Cyclocross training

dave35

Having packed up time trialling,its time to have a go at cyclocross.
Got most of the year to get myself sorted-already got bike etc, now looking at what training is needed-so anyone point me in the direction of a good cyclocross training book/website.
With a wife and 2.5 year old and a new baby due in july i'm a bit time restricted, up to 1 hour on monday and tuesday,max 2 hours wednesday,1 hour friday and 1.5 hours on a sunday.
Same amount of time as when i was t.t'ing,used to split the monday/tuesday sessions into 2 lots of 30 to 40 mins-one session in the morning then the evening.
Thanks in advance for any help

Pross

In terms of the physical side it will be a similar effort to a 25 mile TT but possibly with some shorter, harder burst (such as the starts which are frantic). So I would assume, and others know more about this than me, that you would want to be doing 2 x 20 interval sessions and some shorter, more intense intervals. However, the big determining factor in cross is good technique and handling skills so set aside plenty of time to work on those elements.

barry_kellett99

While your average power in a cross race may come out in and around your FTP, the very nature of cross racing is the complete opposite to Time Trialling. There is no getting into a rhythm or sustained steady state output. You will spend a lot of time coasting and running, so if the avg power comes out similar to your FTP - that should alert you already to what is required.

A lot of 10-20 second bursts way beyond your FTP. You brake into a corner or run over some boards and immediately you need to be back on the pedals as hard as you can.

I only started focussed training in October after my first cross race and getting the bug. I did 2 sessions a week mostly on the turbo as it fitted my work/life pattern at the time. Tabata style intervals. 20seconds on as hard as you can go followed by 10 seconds off. 7 of those to a set, 4 minutes between a set and 3 sets to a session. They are pretty awful I have to say and you should be in a very sorry state afterwards.

If you can train outdoors you should look into finding somewhere suitable to train on CX type terrain. Ideally with a hill and a flat section, grassy, muddy, gravel etc. A popular training regime is 30/30/30's... 30 seconds full on as hard as you can go on the bike, dismount and 30 seconds of running carrying the bike (preferably up your hill) and 30 seconds recovery before going again. Build up to doing 10 in a set. My own training ground for those ends up being 40-60s on the bike but its tight and twisty and good for skills as well as power, about 30 seconds running and 30 recovery. Its in a park on the same parts used in one of our races so it is ideal.

But in saying that, you won't be racing for a long time yet, so the advise above is good in terms of building muscular endurance. Depending on your level of fitness now, you may want to consider a proper traditional base period, though your time constrictions mightn't allow.

If you never run, it might be a good idea now at this early stage to introduce it a bit. You wont be sprinting like a mad man in races, but if you have to run a couple of sections on every lap and you have no running fitness, you will soon get found out. Speaking from experience there.

And skills are vital.
A few seconds on every lap lost through poor carrying technique, or poor cornering etc soon builds up when you are doing 9 or 10 lap races. These things are brutal and making up for mistakes earlier in a race is nigh on impossible!

Its superb racing though.

cyco2

+1 for that barry_kellet99

Dave35...if you google 'cyclocrosstraining' you'll get loads of help.

dave35

Thanks so far,problem with googling cyclocrosstraining is there is so much stuff that comes up,lots of the training is also twice a day-impossible for me.

barry_kellett99

As with training for anything, look at what is required to do well and replicate it for your training. Fit it around the time you have and maximise your available time to get the most out of it.
The good thing about Cross racing is that they are only 1 hour long. If you have enough endurance to put out good times in a 25m TT then you may already have enough endurance and focussing on short super hard efforts will bring you on

GiantMike

barry_kellett99 wrote:

Lots of good information

I agree with everything Barry said, especially the bit about never getting into a rhythm.

Courses are designed to make them feel disjointed: fast flat sections (regularly around sports fields), then a steep climb (frequently dismounted), short burst to a technical descent, another 45 second fast section then a series of hairpins into a wooden barrier, back on for a twisty undulating tree section, an off-camber muddy slope and then back to the start. It's brutal and important that you pace yourself after the frenetic start. I usually make up quite a few places in the last 15 minutes from riders that have gone off too hard.

cyco2

dave35 wrote:

Thanks so far,problem with googling cyclocrosstraining is there is so much stuff that comes up,lots of the training is also twice a day-impossible for me.

I found running not jogging helped when time and weather was an issue. It can replicate cross for effort and gives a good cardio workout if done as cross country running with plenty of climbs.

sheffsimon

Find a grassy hill, twice a week do sets of intervals on that, or make a circuit up on it that has short hard efforts on it, make some of them running ones so you practice your dismount/mount. Go for a half hour hard run once a week, not a jog.

I used to do the above when I was a decent junior cross rider....twenty odd years ago. I also used to do a winter evening chain gang once a week, just to keep the mileage up for the road season.

Thats probably all you got time for with kids around

If youre looking for a book on cross training and techniques, you could do worse than Simon Burneys book, google simon burney cyclocross or its on amazon for a tenner delivered.