# get me into race shape for 2014



## tazunemono (Jun 5, 2013)

I would like to be competitive in crit and road racing in 2014. This year, I was mostly packfill, coming in middle of the pack in my races. I think I could make improvements to my strategy and technique, but mostly I need improvements to my fitness. Here's what I have been doing this year:


200 bike miles in Jan-Feb
200 bike miles in March
250 bike miles in April
300 bike miles in May
400 bike miles in June (started training with HR and doing threshold work)
520 bike miles in July (have my zones dialed in, doing LT intervals)

I"m 37/M. In terms of fitness, I did a power test and have a 278W FTP and can run a 22 minute 5k. My friends (who beat my a$$ in races) have >300W FTP and can run 17-18 minute 5ks ... I would like to get my 30-45 min power >300W for crit. 

September starts cyclocross season for me (my first year)
I'm averaging between 100-120 miles per week now, but this will scale back once the days get shorter. That means I'll have to spend more time on the trainer. For the winter, I plan to ride the trainer and use TrainerRoad and videos (Sufferfest, RealRides, etc.)

What should I be doing this fall/winter to ensure success in 2014? My race age is 38 for 2014. Should I focus on threshold intervals? More power training (e.g., squats and sprinting)? Focus on base? I plan on buying a power meter with my tax refund and using that for training in 2014. 

Appreciate the advice


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## seppo17 (Dec 7, 2008)

This is what worked for me.

Last fall/winter I started off well in cross, then upgraded to a cx2 and realized quickly I was pack fill or OTB. So I pretty much trained through the rest of cross, but lacking in long rides due to racing basically every weekend. I was still getting in 9-10 hrs a week with 1-2 60min cross races and one fast group ride mid week.

Then once cross season ended it was basically base/build work. 9-11 hrs with one long ride(3hrs or so), 2 x FTP intervals, and 1 tempo ride a week. Now I can't stand the trainer so the weather some times messes with rides, so there were a few weeks all over the map. But I was out riding in all kinds of cold and sometimes wet weather.

The once spring hit I stuck to the program and built myself a nice aerobic engine and gained some much need leg strength. Then I pretty much raced to sharpen my topend.

I started this road season as a 4 and will finish as a 2.

A powermeter is very much worth it if used correctly. Power tap is suppositely slashing the price on the g3 hub, so it should be a good time to invest.

That said having a good ftp, could mean little if you don't know how to play to your strengths in races. You have to figure out what you have to do to end up at the front at the end of races. That could be getting in a break, attacking with 1k to go, trying to blow everyones doors off out of the last corner, or something else.


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## tazunemono (Jun 5, 2013)

Thanks, I actually enjoy the trainer, I feel like I get a more structured workout without coasting. I plan on building a power tap wheel this winter/spring. I will work on upping my FTP, race skills and ability to suffer to ensure I'm where I need to be come last lap.


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## bikerector (Oct 31, 2012)

Good advice above. Here's my 2 cents.

My first recommendation would be to ride more. The 150 miles a week is decent, if you start cutting back it's less decent. Mileage can vary based on the workouts since you'll log a lot of miles at less intense workouts but less miles during intense, interval workouts (sprint repeats) so mileage is just a gauge, off-road mileage is completely different as well since you'll be working a lot harder for the same distance.

For winter, most of the people I know that do well coming into spring racing do a ton of base miles, long and easy, with a few FTP workouts, 2x20min type stuff mixed in. One thing to caution is that starting structured training can cause early burnout mid-season so make sure you aren't hating life too early on. It can start to suck if you've been training for 3-4 months and then get into your first competition, not as ad for you since you will be racing cross.

Specifically for crits, you'll want a ton of interval work since the race is almost like a constant acceleration since you're turning and accelerating so often. Cross is vary similar so will help with that.

Road races are a little more pacing and staying efficient so the longer rides will help on that end as well as the longer efforts like FTP workouts and so on. There's generally a lot less surging going on in road races compared to crits.

There's a pretty large tactic aspect to racing on the road as well, the stronger rider doesn't always win. It would be good to learn more about what works and what doesn't, watch some youtube races or whatever you can find. I haven't watched any sufferfest videos but I plan to get some, I've heard they're pretty helpful. Any race simulation-like video seems like a good idea, I like the race day DVD that comes with cycleops trainers.

My experience has been that running well doesn't translate into riding well, I've heard others say the same thing. Overall fitness is good but so is specific fitness. They use slightly different primary muscles.

I tried weight training in the off season for the first time last year and it was nice to get a short workout in but I didn't see much improvement from it. It definitely didn't hurt I just don't think I'm the type of person where it would give as much of a benefit (ex-football player with already massive legs).

I would say that if you don't mind riding a trainer, you're golden. That is my short fall, I ride outside all winter because I can't stand being indoors that much. I've found rollers much more enjoyable than a trainer but I still get mind-block at about 2 hours max. I've made the investment for good winter clothing and enjoy that much more so that helps me keep from getting bored with training. Riding in snow is a blasty blast.


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## tazunemono (Jun 5, 2013)

Thanks, I'm shooting for 600 miles in Aug., but once the days start getting shorter my outdoors saddle time drops. Thus, the need for trainer rides. I still get outside as much as possible in the fall/winter, and my training switches to more LSD on the weekends rather than a lot of short (20-40 mile) intense efforts.


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## bikerector (Oct 31, 2012)

I've bought a bunch of lights instead of being stuck on the trainer, another option if you don't mind riding in the dark. I usually run at least one strong headlight and two rear lights, in case one goes dead mid ride and that way they blink out of sync to get better visibility, in my opinion.


