Training for Circuit/ Criterium type races

J-89

Hi, just wondering what sort of way people would suggest as to how you would approach training for the shorter circuit/criterium races.

High intensity intervals and sprint work? Some hard flat-out hill climbs? :twisted:

Just wondering because i know how to approach training to go long and training for TT's but seems to be different type of demand for this type of race.

Cheers in advance

Bronzie

J-89 wrote:

High intensity intervals and sprint work?

Yes, this is the way to go - simulate the efforts required in a race in your training.

For crits, it's not so much the pace that is the killer as the repeated accelerations. Riding sprint reps with a short recovery in between would be the closest thing you could do for training.

Alex_Simmons/RST

Race some crits and work out what your limiters are.


Many focus on the repeated accelerations element (which is necessary) but neglect sorting out the basic fundamental of their aerobic engine (without which they are simply kidding themselves).

The better your aerobic engine, the less all the surges send you into the red, the faster you recover from them and the more of them and more frequently you can handle them.

If you can time trial better most of the other racers in a crit but don't do well, then yes the training of accelerations and anaerobic abilities may prove useful. But perhaps it is race craft, positioning, reading a race, knowing when/how to attack etc that are the true limiters.

markos1963

On this subject I was thinking of doing some racing next year and was wondering what type of performance level I should be looking at for 4th cat racing. At the moment I can cover 60 miles comfortably at 19mph solo and do a 10m TT at around 26'58". I was out on a club run recently and was coping well with average group speeds of 23-25mph.

Bronzie

Markos, sounds like you are in the ballpark. My best 10 is 23-43, but that's a quick course, more like 25s on the local evening 10 course.

It's not so much the outright speed as the changes in pace that you may find a problem - races can go from 19mph to 30mph for short periods when someone goes off the front and everyone scrabbles for wheels in their wake.

Also depends on the circuit as short crit courses with lots of accelerating out of corners require bike handling and bunch positioning skills on top of sheer fitness.

markos1963

Thanks Bronzie, so its plenty of interval training then for me! Although at nearly 45yo I don't think I will have quite the same zip as 20 years ago.

Tom Butcher

For crits confidence and bike handling - ability to stay near the front - are even more important than road races. Plenty of races probably the best training for that.

andrewgturnbull

Tom Butcher wrote:

For crits confidence and bike handling - ability to stay near the front - are even more important than road races. Plenty of races probably the best training for that.

Agreed - practice cornering without touching the brakes... Pedaling through them, then sprinting hard out of the corners.

Cheers, Andy

andrewgturnbull

ps I thought I could corner well until the time I tried to sit on Russ Downing's wheel through a few 90 degree corners...

markos1963

Funny enough, cornering has never been a problem for me. After nearly 30 years riding motorbikes the feeling of 100mph plus through corners skimming the pegs is in the blood. I was quite shocked on the Norwich 50 at the number of riders who were very capable on the straight only to chicken out through bends/roundabouts etc. The thing I have found with modern bicycles that their cornering ability is fantastic and far better than most riders think that they are.