Training for Cyclo-cross

powenb

I am going to focus this season on cyclo-cross.
I am also going to do a few TT's to use as training.
As well as a little run once a week. Then as the 'cross season gets closer I will probably increase this to twice but do the run with the bike up short sharp climbs.

What else would be good to add into a programme?

Thanks

Owen

andrewgturnbull

powenb wrote:

I am going to focus this season on cyclo-cross.
I am also going to do a few TT's to use as training.
As well as a little run once a week. Then as the 'cross season gets closer I will probably increase this to twice but do the run with the bike up short sharp climbs.

What else would be good to add into a programme?

Thanks

Owen

Hi there.

XC Mountain bike racing - build up some off road skills.

Cheers, Andy

jpembroke

I second that: definitely do a lot of XC mountain biking to work on your bike handling skills. I'm going to do a lot more on the MTB this year in order to improve my form in 'cross races.

So, things you need to work on as follows:

1) off road bike handling
2) riding flat out for an hour - no stops, no drinks (a mate describes it as being chased round the park by a dog for an hour)
3) dismounting and remounting the bike - absolutely critical if you want to have any success in 'cross race.

I really wouldn't worry too much about shouldering a bike unless you have aspirations to do the 3 peaks. You will have to dismount in races but any obstacles are usually overcome by grabbing and lifting the bike by the top tube. This is the real trick: go to a park, find a low obstacle; practice riding at it, dismounting, clearing the obstacle, and remounting in one fluid movement. It's not easy and you will need to do it in races.

And keep up the running. I really think it helps.

Matchstick Man

THe best 'cross riders are also very good road racers at at least 2nd cat level or above and are also good crit riders. See Adrian Timmis who has been a recent Vets champ in the winter whilst competing in the crit series in the summer. Also, Chris Young point sout he won a Premier Calendar race at 39 and kicks backside at 'cross in the winter.
Most Elite cross riders on the continent will be found in stage races like the Tour of Belgium or Tour of Britain getting the quality miles in - relatively low-key races in the summer months where they can do their base building work.
Even guys in the UK like Shaun Snodden et al will find races like the Milk Ras or the Surrey League 5 day race to go and do to emulate the likes of Nys and Boom and Vervecken

The endurance you get from riding 70mile RR's in the summer translates well to 'cross races in the winter

The speed you get from crit racing also translates well too

jpembroke

and then there's Rob Jebb

powenb

So unless I'm a cat 2, it's not worth bothering then?!?!

jpembroke

Don't worry mate. I'm not a cat 2 rider, or even a cat 4 rider but I came 9th in my first cross race, then 8th in then next one, and 7th in the last one I did. You'll be riding in small, friendly regional races and whether you come 1st or 31st, it's still a challenge. Don't worry about how well you're going to do, just get stuck in and enjoy it.

Matchstick Man

powenb wrote:

So unless I'm a cat 2, it's not worth bothering then?!?!

Depends on your goals. If like me, you wish to just turn up, razz round the race having fun and getting in a good workout because you've not got much time in the week to train then keep the level of fitness you have, do the same training you've always done and simply enjoy yourself.

If however, you want to do cyclo-cross and enjoy it by placing highly in your local league or even doing some National Trophy events then you will need to have a summer of road racing in your legs.
MTB'ing will teach you to go slow whereas cross races are short and flat out and require hard work to have been done beforehand on the road. Chaingangs are more useful than club TT's imo if you want a hard weekly workout. Just make sure you're at the front in the first half dozen or so so you're actually working. If you can ride your cross bike with road tyres on then even better.

Skills can be learnt in short sessions on a nice summer's evening. Learn how to bunny hop and dismount and re-mount at speed in your local park. I'd even suggest taking your cross bike into the park and learning how far you can lean it at speed on grass.

powenb

I don't want to road race.
I want to just enjoy riding in the summer and maybe doing some specific training towards the cross season, just so I'm not last.
I want to do it for the enjoyment, and although I won't be on the podium, I want to be battling it out all the same.

jpembroke

I agree with everything Matchstick Man says except the bit about MTBing. You can go fast on a mountain bike, ask Cadel Evans.

Matchstick Man

powenb wrote:

I don't want to road race.
I want to just enjoy riding in the summer and maybe doing some specific training towards the cross season, just so I'm not last.
I want to do it for the enjoyment, and although I won't be on the podium, I want to be battling it out all the same.

chaingang then - more chance of some decent road work at speed. Get some quality 3hr rides in during the summer - ones where you are riding strongly all the time, not just pootling along and then stopping for ice creams ( :oops: ) like I do....

As has been mentioned before: practice getting on and off the bike at speed. Doing it slowly is no substitute for race conditions. Also, if you have a cross bike, get used to it by riding on it lots during the summer. Get out and do some intervals on it on the road to get used to the position, don't do what I did and spend all summer on your best bike, rock up to your local league and get hammered because the bike "feels funny".
One local cross rider I know of, rides into work once a week on his cross bike and uses the steps near the factory where he works to practice shouldering the bike and running up them, jumping back on the bike riding down the pavement to the bottom of the steps and repeating. Just thinking of little things like that will help you in the winter.

Matchstick Man

jpembroke wrote:

I agree with everything Matchstick Man says except the bit about MTBing. You can go fast on a mountain bike, ask Cadel Evans.

I like making contentious points :twisted:
My point is, 2hr or 4hr enduro races are not going to put speed into your legs like a crit or RR can. They're good for endurance and some skills but at the end of the day, a cross race is an hour or less and everyone can ride for an hour (even the fat geriatrics who pass me in cross races :evil: )
The key is to ride for an hour at a sustained speed which hurts like hell!

jpembroke

Matchstick Man wrote:

jpembroke wrote:

I agree with everything Matchstick Man says except the bit about MTBing. You can go fast on a mountain bike, ask Cadel Evans.

I like making contentious points :twisted:
My point is, 2hr or 4hr enduro races are not going to put speed into your legs like a crit or RR can. They're good for endurance and some skills but at the end of the day, a cross race is an hour or less and everyone can ride for an hour (even the fat geriatrics who pass me in cross races :evil: )
The key is to ride for an hour at a sustained speed which hurts like hell!

Fair point but then the same point could be made about sportives. As you say, the key is to ride at your threshold for an hour. I return to the point I made about cyclocross being akin to getting chased by a dog for an hour. If you know someone with a particularly nasty dog that hates cyclists, perhaps get them to take it to a park to help you train.