Crosssports's Weblog

Howdy folks,

Well, it’s hump day…

[Ouch… did I just post a TV commercial?! What the heck was I thinking?!]

Whatever.

It’s Wednesday, and that almost always means it’s…

Cyclocross Skills Day! 

Today we’re going to put a little twist on that.

We’re going to work on our skills today, but the real emphasis will be placed on some brain work.

What Ya’all are going to do today is make lists.

List #1:

What Cyclocross Skills am I really good at?

List #2:

What Cyclocross Skills am I kinda good at?

List #3:

What Cyclocross skills am i merely OK at?

List #4:

What Cyclocross skills do I kinda suck at?

List #5:

What Cyclocross Skills do I really suck at?

Seems pretty simple, eh?

Here’s the thing, though: you need to be honest with yourself about this. Really damn honest.

That’s not so easy.

Here’s some perspective to give you an idea of what I’m talking about…

There are riders who consistently podium at the World Cup level who can’t do some of the basic ‘Cross skills at the “really good” level.

Still think you’e great at all this stuff?

Yeah, I did’t think so.

🙂

We all have room to improve. The question is what we need to improve the most.

Hopefully, that’s one of the things you’ll figure out for yourself by doing this exercise.

We’ll talk about what else we hope to get out of this soon.

So, you ask… what about the on-the-bike stuff ?

Here you go… and remember, as you’re doing all this, think about everything we just talked about, OK?

That’s the real goal today.

– Warm up on the bike.

As long as it takes to get loose, you should have a light sweat on when you…

– Stretch.

Active stretching, focus on all the muscles you use getting on & off the bike, but don’t when you’re riding. Go as long as it takes to work everything and get loose.

– Mount & Remount skills. 10-15 minutes.

You probably don’t need me to blather on any more about this. Check out the last couple of Wednesday’s posts if you’re new to the blog…

– Technical skills on the bike. 10-15 minutes

Tight turns and off-cambers.  Think about  your entrances and exits from all the technical sections. Pedal, pedal, pedal. Try to pedal through everything. Keep the gas on, power going through the rear wheel, and you maintain traction.

Odds are that at this point in the season you aren’t going to be all that great at stuff like this. No sweat, we’re just doing this as part of a general assessment, to get a feel for the lay of the land, dig?

– Starts.

Make it feel like a race start, but not quite.  1/2 to 3/4 speed. Again, we’re looking to see how technically good at these you are, not necessarily how fast you are.  Make sense?

– Race simulation.

On technical, race-like terrain.

2 five – ten minute efforts, 5 minutes recovery between them. If you’re up for it. Totally optional.

Once again, 1/2 – 3/4 speed. We’re looking to see where the skills are at more than we’re looking to get a workout.

Yeah, I know… good luck with that, right?

– Warm down.

Spin out your legs. Take enough time doing this that you feel them unspool and loosen up.

Go home, eat, relax, and write up that assessment.

Have fun,

M

Hey – looking for something to do on 

~ by crosssports on August 14, 2013.

Posted in Cyclocross, skills, The Workout Of The Day
Tags: Bicycle pedal, Bicycle racing, bike racing, cx classes, cx handling drills, cx intervals, cx skills, Cycling, Cyclo-cross, Cyclocross, cyclocross classes, cyclocross handling drills, cyclocross instruction, cyclocross intervals, cyclocross skills, Fitness, Health, Heart rate, Personal Training, Physical exercise, Running, s: Aerobic exercise, Seattle, Sports, XC Racing