TRAINING FOR OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE Andrew Leone and James Gilbert racing@nycc.org Chad Butts Endurancewerx chad@endurancewerx.com Allan Rego Endurancewerx allan@endurancewerx.com www.nyccracing.org www.endurancewerx.com
THE NYCC RACING TEAM Nearly 50 racers on the team Many other NYCC members are part of the development program We are one of the 3 largest CRCA sub teams and larger than many stand alone cycling clubs CRCA membership is up in 2017 due to the new NYCC Racing team CRCA racers have joined NYCC for the 1 st time after joining the race team One of our goals was an increase in CRCA and NYCC membership and increased collaboration between the two organizations An unknown and new team at the start of the year now we are well known by all of the other racing squads in the area
THE NYCC RACING TEAM Selected race series results : 3 rd place - CRCA best overall racer Mens Cat 1/2/3 1 st place - CRCA Men s Cat 4 Team cup 3 rd place - CRCA Men s Cat 1/2/3 Team cup 2 nd Place CRCA Women s Development Series Individual Leader 1 st place - Rockleigh Criterium overall series Cat 1/2/3 and Cat 4/5 1 st place - Prospect Park overall series Cat 1/2/3 and Cat 4/5 2 nd Place - Tuesday Floyd Bennett Field overall series Cat 1/2/3 2 nd Place - Thursday Floyd Bennett Field overall series Cat 1/2/3 and Cat 4/5 Selected one day and stage race results: 1 st Place Monson Road Race Cat 4 Men 1 st Place- NJ Time Trial Cup Cat 4/5 Men 1 st Place Quabbin Road Race Cat 4 Men and Cat 5 Masters Men 2 nd Place Lime Rock Grand Prix Cat 4 Men 2 nd Place NJ State Criterium Championship Womens 4/5 1 st and 2 nd Place Orchard Beach Criterium Cat 4 Men 1 st Place CRCA Dave Jordan Classic Cat 3 Men and Cat 4 Men 3 rd Place - CRCA Dave Jordan Classic Cat 1/2/3 Men 2 nd Place CRCA Dave Jordan Classic Cat 4/5 Women 2 nd Place CRCA Dave Jordan Classic Juniors 9-10 3 rd Place- Philly Navy Yard Criterium Cat 4/5 Women 2 nd Place Allamuchy TT Cat 4/5 Men 2 nd Place Army Spring Classic Cat 4/5 Men 1 st Place Crono Vino TT Cat 4/5 Men
HOW TO RIDE FASTER Riding with faster riders Adequate nutrition and hydration Proper bike positioning and fit Structured training Tactics and strategy for racing
RIDING WITH FASTER RIDERS One of the best ways to get faster is to join a ride that pushes your comfortable pace to the limit NYCC has many opportunities for rides across a variety of speeds If you get dropped, try again next week and soon enough you will be able to hang on Our NYCC Development Program Attack! To Nyack is one such example Many people get dropped their 1 st time out but come back and soon enough they can push the pace on the front Tips for Fast Group Rides: 1. Draft efficiently 2. Take shorter pulls with measured effort 3. Move to front before climbs 4. Keep speed up when done with pull 5. Watch for gaps forming 6. Know important moments on the ride
DRAFT EFFICIENTLY Drafting : Up to 40% reduction in power required when drafting Lead rider enjoys a 2-4% reduction in power required as well, so everyone wins Optimal drafting position depends on where the wind is coming from Drafting efficiently: Close enough to benefit from the draft effect Paying attention to where the wind is coming from Not letting gaps form which have to be closed Remaining in an aerodynamic position while drafting http://myworldfromabicycle.blogspot.com/2011/09/bicycle-racing-tactics-and-strategies.html
TAKE SHORTER PULLS WITH MEASURED EFFORT Unlike a race, in a group ride setting, you can skip a pull if you are tired You can feel free to tell others that you are tired On our Attack! To Nyack ride, we encourage people to not Attack or pull if they are not feeling up to it No need to be a hero and stay on the front to show everyone how strong you are Smoothly start your pull, no need to accelerate the paceline It can be helpful to know your FTP (functional threshold power) or threshold heart rate Some riders like to glance at their power or heart rate when taking pulls to measure their effort Ensure you are comfortable glancing down safely before you try this in a group setting
MOVE TO THE FRONT BEFORE CLIMBS If you aren t a great climber, move to the front of the pack before a climb You can use a bit less power than the leaders and slowly slide backwards Try to end the climb near the back In a large group, the difference between when the first rider starts and the last rider finishes the climb can be very significant Your time may be a lot slower, but you are still with the group Be wary of other riders getting dropped Ensure you don t have to close extra gaps if others struggle on the climbs Races will often have effort continue through the crest of a climb Group rides more often ease up when a climb has been crested
