Momentum Endurance, LLC

Momentum rider Sarah Lukas placed third in the U23 Womens race – congrats! Cyclocross Nationals in Bend, OR was a fantastic race weekend with some very challenging course conditions. This race proved to be a great close to 2009 Cyclocross season.  Thanks for being there and making it happen.

Momentum Endurance LLC is your source for endurance coaching.  Take a look through the pages to see how Momentum can benefit athletes of all experience levels.  Don’t hesitate to contact us with questions or for additional information.

Thanks for stopping by,

Travis Woodruff

who: you and your cyclocross friends
what: Cyclocross Practice
when: 7:00 am Fridays
where: Himmel Park (google directions)
why: have fun while refining your skill and fitness all at the same time

Take advantage of an opportunity to hone in your ‘cross skills with a weekly cyclocross session. This informal practice It’s a chance for experienced riders and beginners alike to practice their skills and work on cyclocross-specific fitness. Cross is a unique blend of road bike speed and mountain bike handling so no matter what your background chances are good that you’ll love the unique challenge. Whether cyclocross is something brand new to you, or if you’re a veteran of the discipline, feel free to join us. Ride your cross bike or your MTB (minus bar-ends).

We use PVC barriers for practice so it’s easy to setup a mock course and/or practice our transitions without intimidating wooden barriers. If you want to give ‘cross a try, or if there’s a specific aspect of your ‘cross riding that you’d like to improve upon, this will be a great opportunity to learn and have fun. Have questions or need further details? Simply check out our practice or email info@momentumendurance.com with your question.  See you there!

For further reference, here are some links to helpful cyclocross resources:

Wiki – what is cyclocross?
AZCross.com (AZ Championship Series)
CyclingDirt.org

It’s that time of the year when many competitive cyclists reflect on the season, determining what went well and what could have gone better. It’s healthy to review the year and the process helps a rider determine new goals for next season. Improving upon the ‘could have gone better’ experiences is often the goal so the challenge becomes sorting out how or what needs to be modified. Enlisting the help of a professional coach is an excellent way to quicken the learning curve while avoiding some of the pitfalls along the way. There are plenty of coaches out there so finding the right coach is important.

Joe Friel is considered by many to be one of the best in the business and certainly one of the originators when it comes to coaching cyclists. My first introduction to cycling physiology or organized training came through his The Cyclist’s Training Bible. For many riders this book continues to provide a great knowledge base of all things cycling fitness related. Recently Joe has posted a three part series on his blog which overviews the process of finding the right coach. It’s very well done and I encourage anyone who might be “coach shopping” to give it a read through.

Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Feel free to contact Momentum Endurance with any questions or if you might like to learn more about what we’re doing.

Ted Hanes, Momentum Endurance athlete since ‘07, was the fastest amateur racer at the 48 mile Ore to Shore MTB race thus earning rights to the Golden Bike. In a field comprised of the fastest regional riders Ted finished 8th overall, right in the mix with the pro licensed riders. This Ore to Shore went down in history as the fastest one yet.

Coming off of a recent Lactate Threshold training block Ted was able to establish himself near the front early on (without the luxury of a preferred start) and stayed there for the full duration of the race. His dedication to training has really shown this season with consistently stronger results.

As the Golden Bike winner, Ted will have the chance to compete all expenses paid in the Landmine Classic at Hingham, MA on September 13th. This will be the final stop of the Gold Bike Series so it’s sure to be a hotly contested race. Here’s to Ted’s excellent Ore to Shore result and his chance to race for the bike once again! Congrats,

Riding more might improve your racing, while doing specific training will almost certainly improve your performance. This is not earth-shattering news for Momentum Endurance athletes, but it is a good reminder for anyone interested in going faster on race day or finding that ‘break-through’ experience with their personal fitness.

Want to go Faster? You need a Trainer

Give this NY Times article a read.

