Professional Cycling

There is no single greater challenge for a road racer than the individual time trial. The “Race of Truth” tests every physical and mental skill and ability you possess. There is no place to hide, no tactics to play off of, no shelter from the elements. Just you and your bike and the clock. All the things that make you a good ITT rider, maximal aerobic capacity, anaerobic power, aerobic recovery and mental toughness are vital to successful performance regardless of the racing venue.

The athlete that races well against the clock is always a threat. A 40K ITT requires that you ride at and sometimes above maximal aerobic capacity for close to 60min. If your fitness is good and you ride a 40K ITT correctly you should have next to nothing left when you cross the line. I’ve worked with elite riders who have ridden a 40K ITT so hard that they someone to catch them at the finish because they were not able to stand up. This may sound a bit extreme but if you take the ITT seriously and you want to be competitive you have to be prepared to put out that level of effort.

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Having a consistent routine will help eliminate errors in planning and provide much needed focus and concentration on race day. Whatever routine you develop it needs to be repeatable and consistent and should reflect your particular needs in preparing for competition.

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All along the way in your athletic experience you will have those days when very little seems to go as planned. No worries, it happens to EVERYBODY. Every race is a learning opportunity and when things go poorly it helps to have a process by which you can sift through the details in search of clues that will help you prepare better and improve your performance the next time out.

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Your training has prepared you mentally and physically for competition and gives you confidence on race day. The next step is to have consistent race day routine that will help you avoid distractions and keep you focused at the race venue. I have seen riders show up at races missing important equipment or their favorite pre race nutritional snack and have it really mess up their day. Who needs the distraction when it can be avoided?

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The conditions you train and race can have a dramatic effect on how you perform. Heat, cold, rain, wind, humidity and altitude can all have adverse effects on your performance. However, if you are well prepared for the elements they will have less of a negative effect on your performance and in some cases can even become an ally for you in the race. In all cases just a little extra planning can make a big difference.

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It is hard to find any hard science that proves the benefits of a good warm-up. However, every coach and almost every rider I know believes that it is important to warm-up before training and competition. But why?

From personal experience, the first hard efforts in training or at the start of a race can be extremely uncomfortable if I am not prepared to do the work. On a training ride I do not expect to be able to do any meaningful work until 45minutes into the ride. The older I get the longer it seems to take.

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