In the 30 years or so I've spent racing bikes, the month of January has always stood out as the most dynamic, and perhaps most important of the season. In normal winters I would have two weeks off at the holidays to recover from cyclo-cross season and head somewhere warm for road racing in February or March. Some years I went to Europe after 'cross nationals and raced another six weeks without a break. Other years I attempted to be a year-round New Englander and spent two months Nordic skiing before I began structured road training in March. Wherever you live and however you do it, there's something about the winter solstice passing and days getting longer in January that says ...
Warming up for Cyclocross
I’ve written about warming up for races before, and certainly the information in my other article applies to cyclocross. However, there are additional considerations when warming up for 'cross that are unique, or at the very least, more important than they are for other disciplines. Course inspection is the primary additional concern that affects all other factors.From a physiological standpoint, the same rules apply. Any warm up should be as short as possible to achieve the desired effect. That duration and the work you do will change depending on the event, from 15 minutes of easy riding and a couple of sprints, to an hour on the trainer with a specific interval routine. So for ...
Preparing for Pain
In my article "Why Do You Race?" I asked and answered the question as an exploration in motivation; as a coach it's not just my job to tell a rider what intervals to do or when to rest, but also to help them find the inspiration to climb on the bike day in and day out amidst the pressures of work, family, and the inevitable failures that come during a season of racing. It helps that as an active racer I struggle with the same issues as my clients, and spend a great deal of time trying to solve these problems for myself as well.In the course of this constant search, many years ago a friend passed on a book called "Sun and Steel" by Japanese novelist Yukio Mishima. In it, Mishima details ...
Vacation Time
It never fails. After a winter of logging long miles and a spring of racing into top shape, summer rolls around and the bottom drops out of your form. With the first half of the season done and many target races come and gone, July is notorious for being many road and MTB riders' worst month of the year. A summer stage race or criterium series is a great incentive in the early season, but can turn into concrete shoes once it's over. It can feel like you haven't trained in ages, the heat's making you lethargic, and there's just no motivation to get out the door and ride anymore.At this point, one of two things typically happens. Many riders in the lower categories will simply pack it in ...
Swapping The Cycles
These days, there's an abundance of training information available that didn't exist even 10 years ago. Books written by Eddie B. and Greg LeMond were bibles in the 80s, and while they're still relevant today in some ways, they've been supplemented by more modern, scientific training literature. But despite all the good information that's out there, or maybe as a result of it, many racers still have the same question: what should I do for training today?I am still very much a fan of the classic weekly schedule laid out by LeMond in his Complete Book of Cycling, with some tweaks: easy on Monday, sprints on Tuesday, intervals on Wednesday, long ride on Thursday, easy again on Friday, ...
Mountain Bike Recovery
Author: Serena Bishop Gordon In a previous article, Adam talks about the importance of rest, recovery, and the difference between the two. Recovery serves to allow healing from recent efforts or training you’ve done, while resting prepares you to be fresh for what’s ahead. Recovery from a mountain bike race differs from that of road and cyclocross, and varies depending on the duration and terrain of the race completed. For mountain bike racing, in addition to the recovery needed from muscular damage due to repeated high intensity efforts, it is also necessary to give your body healing time from the jarring nature of a mountain bike course. When we ask our bodies to perform at ...
Choosing a Club or a Team
Should I join a club or at team? The question is posed often enough by beginning and intermediate bicycle racers that it deserves in-depth review. I started racing bicycles in 1984, riding about six years with a club before moving on in succession to a not very serious amateur team, a few serious amateur teams, and finally spending the past six years (five of them as captain) on a UCI Division III Trade team. In addition, I have worked formally as a USAC-certified coach for the past two years and informally for five more. Both clubs and teams are integral in the development process of every racing cyclist and knowing which to choose, why, and when, can be a difficult process. I will ...
Energy and Intent: Philosophy of Vegetarianism
I became a vegetarian in high school, around the time I also began on the path towards being a professional athlete. For most of my cycling career in the '90's, being a vegetarian on the road in the US was a constant battle, but a win-able one, and one I was willing to fight. For most of that time, however, veganism seemed out of the question for me. It was hard enough finding suitable non-meat options while traveling with a team, so the idea of cutting out all dairy products as well was beyond my scope.Over the past 30 years, more and more staples of a vegan diet have become available at grocery stores across the country, and there's a downright boom of natural food markets, often in ...