MTB Nationals at Sol Vista Resort near Granby, Colorado was a great event for Momentum Endurance riders. Erica Zaveta showed that her skills are equally suited for mountain biking as they have been for road racing this season with a couple of 5th place finishes in the U23 XC and Expert STXC races. Perry was off to a great start with his XC, but unfortunately his race ended prematurely due to an untimely mechanical.  I tried my hand with something different in the singlespeed race and came home with 2nd place.  A lot of energy goes into racing the National Championships and it’s gratifying when this translate into results. I’m often most impressed with the preperations and the hard work riders are willing to do while aiming for their goals. The dedication leading up to an event often speaks more than the final outcome.

Erica in the STXC

It was great to see numerous juniors in attendance for the weekend. There was a buzz about the further development of high school leagues and races since Colorado will soon be adopting a model similar to that used by California. Seeing numerous riders reach new levels with their results was inspiring. Having Adam Craig blitz the high altitude guys (at 8400 ft) to win the STXC was a victory for all of the sea level riders who suffered like never before. These are just a few of the great stories within mountain biking and the sport seems to be alive and healthy. Cyclingdirt.org has done a great job with interviews and video clips all season long. Check out some of my favorites from Nationals:  Heather Post XC win, Adam STXC win,  Chloe & Amy U23, myself post-singlespeed

What it Takes

Mental toughness wins mountain bike races. In most all races there will be several riders who possess the physical capacities to win, but only one racer crosses the finish line first. At bigger competitions the likelihood of more riders who are physically capable of winning is increased, so accordingly mental toughness becomes evermore important.  At state or regional level races perhaps there are two to five riders who have the fitness and skill required to win the race.  At the World Championships twenty riders will be within fractional percentages of ‘what it takes to win’ on paper. As races become more competitive, mental toughness becomes increasingly important.   

There are numerous ways for a coach to measure the likelihood of an athlete scoring a win. Most considerations are fitness based such as one’s power to weight ratio; arguably for good reason since fitness is what will carry a rider ‘into the mix’. On race day watts/kg certainly does not tell the entire story. It takes something more than fitness to get ‘out of the mix’ and to the finish line first. Riding skill counts for something, and bike setup can be a small factor, but mental toughness is the biggest element aside from fitness alone. Possessing the mentality of a winner enables a rider to win.

Those who win most frequently likely have a higher level of mental toughness, or they’re mentally tough more consistently than the competition. When the going gets really tough, they are able to keep going despite the circumstances that be.

The winning rider’s mindset leaves no room for insecurities and confidence defines the critical mental moments during the race. How critical race moments are perceived and the degree to which mental control is exercised over these situations allows us to define mental toughness. Does a rider keep mentally in control of the situation or do they feel helpless when the going gets tough?  

A Race Situation

Let’s compare two mental approaches to the same race situation.

Rider C makes a subtle, but important acceleration during the final lap of a challenging xc race… Rider B senses to be on the receiving end of Rider C’s efforts, feeling as if they are at the mercy of Rider C with the given acceleration. Rider B quickly thinks of how well Rider C has been riding all day, especially on the climbs. 

Even though the pace has been fast all race, Rider A has anticipated a late race move and is mentally ‘on to’ this increased pace from Rider C. For Rider A, this is where the race truly begins since there is no longer room for error. This dueling is what Rider A loves most about racing and accordingly A’s mindset is ‘bring it’. Just as they have done with challenging workouts or in previous races, Rider A is very ready to respond to the situation in a positive manner.