KEEP SPEED UP WHEN DONE WITH PULL AND WATCH FOR GAPS FORMING Often riders will take a large pull and then slow down significantly when moving aside Try to keep some speed up as you move to the back of the group If you let up too much speed you risk having to accelerate and expend a lot of power to grab the last wheel in the paceline Try to keep an eye on the road ahead to anticipate gaps forming ahead of you It is better to go around a rider who is in danger of being dropped and fill in a gap vs have to close a large gap later The rider who is in danger of being dropped will also appreciate you slotting into the gap as they should benefit from regaining a draft
KNOW THE IMPORTANT MOMENTS ON THE RIDE Most fast group rides and races have defining moments The State Line Sprint Alpine Hill Bear Mountain These moments are when a selection is made and either you make it with the group or not Knowing when these moments will come will allow you to be prepared for them Ensure you haven t just taken a large pull before these defining moments As mentioned previously, it may make sense to be closer to the front of the group, especially prior to climbs Know the length of these defining moments Mentally it helps if you have an idea of the effort, distance and duration required to complete the selection moment
ADEQUATE NUTRITION AND HYDRATION Nutrition: Experiment on rides and see what amount of food you require to keep yourself going A standard guide is 30-60 grams of carbohydrates per hour Harder rides will require more carbs, more frequently Easier rides are likely to burn more fat and less carbs Hydration: Get hydrated before the ride even starts Hydration is an every day activity I set a time alarm on my Garmin It beeps every 15 minutes, reminding me to take a drink of water Some people prefer all in one hydration and nutrition solutions Perpetuem is one such example
PROPER BIKE POSITIONING AND FIT A bike fit can be useful for multiple reasons Injury or pain can be alleviated by adjustments to body positioning Adjustment of positioning allowing further muscle recruitment to increase power Optimization of aerodynamic position while maintaining ability to produce power Aerodynamics and position on the bike is a vital component of group riding and racing
AERODYNAMICS Rider and bike aerodynamics accounts for 65% to 85% of the total power required to move a bicycle Bicycle aerodynamics accounts for 15% of power required Your body accounts for the rest! Proper positioning and a good bike fit can play a big part in reducing that 50% to 70% of power required You can buy some speed with upgrades, but some of the best money you can spend is on a bike fit and tweaking your body position to produce power in an aerodynamic position Source: https://cyclingtips.com/2010/04/biggest-bang-for-your-buck-in-time-trial-equipment/
AERODYNAMICS POSITION MATTERS Source: http://pip.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/09/18/1754337114549876.full.pdf+html
STRUCTURED TRAINING A measured and deliberate training plan designed to improve certain aspects of your fitness Instead of just riding, adding interval workouts or trainer sessions to your riding schedule Periodization of training stimulus Monitoring of fatigue and planning for optimum performance for A events Could be a race, a gran fondo, or just a long ride with friends that you want to be ready for Often times using heart rate or power meter to structure and evaluate workouts Chad will be presenting on the basics of training
BASICS OF TRAINING Assessment Blood Lactate Test, Power Profiles Bike Fit Tools Power Meter, Heart Rate, Recovery Training Plan Periodization - What s the goal, be very specific Phases - Training Camps, races, rest, etc. Review
HOW TEAM TRAINING CAN HELP INDIVIDUALS SUCCEED Team focus requires honesty about strengths and weaknesses Comparing to others and knowing numbers Improves consistency and effort Riding with others on your team who are better at certain aspects of riding and racing will improve your riding. Your team can contribute to YOUR success Racing AS a team is more enjoyable...and usually more successful...which leads to more WINS...which is fun!
STEPS TO SUCCESS 1. Assessment a. Where are you starting (requires testing and measurement) 2.Having the right tools a. Power Meter 3. Re-Assessment
TRAINING PLAN 1. Develop the plan a. Target Races, What is the Goal? i. For NYCC win CRCA B cup 1. Target each race but focus on open races due to double points. 2. How does the season plan get structured? a. Design around important races b. How does training change with time of race season i. Preparation, early race season, mid race season, late season, off-season c. Breaks, team size at certain points. d. Changing roles and strategy with specific riders racing e. Other races? 3. How does this training impact the individual? a. Training for an individual's strengths leads to team success and understanding their weaknesses can help the individual train specifically
BENEFITS OF TRAINING WITH POWER Objective Determine ability Track Progress Trends
DRAWBACKS TO TRAINING WITH POWER Too much focus on power Train too hard all the time Comparing things...