The Cyclocross Workout Of The Day for Friday, 9.13.13. “We Ride!”
Howdy folks,
Wow.
Friday already.
Not only does that mean we made it through another week, here in Seattle it means it’s time for that yearly tradition, the StarCrossed CX Race.
Rad.
Tomorrow, we ride!
Today, though?
Today we do some…
Can Openers…
– Warm up for 1/2 hour or so.
Follow with several short attacking efforts, IE 30 seconds at 80% of your max, or pretty damn hard.
– Back off and spin for 5 minutes.
Follow with a 10 minute effort at or just below your 2×20 Level, or “I could talk to you if I had to, but I don’t want to” level.
– Spin for several minutes.
Follow with 5-6 full gas start efforts on a straight section of paved road, level or slightly uphill.
You want to begin these from a dead stop.
One foot on the ground, Full-on Cyclocross race start style.
Really nail the foot-in-the-pedal-off-the-gun thing.
Do not stop until you get at least 3 perfect starts in a row, and I mean perfect; this is the cross equivalent of practicing free throws.
We all know how important starts are in the race, so make ‘em count.
I don’t quit until I nail 5 in a row, but set your own threshold.
Got em’ dialed? Ripped ‘em?
Cool.
You’re done.
Spin out the legs, go home, and get ready for the race.
Or maybe not.
Maybe instead of that whole thing, you can do…
Ignition –
You’re going to be doing a series of short, hard sprints midway through a 1 1/2 hour ride, so give some thought to where you can do these effectively.
A flat, straight, low-traffic section of road is what you’re looking for.
Even better if it’s about a :45 minute ride away; that will make things nice and simple.
Hop on your bike and roll out the door.
Ride steady, at a moderate pace for 45 minutes – 1 hour, eventually winding up at the aforementioned stretch of road.
You’re now going to do a series of Hard out of the saddle sprints.
Begin each sprint from a near standstill.
Barely rolling, coasting along at a very low speed, then…
BANG!
almost a start effort, but not quite.
10 sprints, 10 seconds each.
1 minute between each sprint.
After the last sprint, roll back home spinning easily to recover.
Budget at least 15 minutes for the spin/ride back home.
Put your feet up, relax, and get ready for the tomorrow’s race.
Have fun!
M
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