Thoughts on MTB as off season training



blkhotrod

New Member
Oct 20, 2005
139
0
0
Does off season MTB really do anything to help road/TT performance? Is it just like lifting weights a waste of time (per Ric)? Current list of off season training activites seems pretty short; battle the elements on the road, torture the mind on the indoor trainer, core stability at the gym............???
 
No question it will help you stay in shape and keep you from detraining in the "offseason". I have no studies though, if that's what you're looking for. I ride both and IME one helps the other. Many/most mtb riders train on the road. There's undoubtedly a crossover.
 
blkhotrod said:
Does off season MTB really do anything to help road/TT performance? Is it just like lifting weights a waste of time (per Ric)? Current list of off season training activites seems pretty short; battle the elements on the road, torture the mind on the indoor trainer, core stability at the gym............???
No reason why it wouldn't. Pretty much the same fitness benefits as road cycling (unless you ride super techy trails and spend a lot of time not pedaling) and much preferable to trainer, gym, etc.
 
whoawhoa said:
No reason why it wouldn't. Pretty much the same fitness benefits as road cycling (unless you ride super techy trails and spend a lot of time not pedaling) and much preferable to trainer, gym, etc.
unfortunately the mtn biking here is one long straight up, then one long straight down....so i consider 50% a waste of time right off the top.
do you think 1 road, 1 indoor and 2 mtb days per week for off season or 2 road, 1 indoor, 1mtb.............or something else??
 
blkhotrod said:
unfortunately the mtn biking here is one long straight up, then one long straight down....so i consider 50% a waste of time right off the top.
Well, I hope you descend faster than you climb :p , so it's probably 30% at worst. Maybe more like 20-25%. And, I think long climbs are the best way to ensure steady, hard efforts on the mtb if you're riding singletrack. Really not much more "wasted" time than on the road.


blkhotrod said:
do you think 1 road, 1 indoor and 2 mtb days per week for off season or 2 road, 1 indoor, 1mtb.............or something else??
I think it depends on the specifics of the road and mtb workouts, your weather tolerance, ride length, etc. If you have long climbs available I don't see the mtb as any worse than the road bike so your probably free to choose.
 
whoawhoa said:
Well, I hope you descend faster than you climb :p , so it's probably 30% at worst. Maybe more like 20-25%. And, I think long climbs are the best way to ensure steady, hard efforts on the mtb if you're riding singletrack. Really not much more "wasted" time than on the road.

90 minutes up, 5 minutes to put on some warm clothes and 20 minutes down.........all old logging roads. thanks again for your help.
 
Another advantage of mtb'ing in the winter is that it's slower and a lot less windy than riding on the road, so you don't get as cold. I used to ride frozen snowmobile tracks in the night, it's like another world! Lots of guys here in Wisconsin also ride up and down the beach on Lake Michigan when the sand is frozen...
 
normZurawski said:
No question it will help you stay in shape and keep you from detraining in the "offseason". I have no studies though, if that's what you're looking for. I ride both and IME one helps the other. Many/most mtb riders train on the road. There's undoubtedly a crossover.

Plus you'll become a better bike handler, you can ride in the snow (great fun off road, suicidal on road) and it's a great mental break if you've only been riding/racing road the rest of the year. Oh, and riding technical terrain is great for your core strength.

Go for it.