Crosssports's Weblog

Howdy folks,

It’s Wednesday, and that means that It’s…

 Cyclocross Skills Day!

Today we’re going to start the process of reducing, replacing, and refining our skills in the waning days of the season.

Here’s what I mean by that…

Refine.

– We’re at the point in the season where we really need to be putting our “whole package” together. For many (most?) of us, the end of the season is right around the corner, and while we can always work to expand our skill set, the best use of time for many of us is buffing the rough edges off the skills that we have now.

Reduce.

– Every Wednesday, we’ve been working on different, discrete skills. Now we start to put some of them together… and take some of them away. We’ve talked about different ways to approach turning, barriers, dismounts, re-mounts… you name it. Now it’s time to identify the approaches, variations, and individual skills that suit you the best. Don’t throw out the things that you haven’t quite figured out yet, but put them in the closet. You’ll come back to them next season…

Replace.

– Do you have a rockin’ Cowboy dismount, but a lackin’ “step-through?” Cool. Next season you’re working on the step-through. Now, though?

Focus on the Cowboy. Nail it. Perfect every time.

Are you railing the corners when you pedal ‘em? Not so much when you’re foot-out, sliding?  Focus on what’s working. Nail it. Perfect every time.

Here’s the drill for tonight:

– warm up on bike, 10-15 minutes.

– Brief run. 5 minutes.

– Active stretching, as discussed in previous posts.

– Barrier skills, 10 minutes.

Try a couple of different approaches/skills. Figure out what’s working best for you. Ditch what isn’t.

– Technical skills, 15-20 minutes.

Here again, try different approaches to the various obstacles on your course – off cambers, tight turns, wide/fast turns, mud, sand… figure out what’s working for you. Ditch what isn’t. Reduce, replace… Refine.

– Starts

Full-gas starts from standing, foot on the ground. Just like the beginning of a race.

Each start effort should include a second effort: after you’ve gotten up to speed and settled into the saddle, get your ass back up off of it and hit the gas again.

Go until you get 5 perfect starts in a row.

Try starting a couple of different ways; Ass on saddle, ass off saddle. Pedal at 3:00, Pedal at 1:00. 3 cogs down, 2 cogs down.

Figure out how you start best.

Drop what isn’t working, and forget about it until next season.

– Race simulation. 3 x 10 minutes, 2 minute rest between efforts.

Take everything you just practiced, and use only the select approaches and skills that worked for you. Really nail ‘em. Go F-ing fast, and use whatever skills get you there.

Forget about everything else.

– Warm down.

Go Home. Eat. Recover.

Have fun!

M

~ by crosssports on November 13, 2012.

Posted in Cyclocross, The Workout Of The Day
Tags: cyclocross drills, cyclocross racing, cyclocross skills