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Where It All Starts
How to improve your starts for cyclo-cross

  Written by Adam Hodges Myerson
  Cycle-Smart President
  October 18, 2005

Cyclo-cross is unique from most other cycling disciplines in that the field sprint comes at the start of the race, rather than at the finish; you get your desert before dinner, as it were. Your position on the start line, the time it takes you to get into the pedals, the gear you choose, and in what spot you make it to the first obstacle or corner can impact your entire race. You may find yourself in the lead group with no extra effort, or you may spend the day stuck behind traffic or crashes, battling to get up to the group you in which you belong. A good start might even backfire and put you with riders you're not strong enough to stay with, causing you to overrace, blow up, and go back even further than you would have been had you been more conservative.

With all this to consider, one can see that starts are everything in 'cross. At the same time, it's an aspect that riders rarely focus on or incorporate into their training, even though it's easy to do so. There are two parts to consider: training and technique. I'll outline how to improve both.

Cycle-Smart Training Articles A Case For Base    by Adam Hodges Myerson    February 2, 2007 Power, Stability, and Confidence    by Adam Hodges Myerson    September 20, 2006 Training While You Work    by Adam Hodges Myerson    April 25, 2006 Surviving The Trainer    by Adam Hodges Myerson    March 2, 2006 You Gotta Have A Plan    by Adam Hodges Myerson    January 8, 2006 Peaking For Cyclo-Cross Nationals    by Adam Hodges Myerson    November 29, 2005 How To Improve Your Starts For Cyclo-cross    by Adam Hodges Myerson    October 18, 2005 Interval Training for Cyclo-Cross    by Adam Hodges Myerson    September 9, 2005 Hang On To That Form!    by Adam Hodges Myerson    August 9, 2005 Resting Your Way To Fitness    by Adam Hodges Myerson    June 22, 2005 How Long, How Hard, and How Often?    by Adam Hodges Myerson    May 25, 2005 Warming Up    by Adam Hodges Myerson    April 11, 2005 "Training" in Training Races    by Adam Hodges Myerson    March 13, 2005 Preparing for a Cyclo-Cross Race    by Johs Huseby    November 16, 2004 Choosing Between a Club or a Team    by Kirk Albers    October 6, 2004 Running for Cyclo-Cross    by Adam Hodges Myerson    September 22, 2004 My Aching Back (and legs, shoulders, hips, feet, neck)    by Christine White    August 4, 2004 Key Workouts for Early Season Mountain Bike Racers    by Kurt Perham    July 14, 2004 The Philly File    by Adam Hodges Myerson    June 12, 2003 Training Weaknesses, Racing Strengths    by Adam Hodges Myerson    May 15, 2003 The Lanterne Rouge - The fine art of driving the bus in a stage race    by Adam Hodges Myerson    April 18, 2003 Choosing a Coach    by Adam Hodges Myerson    March 13, 2003

When you think about the effort you make for a start, you can boil the crucial part down to the amount of time it takes you to go from a complete standstill with one foot on the ground, up to your top speed; essentially, a 15-second sprint. There's obviously a lot more that goes on, and you can view the entire first lap of a race as part of the start. What we want to focus on here is what you're doing initially to get yourself into position for that first lap. That effort translates essentially to a sprint, even if it's followed by efforts at VO2max and eventually funtctional threshold power.

I've written before here about how to structure a sprint workout on the road, and how to incorporate running workouts into your sprint training. In order to work on your 'cross start, you can take the basic road-style sprint workout one step further by trying to reproduce the start of a race on your 'cross bike. A general approach is to come to a complete stop with one foot on the ground, then begin a 15-second sprint from that position. When you sprint, attempt to click in to the pedal quickly and shift down through all the gears as you accelerate until you reach your top speed.

Here is where you can really work on all those little details that make the difference between being in the lead group or not on the first lap. Start with your strong side foot up every time (the foot you'd kick a soccer ball with), and at the 2 o'clock position. Make sure your other pedal is turned to a position that's parallel to the crank, so that when you put your foot on it while it's on the way up, you'll clip right in when you begin to push down on the next pedal stroke.

You've got make a few choices between starting technique. One approach is to sit on your saddle, with one foot on the ground, on your tiptoes, right next to the pedal and ready to step in quickly. Another is to stand over your top tube, ready to push off with the foot that's on the ground before you clip in. You can start on the hoods or the drops; whichever allows you to shift most quickly and is easier to reach while you're waiting for the whistle. With integrated shift/brake levers you'll likely be on the hoods, while with bar-end shifters you'll prefer the drops.

Before you even get into position for the start, you should have your starting gear already chosen. If you use 2 chainrings, the big ring and one down from the easiest gear in back is a good guide, perhaps a 46 x 23 or 25. With a single ring, you'll likely prefer to be 2 or 3 gears down, in a 23 or 21. Training is the time to experiment with all these variables so that you know what will work best for you in the race.

In a racing situation, there's even more you can do to ensure you get a good start. One is to win "the first race of the day," which is the one to the start line. If you're not being called to the line and it's first come, first serve, be aggressive. Get there early, and always watch the crowd lining up to make sure you don't get taken advantage of. If you don't protect your starting spot now, there's no point in fighting for it later. Just as importantly, know who the official starter is, and watch that person closely as it gets nearer to the start. If there's a countdown, anticipate the start. Once it's in the final 5 seconds, someone's going to jump the gun. Be prepared to go early, and don't be shy about it. If it's an unannounced start as is popular in New England and at many big races , never take your eyes off the official. You have to see them getting ready to blow the whistle before they blow it, and be in motion when it finally goes. If they walk behind the field, concentrate! Listen hard for the sound, and again, be ready to go with any early starters. It's these little details that add up to make all the difference in the world. Even a notoriously bad starter can find themselves with the leaders after the first turn or barrier if they add these techniques to their regular routine.

To learn more about Adam, or for more articles by Cycle-Smart coaches, visit www.cycle-smart.com.

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