSource in Highlands Ranch we have a Wednesday night cyclocross ride that starts at 6pm. Hans, our store manager, begins by loading up his Surly Big Dummy cargo bike with portable barriers, his cyclocross bike and snacks from Whole Foods in Highlands Ranch (one of our awesome sponsors). We cruise over to one of several local parks and set-up a mini cross course. Once the course is ready, we do a slow lap so everyone knows the course. Then we’ll do 2-3 fast laps. To catch our breath, we relax for a few minutes and enjoy the snacks—this week it was hot apple cider and ginger snaps! After snacktime, we usually do some skill work. Hopping barriers, cornering, and transitions are commonly addressed. Some nights we’ll run another set of hot laps. We then pack up and ride casually back to the shop.
Anyone is welcome—we ride mostly cyclocross bikes but also some folks ride mtn bikes. Dress warmly, as it is getting chilly once the sun goes down. Good front and rear lights are important to see the course.

Ten Common Cyclocross Racing Mistakes

Submitted by David on

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Pete Webber - 2010 Aspen Lodge

As part Boulder Cycle Sport's 2010 Cross Week Pete Webber gave a slideshow on Ten Common Cross Racing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them which I attended Tuesday evening.

My notes say "Top 10 List of Mistakes". They are all really basic but I am sure we have all made them. Pete said something like "if you haven't you will" referring to making the top 10 mistakes. Here is the list along with this cyclocross racers experience with each one.

  1. Lack of Pre-Race Rituals
    • I am pretty good with this one. I know exactly how much time I need to be ready for my start time. This includes registration and finding porto-potties on arrival. Brandon Dwight mentioned that he has a spreadsheet with everything that he will need for race day. Check out Greg Keller's race day rituals
  2. Not being prepared for race day conditions
  3. Making last minute changes
    • I have learned the hard way from this one. I used to run a lot and one time I used a new pair of shoes for a marathon. Around 15 miles my feet were killing me and I had the worst blisters ever. No changes for me.
  4. Poor start
    • This is one of the areas where I struggle. One race my start is good then the next, terrible. An area that needs more practice.

Cyclocross Strength and Stretching Clinic

Submitted by David on

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Any one who has competed in this first month of cyclocross season is probably feeling the affects. A little stretching and strengthening would be good for all of us. Ann Trombley will be hosting a clinic this Wednesday, October 20th. We asked her a few questions about the clinic.

[303Cycling] Give us the basics
When: Wed Oct 20th at 6:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.
Where: Fascat Performance Cycling Center 4550 Broadway unit C-3B
How Much: It is FREE!

[303Cycling] Are there any requirements to participate?
[Ann] Yes, you must be prepared to be active or perform stretching and strengthening activities, provided you don't have any serious injuries. So, wear clothes that you can work out in.

[303Cycling] Will you be offering on-going strength and stretching clases?
[Ann] If there is an interest, I would definitely be willing to do more stretching and strengthening classes.

Cyclocross Warm Up Protocol

Submitted by David on

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Our latest edition of coaching tips comes from Frank Overton of FasCat Coaching in Boulder. Since cyclocross season is upon us we thought it would be good to continue with the cyclocross tips. Frank talks about how to warm up for a cyclocross race.

By Frank Overton
FasCat Coaching, LLC
4550 North Broadway, Unit C-3B
Boulder, CO 80304
frank@fascatcoaching.com

The first lap of a Cyclocross race is arguably the hardest and fastest out of all the endurance cycling disciplines. Going from 80 beats per minute to 180 bpm demands a thorough warm up.

A proper warm-up will allow racers to go ballistic on the first lap without worrying about blowing up or having to reduce their intensity in later laps. Dare I say, it will hurt less? Below you will find a starting point for developing your own Cyclocross warm up routine. I say ‘developing’ because everybody is different and should customize their warm up to how their body works. Take these considerations plus the structure and try it for yourself. Tweak your warm up the next race and the next and before long you’ll have a repeatable individualized warm-up dialed into you!

