Completed 10 cyclocross races this season with good but not great results.
The thing I noticed most was my great initial 1st & 2nd lap intensity however my power began to fade and laps 3-5 became a bit slower. Basically I was running out of gas.
Question?
Would doing 30-45min time trial training during the summer in advance of cross racing be appropriate to help me keep my intensity up?
Thanks
First reaction…. You need to up the long rides and long tempos. You need endurance. Maybe better pacing?
1 Like
A 30-45 min time trial is essentially doing a threshold workout. Yes, you should be doing some 2x20min sweet spot/threshold workouts in your build for CX season. Do a 2x20 workout, a VO2max workout, a 3 hour zone 2 long ride, some bike driving skills work, and you will be set for CX racing.
I used to do 30/30 at 150% ftp, and 3-4min on / 1min off at 20min max power x5-8 reps throughout the CX season and in preparation for it (with progressive overload of reps over time). I also had 1 long ride at easy endurance pace. I always placed really well.
CX is really about high intensity riding w high repetitions. Bursting out of a corner, I’m probably reaccelerating over 200% ftp for 10-15 seconds. If I get a power section (60-90 sec), I’m prob riding 20min max power or a bit over.
It all averages out to be a high tempo or threshold wattage, but that’s bc there are a lot of zeros when coasting factored in. It’s not like the race is a road bike TT holding some wattage for long. I don’t purposefully try to ride any of these effort levels, but after looking at a power file from many races, they tend to follow this trend
3 Likes