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Motivation and Fall Training

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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

Cyclocross Preview

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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 in the fall and winter and last for one hour or less. 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.
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

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.

Race Preparation

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You have likely started the race season and many of you are in the heart of the road or mountain bike calendar.  Some of you might even be just weeks away from your most important event of the year.  So we thought it would be a good idea to give up a few of our favorite tips on race preparation.

Race preparation doesn’t start Sunday morning when you wake up and pack your race bag.  Race preparation doesn’t start Saturday night when you decide to eat pasta for Sunday’s main event.  Race preparation goes all the way back to the beginning of the season when you first laid out you goals.  The daily training rides, all the hard work, and all the sacrifices are the beginnings of the preparation.  Following those training plans and knowing you’ve done everything in your power is what brings you the mental confidence heading into the week before your race.

As you get closer to the event you can start to be more specific.  One week away from the event you need to start going through the checklist in your head.  If you can’t keep it straight in your head, it’s a good idea to write it down.  Everybody has a slightly different checklist, and part of being prepared is having your own.  Is my bike working?  Have I done my research on the race course?  What time does the race start?  Is my hotel reservation confirmed?

Two or three days away from the event I fine tune it just a little more.   I’ll be riding my race bike making sure it’s dialed and making sure my body is used to the geometry.  It’s key to preventing injury if you do all your training on one bike, but are racing on a different.  I start thinking about hydration, food intake, and start thinking about the race course.  I like to visualize the race course during my last few rides before the race.  I take a little time to come up with a plan of attack for the race itself.

The night before the race I like to pack my bags early and have a relaxing evening.  If everything is done right the morning of the race can be very relaxing and low stress.  You’re now ready to go!  Just don’t forget that post race recovery drink because next week’s race prep starts just as soon as you cross the finish line.

-Brian

Dalby & Offenburg World Cup Report

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Writing up a race report is an opportunity for reflection: what went well, what didn’t, and how do I go about using the experience to pull together a better race next time.  So I’m going to briefly reflect on the past two weekends of racing, the good, the bad, and what’s next.  The first race was the second UCI MTB World Cup held in Yorkshire, United Kingdom.  I raced with the US National Team, so the race support was superb and my teammates were, well, mostly my BMC Mountainbike Development Team USA teammates.  Plus, cyclocross superstar Amy Dombroski who is now sprinkling in some mountain bike races with her ‘cross.  I can’t thank our race mechanic, USA team manager, or travel companions enough – all fantastic people!

We arrived near Pickering, UK on Thursday morning.  On Friday, I got my first couple laps in on the race course.  There were two notable spots on the course where I had to stop, consider the lines, and watch some riders negotiate the sections.  I had a solid day on the course, the tricky sections dialed, and a World Cup Sprint Eliminator to look forward to that evening.  A what? The Sprint Eliminator is formatted with multiple heats – first a qualifying run, then brackets are set up with heats of four riders, semifinals, quarterfinals, etc.  The top two riders from each heat proceed onto the next round – until all but four are eliminated before the finals.  The course was less than 2 minutes long with three short climbs, a stairway drop, a sketchy dirt corner, and an uphill sprint – my kind of race!  I qualified 8th of 20+ racers and went on to finish 8th.  In the Small Final, I was on the line with Katerina Nash, Tracey Mosley, Cecile Ravonel (Top-10 World Cup racer, Downhill World Champ, Top-10 World Cup racer) – whoa!   I learned that while I can start fast enough for a US ProXCT race, I was left on the start line before I even realized the whistle sounded in every single heat.  I need to work on that.

I was confident coming into the cross-country race on Sunday.  I felt good, I had trained well, rested up, and was ready to race.  My start was good despite a 71st call up position.  I lined up along the right barrier, so I was outside of the first sweeping corner—right where I wanted to be.  Halfway through lap one, I was riding in 45th.  Beginning of lap two, I felt my tire give way on a root and I ‘burped’ some air out.  What could have been a minor quick fix with a Big Air (throw in a little extra air so it doesn’t happen again) essentially ended my race.  I mentally checked out.  I rode the “B” lines to the pit, lost too many positions, took a wheel change I didn’t need, had some shifting problems, had too much tire pressure, hurt my back, and let too much air out only to be back where the problems began .  I got pulled before completing my final lap. Ugh, that was not how things should have gone.  I let a minor problem end my race.

Monday we traveled to Oberried, Germany (near Freiburg in the Black Forrest region).  Freiburg is one of my favorite cities in the world and the riding in the region is incredible.  We stayed at Steirebarlehof, a farm with two cats, two pigs, dairy cows, bunnies, ponies, and Emma (the farm dog).  Fresh eggs, yogurt, frankfurters, steak, and veggies almost every day—yum!  Two good days of training—you would be jealous of the roads!  The week was very therapeutic, to say the least.  I put Dalby behind me and looked forward to the Offenburg World Cup.

Offenburg is a keep-you-on-your-toes kind of course with lots of euro chutes (steep downhill drop-offs), some good climbs, and technical sections with names like, “Wolf’s Drop” and “Snake Pit.”  Spectators pay 15 Euro a piece to watch the race!  The course and atmosphere were just that good.  I only pre-rode on Friday since we had over an hour long commute from Freiburg.  I rode two laps of the course.  For the first, I tagged along with the junior and U23 women who were in Freiburg for a USA Cycling Development Camp.  We took our time and talked over all the tricky sections.  It was very inspiring to see some of these girls muster the courage to try some of these sections which were the most technical trails they’d ever seen.  I warmed up for the second lap and then rode a lap near race speed.  I pieced together the technical sections fast and flawlessly—I think the talking over the tricky sections helped tremendously.  On race day, I rode one of the most consistent races of my career.  Every lap was within seconds of each other and my last lap was the fastest.  I had no mishaps, was on the verge of cramping for the final two laps, had fun, smiled at spectators who were cheering on the last lap (which always gets more cheers)—I loved it!  The first lap was a cluster—and I’ve never been yelled at more in my life.  I could probably fight for positions a little bit more, dig a little deeper on lap one and take some more chances.  That’s what I’ll work on for the next World Cup in Mt Saint Anne.  Until then, I’m happy with my 49th place.

Enjoy the ride,

Chloe

Power of Placebo

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Many cycling related products on the market make claims for how drastically they’ll improve your performance.  Most of these claims are not warranted by science; however people still tend to perform better when using them. How can this be?  The power of what we believe cannot be under-rated as this video outlines.

Momentum’s advice?  Steer clear of the bogus claims and put the same confidence into the tried and true.  Training hard(er) and recovering will improve your performance. Believing that your training will drastically improve your performance will allow you to bump your performance up to another level.  Train well and put your mental stock where it is most warranted. Banking on placebo alone might work for some, but the same confidence put into something sound – such as a well thought out training program, a balanced diet, or more sleep at night will bring you the biggest dividends.  Work hard, know that you’re going for it 100% and enjoy the experience.