EARLY SEASON ASSESMENT

This article is written especially for new riders to the sport who may be wondering how to improve some aspects of their cycling, however many experienced riders might also benefit from the contents.

Most riders will have ridden a number of races at this stage of the season, so you should now be building up a picture of your strengths and areas that need to be further strengthened in your racing fitness. Now is the time to have a good look at the different areas that will make a positive contribution to your performance and work on them over the next few weeks so that you really have good form for the important races ahead.

This article will deal with the physical elements of your fitness, but always bear in mind that the psychological approach you have to racing and training may also have some bearing on your performances.

I have set out a number of scenarios below that cover most of the areas that are important to performance and that should be reviewed at regular intervals.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Break your performances in races down into how you performed during different stages of the race and on different terrain.

If you have been dropped in the early part of races you have ridden and not seen the bunch again what should you do? If you are new to the sport don't get too disheartened it takes time, months or years rather than weeks to achieve the fitness and skills that bike racing requires. A lot of very good riders had modest beginnings to their careers. You may find some of the answers in the following scenarios

SCENARIO 1:

If you are struggling during the early part of races but riding strong at the end you will probably need to

• A: improve the speed element of your training or
• B: improve your warm up routine.

SOLUTIONS:

• A. Include some interval training in your training programme. For example 1-3 k stretches in a medium gear 52x17/15 at 85 - 95% effort, cadence 100 -110with a recovery period of 3-6 minutes between each effort.
• B: Ensure that you warm up well before races. Your warm up should take from 20-40 minutes (experiment to see what works best for you) and you should be sweating lightly at the end of the warm up.
• C: Positioning, always try to be in the first section of the bunch. If you begin the race at the back you run the risk of exhausting your energy stores closing gaps when weak riders let wheels go.

SCENARIO 2:

Unable to close gaps of a few hundred metres. For example when a break is being formed and you try to get across to it from the bunch. You must look at two elements of this.

• A: Are you unable to accelerate quickly enough to escape from the bunch.
• B: Do you get away from the bunch but then slow down before you catch the breakaway and be caught again by the bunch.

SOLUTIONS:

• A. To improve your acceleration include some acceleration sprints in your programme. For example starting from a slow speed,on about 52x16 -14 accelerate rapidly to a fast speed, then ease off. A distance of 75-100 metres is usually enough, with 3-5 minutes recovery between each effort, 5-8 efforts should be enough.
• B: Do longer efforts 300 - 1000 metres at high speed and high cadence.Ride easy in between the efforts for 6 -10 minutes. You must also be aware of pace judgment and should be able to complete the distance at full speed.

SCENARIO 3:

• A: Gradual deterioration of performance, or blowing up during the latter part of events. The reasons for this can vary, A: your basic stamina may be poor
• B: Nutrition may be incorrect
• C: You may be wasting energy needlessly.

SOLUTIONS:

• A: Increase the distance of your longest training spin/s or include some long intervals in your training programme. For example 10 -20 minutes efforts at 80 -90 % heart rate about (25 mile TT pace) with recovery between efforts about half to one of the effort time.
• B: It is very important that you have a well balanced diet, which has a high carbohydrate content. During a long event you must eat and drink sufficient to avoid dehydration and to maintain your energy stores. Aim to take in 1 - 1.5 gram of carbohydrate per minute (a mixture of drinks and snacks) of the race if the race is longer than an hour.
• C: During races look for the best possible shelter from the wind at all times except when you have to ride at the front. Without taking unfair advantage of other riders save your energy for important winning efforts. Train with groups where there are experienced riders and practice riding fast in groups.

SCENARIO 4:

SPRINTING

• A: Are you being left behind in the early part of the sprint when other riders accelerate?
• B: Are you losing speed near the finish of the sprint and being passed by other riders before the line?
• C: Are you sprinting well in short events and poorly in longer events?

SOLUTIONS:

• A: The same as scenario 2A include some acceleration sprints in your training.
• B: Include some long sprints of 200-300 metres in your programme with ten to twenty minutes between each sprint. You must also practise the timing of your sprint. Select a point to sprint to and concentrate on maintaining full speed to that point in training. This can be done with another rider taking turns to lead each other out. Always have a go in sprints at the finish of races, even if all the prizes are gone as this is the best place to learn and build confidence.
• C: This probably indicates that you need to do some more work on your basic endurance, longer miles or long intervals, similar to the solutions to scenario 3.

SCENARIO 5:

Poor recovery, for example deep fatigue for two to four days after a race. This could be caused by

• A: Poor winter preparation ie not enough general fitness training or miles on the bicycle covered in the preparation period.
• B: Overtraining problems B: Poor pre and post event nutrition.

SOLUTIONS:

• A: Go back to basic training [get the miles in] until you build up a solid foundation to race on.
• B: Reduce your training loads until you recover then rebuild training progressively
• C: If your energy or fluid intake is too low you will be constantly in a state of poor recovery. Have your general diet checked; increase your intake of carbohydrate in your main meals and snacks. Have a light snack of carbohydrate [ cereal/sandwich etc ] as soon as possible following races or intensive training sessions. Train easy in the days before races to allow your energy stores to fill.

SCENARIO 6:

If you are riding strongly in hilly or windy conditions, but struggling on fast flat sections of the race.

Solutions:

This could be caused by doing too much of your training on high gears or hilly routes. Vary your training routes and the gears, do some sections of your training fast on medium/low gears at high cadence 100 -120 preferably in a group.

The opposite is of course true if you are having trouble climbing or in windy conditions. Increase the amount of climbing or big gear training to increase your strength.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO OPTIMIZE YOUR PERFORMANCE.

Physiological Testing: Have some fitness tests in a Sports / Human Performance Lab. before undertaking a training programme. These tests will give you precise information on which to base your training programme. Blood tests will show up any deficiency, which could impair performance.

Get a balance between work college relaxation and training and racing. Vary your training sessions Train a maximum of five days weekly. Try to get advice from a coach who will advise you on correct training etc. If you have injuries or medical problems get advice from a sports doctor before you resume training.

I hope this article is some help to you over the season; it can be referred whenever you are having problems and should help in your analysis of the situation you find yourself in.

Paddy Doran