Athletes understand that training occupies a significant portion of their lives. If you are unsure of what I mean by training, it is the process of acquiring new skills and practicing them until they become second nature. In other words, training is what facilitates improvement in whatever discipline or activity piques your interest. Consider how dancers spend countless hours each day honing their craft; this is training. If we want to improve in our sport as cyclists, we must exercise just as much as dancers do.
This article will cover the principles of training for road races like criteriums as well as longer events like time trials. According to Marty Nothstein, if this seems tough yet interesting, you may be ready to start competing in events.
Training Is A Process
Training is a process. It’s not something you can do for a few weeks and then stop, expecting to look like a professional cyclist. Training takes time, effort, and consistency–and that’s just on the bike! If you want to be successful in your racing career don’t expect quick results from any training program unless it’s designed specifically for that purpose.
Treat Working With A Coach As A Privilege And Honor
Working with a coach is a privilege and an honor, so treat it as such. Your coach is there to help you achieve your goals, but also to keep you on track with your training plan. If you miss a workout or skip the gym for days at a time, they’ll likely notice and ask why–if not sooner than later.
Each Training Session Fits The Plan
Keep each session in the context of your entire training plan. Each type of session should be linked to other sessions and races in this strategy. If you recently finished a block of high-intensity interval training aka HITT, your following session should be easier to allow your body to recuperate.
Beginners Don’t Need High-Intensity Workouts Right Away
Marty Nothstein Intervals and tempo rides are not for beginners who want to progressively gain fitness. Start with easy rides or recovery rides for beginners. As their fitness improves, they can progressively increase their effort by adding hills or speeding up on flat routes.
