Racing Interferes/Helps with Training

frenchyge said:

That would be the way to make it a good workout, but then why pay the entry fee and take the extra time to enter the race when I can ride 40 into the wind straight from my doorstep and get a good workout in the evening after work. The only time I'm going to pay the entry fee and take the time to travel to a race is when I want to compete and beat the others, or help a teammate do so.

I'm not saying that one can't get a good workout while racing, but why enter a race if you're only wanting a good workout?

For me, many races are simply fun and is what I enjoy doing but it is always done in the context of a training programme. A great example is the weekly evening track racing at my velodrome.

Races are pretty much the only bunch rides I do.

Wish I could do some now🙁

frenchyge said:

That would be the way to make it a good workout, but then why pay the entry fee and take the extra time to enter the race when I can ride 40 into the wind straight from my doorstep and get a good workout in the evening after work. The only time I'm going to pay the entry fee and take the time to travel to a race is when I want to compete and beat the others, or help a teammate do so.

I'm not saying that one can't get a good workout while racing, but why enter a race if you're only wanting a good workout?

I find a ride a lot harder with a group chasing me, it's also more fun. I prefer it considerably to training alone. I can set myself goals like x number of laps off the front, or ride on the front at 48 for 3 laps etc. Mentally I guess I just want to stamp on the pedals more and make people suffer at a race versus training alone.

LarsEjaas said:

You could also combine racing and training. One of my teammates who lives in Belgium had a period where he did 3 hour rides in the morning, and then did kermesse races in the afternoon.

Unfo I started working full time, so I don't really have the time for that now....my reduced training volume means I stick to races of under 2.5 hrs nowadays. I wouldn't have the stamina for that.

Didn't he find the three hours in the morning really blunted his speed for the kermesse? Some of those kermesses and elite crits have brutally fast starts, I wouldn't be sure i had the strength for that approach. He must have been pretty tough because some pretty awesome riders round here often drop out of crits early on if it's the dat after a classic, or the week after a stage race....

I heard that Boonen was doing 3 hr morning rides then a kermesse, then riding home to prepare for the World Championship

BullGod said:

I heard that Boonen was doing 3 hr morning rides then a kermesse, then riding home to prepare for the World Championship

Marcel Wuest the former German sprinter who won many stages at the Vuelta also did this as preparation for the TdF. In the morning he trained in the hills and in teh afternoon he entered a criterium in France. At least that is what he wrote in his book "Sprinterjahre" (German for "a sprinter´s years"😉.

Please excuse the following generalities. If you are talking about road racing (as opposed to TTs or triathlons), never ever listen to a triathlete. It is a completely different sport. Triathletes are endurance athletes. Most road racing for a typical amatuer is less about endurance than it is about power. Triathletes don't have to worry about improving accelleration and bike handling. They just ride in a straight line at a constant speed. On the other hand, if you are a road racer, the only way to really work on these things is to race. Also, triathletes tend to focus on a few races a year. They are usually pretty long and require longer period of recovery. With road racing, you can race once a week all year long without any adverse effects.

However, I do think that racing can negatively impact your training if you are constantly tapering for a race. Sometimes you just have to train right through the race without any taper. That way, it falls into your normal training routine and becomes part of your training.

In the end, FTP doesn't win races (unless your are a tri ot tt geek). Racing is good. Worrying about numbers is bad. Race hard and you will get faster.

wiredued said:

I have heard a triathlete say racing can interfere with training and I have also heard from cyclists that racing can increase FTP. So are there certain races that are beneficial and other types of races that are not?

BullGod said:

I find a ride a lot harder with a group chasing me, it's also more fun. I prefer it considerably to training alone. I can set myself goals like x number of laps off the front, or ride on the front at 48 for 3 laps etc. Mentally I guess I just want to stamp on the pedals more and make people suffer at a race versus training alone.

That's where PMs come in handy, you can pretty much always have goals to chase. Although, even with a powermeter I still find it fun to go and hammer on the group ride.

It sounds to me like the biggest difference between people is the character of racing in their area. I'm in the boat with Frenchyge and some others on this one: if I'm going to drive, pay and pin a number on, then I'm racing. It sounds like most people who use races as training rides have lots of races close by and plenty of weeknight training races.

Alex Simmons said:

Races are pretty much the only bunch rides I do.

Wish I could do some now🙁

Hey Alex keep that head up. Paraphrasing that big fella - you'll be back🙂

whoawhoa said:

That's where PMs come in handy, you can pretty much always have goals to chase. Although, even with a powermeter I still find it fun to go and hammer on the group ride.

It sounds to me like the biggest difference between people is the character of racing in their area. I'm in the boat with Frenchyge and some others on this one: if I'm going to drive, pay and pin a number on, then I'm racing. It sounds like most people who use races as training rides have lots of races close by and plenty of weeknight training races.

yeah.....most races within 30 mins ride from home on weeknights and weekends....crits on weekends usually under an hour on the train away....I can actually race 3/4 times a week and hardly train alone if I wish....