ToolBox: Be A Better Racer By Next Spring
Over here at FasCat Coaching, it’s my favorite time of year to be a coach. The off season offers up so many possibilities! Imagine yourself next season throwing your arms up in victory. Have you planned out your victory salute a la Richard Virenque or Carlos Sastre? It might be wise to think about that in the coming months because you’re about to become a faster cyclist!
To get started you need to dream a little. Local “bragging rights” race, state champion to national champion – -whatever gets you motivated. Next, set some realistic goals. Take what you accomplished this year and build upon those results. Finally plan on getting down to some serious training. How much time do you have each week to train? What kind of commitment are you willing to make? With so much time between now and the 2004 racing season, a lot can be accomplished with a well thought out training plan. By adopting a plan you can become a much faster cyclist and that gets me excited!
And so I’d like to introduce a preview of what’s to come this “off season” at Pez Cycling News’ ToolBox. I hope to inspire, motivate, and inform you about the training intricacies of off season training. I’ll take you through each off season phase from the weight room to long base miles and finally into high intensity work to prime you for that pre-planned victory salute.
If there’s one piece of advice that I can impart upon you it is: Cycling is a sport that rewards hard work and dedication. So plan on all that and plan on using your smarts this off season. Don’t just go out and do “piles of miles”. Adopt an annual training plan! Look towards your first “big” race next season and work backwards from there. Define how many weeks you have and break up those weeks into training phases. Take the initiative to educate yourself about training techniques. Talk with other riders, consider hiring a coach, and of course visit PEZ for informative Toolbox articles.
Committing to a well thought out training plan will cumulatively improve your fitness in the off season. Giving each training session a purpose will pay off. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither are cycling victories. Clearing your slate an hour or two 3-5 days a week will result in a stronger, more powerful cyclist.
Back in the day, the off season meant riding your bike and riding your bike a lot. However, many successful off season programs now incorporate much much more to improve your performance. In the coming months you will find performance driven articles on:
– Utilizing cyclocross racing for the ultimate in cross training
– weight training
– improving your power to weight ratio
– developing cycling event specific power
– free powermeters (yes!) and more
If you’ve got a subject that is Pez-worthy drop us an email and let us know!
So go ahead, dream the dream, think about what you’d like to accomplish next year, and check back often for timely insight to guide you through your best off season training yet!
Questions or comments? Email Frank at [email protected] or visit him at FasCat Coaching.com.
Frank Overton is a USA cycling certified coach and category 1 road racer. He can be reached at his website
FasCatCoaching.com and may be found in and around Boulder, Colorado preparing himself and his clients diligently for the 2004 racing season.
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