Notice from the figure above that the x axis is actually a countdown to your race because a good warm up is all about timing. The first half of your warm up is the all important course inspection. The second half should be dedicated to revving up your engine and timing the end of your warm up in relation to your start.

CYCLOCROSS: In 10 Muddy, Beer Stained Steps

Submitted by Kris Thompson on

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Written by Craig Randall on Twitter.


Photo Credit: Rob O'Dea

1. Dirt + Speed: It’s no wonder many cyclocross races are given the “gran prix” moniker; these suckers are fast and typically circle a short course. Think of it like a road criterium with less chance for limb-thrashing road rash and a propensity for powerslides.

2. Hand-ups: What makes cyclocross such a different animal is that it’s as much about intensity as it is hijinx. “Hand-ups” come in a few varieties; beer hand-ups are when fans place sudsy beverages in the hands of speeding-by racers. It’s like a road race’s feedzone but with a rock n’ roll twist ‘cause these drinks ain’t for hydration. Another common hand-up is cold hard cash. Want the riders to ‘up the pace and incite some chaos? Extend a $5 bill over the course tape and watch these workingmen earn their keep.

3. The hole shot: because they’re short, cyclocross races typically start in a fury with riders sprinting from a wider start line to narrower single track in an effort to snag the coveted hole. Making the hole shot ever more important is that the bulk of a cyclocross race occurs on a narrow course, impacting your ability to pass. Bury yourself to get the hole shot – it’ll hurt but you’ll have great position and, besides, pain is what beer hand-ups are for (see # 2).

4. Call-ups: Cyclocross racing’s most contested race happens before the start gun even fires. The announcer’s “call-up” effectively determines your start line position. If you’re outside of a 1st-through-3rd row call-up you’ll spend your race yo-yo’ing off the back and fighting for thirtieth place. Secured an early row start? Your race will include a fight for the hole shot and a good chance at stealing the ‘w.’ Call-up position is generally determined by your previous racing success (points) or if you’re just a memorable character. Being weird, or being a local, or being well known because of previous race heroics will definitely help your chances of a stellar call-up. But sometimes announcers are just biased. Deal with it. Or just get faster.

Cyclocross Pre-Season Training

Submitted by David on

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Coach Brandon Dwight - Boulder Cycle Sport

It's Mid July - Do you know where your Cyclocross bike is?

Everyone who has ridden cyclocross knows that training should start in August. Here at 303Cycling we decided to get some tips from a professional coach, Frank Overton, for motivation and the best possible kick off for the training and racing season. Check out what we learned below as well as some details for FasCat Coaching's cyclocross camp in mid-august.

[303Cycling] What should a cyclocross racer be thinking to start the season?

[Frank - FasCat Coaching] Top 5 things you should do for your pre-season Cyclocross training:

1. Make sure you take a break from racing towards the end of road season, like a week or so. It's the 1 step backwards but 2 steps forward analogy. If you take it now you'll be fine in October and November during the meat of the cyclocross season. I see all too often athletes coming into the cyclocross season straight from a road or mountain bike season and while they may be fine for September and October - they are more likely to burn out in November. Breaks are important mentally and physically so you can have the "fire and desire" that cyclocross requires.

2. Ride as much as you can during July and August to build the biggest "base" possible. Not racing doesn't mean not riding. The bigger your aerobic engine is, the more powerful your anaerobic engine can be.

3. Before you incorporate any running into your training, go for 3 or 4 substantial hikes. My preference as a cyclocross coach is to have athletes hike during August and then towards the latter half of the month, perform dismount & remount drills with running. I continue this and more in September. Running is really a very small component of cyclocross. It's more about skills & technique combined with running. I like to have athletes work specifically on technique while running to get a better result.

Given enough time, I also like to work in some plyometrics training to go above and beyond hiking and running.

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