tjwoodruff

Thanks to the votes received from other USA Cycling certified coaches, I was recently elected to the coach’s position on the USA Cycling Mountain Bike Committee. The committee exists to guide US mountain bike racing in the right direction and is comprised of eleven representatives, all coming from various realms within the sport.

I’m excited for this opportunity to serve USA Cycling members I and look forward to ensuring a healthy future for our sport. The first meeting that I’ll be attending will be October 10-12 in Colorado Springs.  As part of my nomination, here is the statement that I included:

“As an active USAC Level I coach and professional mountain bike racer, I am interested in fulfilling the ‘Coach’ position on the Mountain Bike Committee. Having the opportunity to work with juniors, seniors and masters alike, all of who compete at various levels and in various disciplines of our sport, I am highly motivated to serve USA Cycling members and ensure a healthy future for mountain bike racing.  It is important to me personally and professionally that USA Cycling serves the needs of its members and provides quality experiences for all of us to enjoy over the long-term.  As a full-time cycling coach who participates in races across the country it will be my goal to provide feedback and direction as to how USAC can improve upon its own work.  I am particularly interested in rider development and the pathways which exist for racers who are aspiring to compete on the National team. I appreciate your consideration and wish you the best of rides.”

Gear to be found in Over The Edge Bikes & Coffee.

And we’re not talking about the off-season type of cross training here…  We are talking about cyclocross training!  Local races are starting in Colorado, Illinois, and on the East Coast. Cross will be taking over the cycling world soon.  With the first USGP and local races everywhere just a few weeks away,  now is the time to start getting specific.

First and foremost I highly recommend going out and doing one or two easy runs per week.  A lot of people think there is a lot of running in cyclocross, however most of the time this is not the case. On a majority of courses you are off of your bike for five seconds, you run 15 feet, and then you are back on your bike.  In some races you may run uphill, while in others it’s flat over the barriers.  No matter the particulars of the course, the amount of running is most often limited to less than 30 seconds per lap.  This equals only three to five minutes per race. We recommend running in order to get the muscles prepared for the pounding they’ll experience during those first few steps off the bike.  When dismounting for a barrier at 15 mph eccentric muscle contractions in the legs act as your brakes when transitioning into your run stride. To prepare the leg muscles for this type of stress, a little running will go a long ways. By building up your running and cyclocross transitions gradually, you’ll reduce the risk of overuse injury too.  As you get further along into the season running becomes less important since you are probably racing on the weekends and practicing during the week – thus you’ll have plenty of cross-specific running built in already.

Secondly I recommend that you incorporate some cross-specific workouts into your plan.  Nothing on the road can replicate the specific efforts of cross racing. Making big accelerations out of grassy corners, the transition over the barriers, dismounting and remounting are all skills that can’t be practiced on the road bike. Plan to get out to your favorite park for a midweek workout.  Set up some barriers (easily made from PVC and portable too) and a short five to six minute lap so that you can race your buddies like there is $1,000,000 on the line!

The best part about cross season is that while the volume of training might be less, the intensity goes way up!  Lots of AC (Anaerobic Capacity) Intervals, Micro Intervals, and VO2 Max Intervals help to replicate racing intensity.  My favorite workout is the 30:30:30.  Ride over to your favorite cross course and setup a 90 second lap.  You’ll do thirty seconds at full speed on the bike, dismount, go 30 seconds full speed running (uphill), remount, do ten hard pedal strokes, and then 30 seconds of recovery. Repeat this cycle for six or seven laps.  The more fit you are the more six or seven lap sessions you’ll be able to do. Building up to three is a great goal while starting off with a just single set works best for most of us.

Whether you are racing fast for the stars and stripes jersey or racing fast to make it to the next beer hand up, cross is here and the time to train hard is now!

-Coach Brian

Motivation is a big part (the biggest part perhaps) of what we do on our bikes.  We are motivated to keep fit, motivated to push ourselves and motivated to race as a chance to see where we stack up against the competition.   Motivation is never static and it’ll certainly have its peaks and valleys over the entirety of a long season.  For the most part, athletes (especially endurance athletes) are highly intrinsically motivated individuals. Why else would we voluntarily push ourselves so hard?  This general willingness to ‘do the work’ is what allows our fitness to build and our confidence to grow.

Motivation to train and motivation to race are independent of one another. Knowing how the two correlate in context to your race schedule is very helpful.  Consider how your motivation changes as the season progresses.  It should go without saying that motivation to train is always helpful for building fitness while motivation to race is necessary for your best results.  If and when you find a situation without any priority races in the near future and generally low motivation to train, it’s likely a good time to take a well-earned break.

If you’ve trained well, raced hard and had an excellent season then you’re likely due for some R&R this fall. It is important to recharge physically and mentally so that you can later kick off your 2012 campaign freshened up, motivated and ready to go.   If your season didn’t go as planned or if you encountered some setbacks along the way and you’re still motivated to ‘get it back’ then this fall will be an excellent opportunity to rebuild some fitness while the weather and daylight still allow.

The right fall training can include a number of different options for an even greater number of situations.  Consider your motivation and where things stand in the bigger picture.  Be sure to talk to Brian or I and we’ll steer you in the right direction so that you’re making the most of your training time and energy.  Riding is most fun when we’re doing it for all of the right reasons so let’s be sure that your fall plans are set accordingly.

-Coach Travis

With the huge growth of US cyclocross, the season arrives earlier and earlier each year.  This year is no exception as the first cross race with big prize money has already happened.  In the past cross has been dominated by the Europeans, but now Americans are starting to get some well-deserved respect. In January of 2013, for the first time ever, the UCI Cyclocross World Championships will be held in the United States.

Cyclocross originated in France in 1902, but today Belgium is the home to the world’s best cyclocross action.  Races typically take place during the fall and winter and last for one hour or less.  The  intensity is high from start to finish and it is common to race in what many might consider to be inclement weather.  Races consist of many laps of a short course usually starting on pavement then transitioning to trails, grass, sand, or mud with barriers or steep inclines that require the rider to quickly dismount, shoulder the bike and then remount.  The cyclocross competitor is tested in many ways and must not only be fit, but also skillful and tactically ready to go.

We at Momentum Endurance love racing cross.  It’s great for road racers who want to maintain fitness in the off season and it’s excellent for mountain bikers who want to improve speed and skill.  The atmosphere at most cross races is second to none – high energy, but low stress.  Beer and waffles, cowbells and costumes are all part of the fun.  You name it and it’s probably been done at a cross race.

If cross is your main objective or if you’re wrapping up your road or mtb season, then now is the time for a little break from the bike.  Start some running and plyometrics, glue up your tubulars, and get ready to hang on tight.  Rest up now because the US cross season officially starts in six weeks and goes through early January.  I can almost smell the waffles now!

Now is a great time to start up a cyclocross specific training plan.  For more info e-mail bmatter@momentumendurance.com.