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## Newnan3 (Jul 8, 2011)

If one is doing the long 3+ hr rides a week and FTP, Tempo rides How long should the FTP and Tempo rides be? 


An hr each?


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## aussiebullet (Sep 26, 2005)

They can be as long as long as you have time to train for, both FTP and tempo have a wide range so ride at an effort level that lets you complete the ride for the time frame you have on that day,
FTP can be broken down into blocks, that can last up to 2hrs(3 or 4x20 with 10min rest between them) though most just do 2x20min with 5min rest between and call it quits.
Tempo, can be done in 1-4hrs solid or with a few short breaks to break it up, same as SST really, just at a little lower intensity and little higher volume, all are great for building aerobic power/fitness.
It's all up to you.


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## the_gormandizer (May 12, 2006)

I am not a coach, but have the benefit of a very good one. Assuming you want to do long road races (not just crits) so you need endurance and a good power to weight ratio, here's what I think you could do:
1) Ride as much as possible, every day if you can. If you can ride 15 hours per week, or even more, that's great. You _can _ride and rest, as long as you ride very easy when you are resting. This is important if you are trying to maintain or lose weight (more about this later).
2) If you can afford a powermeter, get one. Test your ftp using one of the established methods: ride hard for an hour, ride hard for 20 mins, or do a monad test. This is necessary to establish your intensity levels.
3) Do structured intervals, but only twice a week with a 1-2 days in between unless you know for a fact that you can handle more. These can be done on a trainer, and can often be done most precisely on a trainer. You can use the rides and plans on TrainerRoad. Be careful of the Sufferfest ones, since they might be calibrated a bit too hard, and you might feel discouraged if you can't do them at 100% power. Interval rides can take up to 90 min. Aim at 15-20 mins warmup, 60 mins hard riding, 5-10 mins cool down. The design of these intervals is up to you, your goals, and the time of season. The intervals can be anywhere from L3 to L6, with appropriate recovery in between. Intense intervals will be necessarily shorter, and one hour at L3 still feels hard.
4) If the winter weather permits it, do at least one long ride per week (4+ hours) to build endurance.
5) When you are not doing structured intervals, do not ride hard. Keep your riding in L1 or L2, and limit your forays into L3 or L4 to less than 1-2 minutes. This will allow you to recover properly so you will be able to ride hard when you need to. 
6) Other than your endurance rides, avoid riding in groups, especially if you can't control the pace of the group. This pertains to 4) above, and it can be the hardest part, since we all want to show our buddies how strong we are!
7) Unless you are already lean, work on your weight. The off-season is the time to do it. There are plenty of books like "Racing Weight" that give good advice on diet and when to east carbs vs protein for optimal weight maintenance, but it all comes down to moderation, variety, and eating as many natural and unrefined foods as possible. Monitor your calories expended with Strava, or with other tools. Try not to take in more calories than you expend. You can use an online calorie counting app like loseit.com to set a goal and help you attain it.
8) Supplement with stretching and core strength exercises. Yoga and pilates-based exercises are great.


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## hrumpole (Jun 17, 2008)

the_gormandizer said:


> 3) Do structured intervals, but only twice a week with a 1-2 days in between unless you know for a fact that you can handle more. These can be done on a trainer, and can often be done most precisely on a trainer. You can use the rides and plans on TrainerRoad. Be careful of the Sufferfest ones, since they might be calibrated a bit too hard, and you might feel discouraged if you can't do them at 100% power. Interval rides can take up to 90 min. Aim at 15-20 mins warmup, 60 mins hard riding, 5-10 mins cool down. The design of these intervals is up to you, your goals, and the time of season. The intervals can be anywhere from L3 to L6, with appropriate recovery in between. Intense intervals will be necessarily shorter, and one hour at L3 still feels hard.
> 8) Supplement with stretching and core strength exercises. Yoga and pilates-based exercises are great.


2 add'l comments. 1. Turn the S fest down to 90 percent on trainer road. It will be plenty hard, and completable. Some are simply not if you do them at your tested FTP.

2. Yoga/pilates/trigger point and functional movements (esp squats and kettlebell exercises). They've kept imbalances away and keep my hips functional. 20min, 3x week brings improvement. YMMV.


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## cyclo-man (Oct 4, 2013)

personally - I would invest in a power meter that's calibrated to your trainer (like a Kurt Kinetic for $80) and work on high intensity intervals. pick up the book - the time crunched cyclist by Chris Carmichael where he has plans and great explanations of why this works. You mentioned you were 37 - so I assume you have a job/family, and training 150-200 miles per week might be tough. In fact, in Carmichael's book, he states that unless the rider can train 12-15 hours minimum on the bike per week, he's better off doing 5-6 hours of high-intensity training to get the same benefit. You can then use the sufferfest videos, or others, to do the intervals. The high-intensity plans are what you need for cyclocross too. I am mid-way through the season - and was using the cyclocross plan in carmichael's book with good results, but just purchased the Sufferfest vids and Cyclocross plan - and I like it a lot better - very intense, and the videos keep me motivated to train. Good luck


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## Gary Tingley (Mar 15, 2004)

"What should I be doing this fall/winter to ensure success in 2014?"

Nearly every gain you carry into 2014 will dictate how successful your fitness will be on race day. Most gains will be found during this period. That said, volume, sub-threshold intervals, weight training, nutrition upgrades, and identification/application of race specific skills should be planned in, from Oct-Jan. Most crit specialists I've worked with have had great results using this winter/spring model.


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