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Peaking For Cyclo-Cross Nationals
Two Weeks Before, Less Is More

  Written by Adam Hodges Myerson
  Cycle-Smart President
  November 29, 2005

This is it people!

It's the last rush before the big day--just under two weeks before cyclo-cross nationals in Providence, RI. With the continued growth and momentum of 'cross this fall, the pre-registration shows an easy thousand of us will be racing that weekend. For some of it's the most important race of the year. For others it's just a chance to compete on the same course as the US's best 'crossers. Whatever your level and goals, it's time to fine tune and make sure you're peaking for the event.

The first thing to recognize is that what you've got for fitness right now is pretty much what you've got; there's not enough time between today and race day to raise your fitness level through the normal process of stress and recovery. With that in mind, take a step back and evaluate where you are. Are you happy with your form? Are you on the way up, or on the way down? Even if you can't increase your fitness between now and then, you can make sure you're feeling as good as possible on race day with the right portion of resting and fine-tuning.

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

Going into this weekend and next week, your first priority is to make sure you're fully and completely recovered from any racing and training you've been doing. If you've been pushing things by training on a Tuesday after a hard race weekend, this is the week to take a different approach. Rest and recovery are your first priority. Increased fitness from training is useless if it comes with increased fatigue as its price when you're close to your goal event. Going into nationals, err on the side of rest to make sure you can put out a maximal effort on race day. Underfit and fresh is always better than fit and fatigued.

This might mean that you skip this weekend's events if you've been burning the candle at both ends with training and work, or perhaps only race one day even if two events are available. Only race both days if you're fresh and know you have time to recover after the weekend.

Following the weekend, take as many days as you need to be fully recovered, with a minimum of two days easy, and up to a maximum of five, leading into the next race weekend. Ideally, if things are going well, you'll be ready to do a mid-week workout to keep yourself open, but still allow yourself enough time to recover before the next race.

If you're able to get this workout done, it should reflect the fact that you're trying to fine tune a peak. Keep the volume of work low, and try to touch the systems that need maintaining. Motorpacing, or a race-pace 'cross workout is ideal, but should be undertaken cautiously. The key is not to dig deep in any way, but only do enough work to feel good during the efforts, and hopefully better at the end of the workout than at the start. At the first sign of decreasing quality of your efforts or fatigue, pull the plug and call it a successful day. A typical workout might be 1.5 hour 'cross ride, with an easy warm up, perhaps 15 minutes of tempo riding on a 'cross course, a few run-up or practice starts, perhaps 2-3 1-minute intervals to maintain anaerobic work capacity, and 1 15-20 minute threshold invterval to maintain functional threshold power.

Going into the weekend before nationals, open up the day before the race with some light intensity, and use the race itself to think about and implement the kind of ride you're hoping to have at nationals. Do you need to work on your starts? Your speed changes? Your ability to ride in a group, or to attack? Look for the places you've been weak during the season, and when faced with those situations in these final races, take some chances. Use these opportunities to turn a weakness into a strength and build some confidence.

The week of nationals, you can take the same approach to recovery and your mid-week workout as the week before. Depending on when you plan to arrive in Providence, try to take some time to evaluate the course, both slowly and at race speed. The day before your event, do your opening up workout on the course, taking at least one and possibly two laps at threshold, close to race speed. Lines you chose while warming up or looking at the course might turn out to be impossible or unwise at full blast, so seeing the course from a race-pace perspective is crucial.

On race day, don't make the mistake of changing your routine just because it's a big day. Remember, it's just a bike race, no different from any other race you did this season. You should eat what you normally eat for breakfast, warm up at the same time and in the same manner, and use equipment you've already raced with. All the same things that can happen in a local race can happen at nationals. You can flat, crash, win--whatever. Control the things that are in your power, and focus on having a "usual" day, assuming that you usually put your best effort forward every time you race.

And of course, good luck, and don't forget to say "hi!" I'll be out there, too, trying my best to follow my own advice.

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

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