Can you hear the cowbells in the distance? Sounds like cyclocross season is on the horizon. Cyclocross has to be one of the hardest forms of bicycling racing out there, and because of its short but uber intense race style, it requires some specialized training to ensure success. By Tim Cusick, PCG President and Elite/Master CoachOver the years Ive identified a few myths riders often believe about both training and performance. Thankfully they are easy to correct!Myth 1: CX is all about anaerobic capacityOne of the most confusing aspects of cyclocross training is that the nature of the event convinces us that anaerobic capacity (the number of matches we can burn) becomes the limiter to performance. This often leads riders to plan a ton of high-intensity workouts into their weekly schedule in an effort to expand their ability to burn matches. However, while this type of intensity is a major factor, it typically is not the key limiter. If youre training and racing with power, take a look at the last race you cracked in and start reviewing backward. Ill bet that at first youll see that yes, the time period before burned some heavy matches and effort, with too short of a recovery. And it would appear that a lack of anaerobic capacity is to blame, right? But take a closer look at the normalized power of the effort (note: normalized power isnt always fully accurate under 20 minutes, but its a good guide). You will likely notice two...
View the full article
View the full article