What’s going to happen next with our three racers? Well nine times out of ten Rider B will be dropped on the very next climb while Rider A matches the pace and is willing to physically and mentally battle it out with Rider C for the win. Keep in mind that our three riders all share roughly the same high level of fitness and along with the same level of riding skill or technique. All three made it to the late stages of the race after many grueling miles and previous tough selections. It is at this critical moment of the race where the mentally tough rider is able to draw out confidence rather than insecurity. Riders who win consistently are mentally tough. Even if having a less than perfect day physically, a mentally tough rider can sometimes win by exercising a lot of mental fortitude. Keep in mind that most racers have good days and bad days and that our Riders A and B could be the same person on two different days – one being a good mental day and the other being a not so good mental day.  It’s a simple example but we can see that racing is equally mentally demanding as it is physically.  The racers who can consistently use mental toughness are those who win most often.

Practice Positively

Where does this mental toughness come from and how do riders acquire it? Some riders seem to naturally exude high levels of mental toughness during competition, and they’ve likely worked very hard to develop and maintain such an intense focus.  Mental skill (or lack thereof) is something practiced and honed with every workout. Many riders fail to recognize this and go on practicing poorly every time they ride. When a rider is willing to positively change their mental approach with daily training it’s a natural way for a racing transformation to follow. It’s foolish to think that we will be mentally stronger in races than we are during training.  Not only are challenging workouts required for improved fitness, but in a similar way training our minds to positively cope with the stresses of competition is equally important. When the going gets tough a rider must be able to draw confidence from what they’ve practiced.  

Each ride should include a mental skills component. At the end of the day it’s important that your training goes well physically and also mentally. Many riders are willing to do the physical work, but negative self talk, poor confidence, or other hang ups can get in the way of improving mentally. On race day this rider might be fit enough to win, but will not have the mental toughness to do so.  Workouts need to physically and mentally challenging yet successfully doable. The perception of the whole training process must be positive if a rider is to improve their race-readiness.

Develop Mental Toughness

It’s my goal to always consider the importance of further developing mental toughness in those who I work with. An increased awareness of your own mental game is a great place to start. Take note of your focus, your thoughts, and your mindset during your workouts. Are you crushing it or are you getting crushed by those intervals?  Make certain that your mindset is conducive to becoming more mentally tough. Be aware of what you are thinking and how it’s impacting your performance. Not only will having more mental toughness improve your results, but it makes for a better racing experience. Most of us ride and race because we enjoy pushing our limits and challenging ourselves.  In order to see what’s possible we can not hold ourselves back with a lack of mental toughness. Take control of your thoughts, make the positive, and race faster.

Over the past weekend I took advantage of the opportunity to attend the Elite Coaching conference offered by USAC at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. Always wanting to be a ’student of coaching science’  it was a great four days of listening to presenting lecturers along with plenty of discussions concerning an array of cycling performance related topics. About thirty coaches were in attendance, all having differing backgrounds and connections to the sport . At times some of the material certainly raised questions, but this is all part of the learning process. As a coach it can be easy to get comfortable with a set way of doing the training, but as more research is done there will always be ways that we can better ‘tweak’ the old tried-and-true, even if for no reason other than to offer a rider a new challenge towards a familiar outcome.  The conference was a good reminder that it’s important to question methodology and to do things purposefully.

My coaching mantra has always been to understand a rider’s situation (how does riding mesh with the day-to-day life) and goals, then to move forward by prescribing purposeful and directed training so that progress can be measured and goals accomplished along the way.  Fitting with this philosophy, the discussions concerning nutrition periodization, sports psychology, interval training, and overtraining were all very applicable. With some athletes more coaching attention given to nutritional concerns could really aid their overall performance, while for others more conversation regarding the ‘nuts and bolts’ of their interval sessions might be most helpful in the end.

Each rider brings something unique to the coaching experience so having four days to cover an umbrella of topics was fantastic. I’m excited to use a bit of the conference with each of the athletes I’m working with. Coaching is rewarding work and the conference proved to be a nice part of my continuing education. As a USAC certified coach since 2003, it’s nice to have earned the ‘Level I’ certification, even though certifications don’t mean a whole lot when it really comes down to the day in/day out coaching. Fortunately those who I work with seem to agree that it’s largely a positive experience.

Enjoy the ride,