Let's talk about training

[Drtgirl]

Now that my bike shopping adventure is behind me I'm ready to focus a bit more on training. I trail run several times a week so I'm not really worried about that. What I am concerned about is the fast riding. I adventure race and our mountain biking is usually at a slow pace over a long distance. It's been a good 6 years since I did any really fast riding.

How can I make the transition from one type of riding to the other? Just go out on the trail and haul? Or would intervals suit me better?

Thanks!

btw- I bought the 44cm Bianchi Axis!

[cwodiva]

I do intervals, I do a lot of road riding for intensity to get ready for cross. Other days I'll ride off road on my cross bike and practice mounts, dismounts, remounts, technical stuff, because it does feel different on a cross bike than a mountain bike.

Remounts are a real weakness for me. My goal this year is to really work on being smooth and no pausing.

When I lived in Georgia, once a week, a group of us would set up a practice cross course in a local park and have an hour to hour and a half practice. We would do cross intervals, like we were in a cross race.

Here I do the same thing on my own, practicing things like transitions on off bike at race speed as well as practicing getting off your bike and carrying it up hill, getting the bike on your shoulder fast and hauling butt up hill fast lol! remounting at the top of the hill, when you're tired. I'll also do a few sprints from a complete stop, as if I"m on the starting line. I am trying to work on clipping in a little faster and starting super fast so I can stay with the girl who won last year and who is NOT going to drop me at the start this year!:D


I don't do a lot of running, I've read mixed things about it, one is that in cross running is about 10% of it, so you don't want to make your legs too tired for improving your cycling by doing long runs. Other articles say running is important, what do you ladies think? I don't really enjoy running so I guess I look for any excuse not to have to run on a regular basis lol!


Drtgl:
You've got an excellent base, which takes the longest to get, by ramping up your riding up with intervals, you'll be faster in no time!


Here are some good articles too.

http://www.bikereg.com/Cycle-Smart/articles/20051018.asp


http://www.bikereg.com/Cycle-Smart/articles/20050909.asp

[han-grrl]

Thanks for the links - was wondering myself how i am going to get "into the groove" for CX