|
CYCLOCROSS EDITION
By Roger
For the Love of
Cross
Well it is here! After 8 months of
training, racing and dreaming of be able to do cross again, we are already
2 weekends into the madness! Many of you guys are season veterans, but each
year there are more and more new comers to this fast growing sport.
Fighting for
position at the start
I think if you even have a slight
interest in checking it out, go for it! It is not like continuing your
season or dragging your racing out for another 3-4 month. It is something
totally different and it really re-motivates you to ride a bike again. What
the best part of this sport is that it suits a road cyclist, mountain biker
and even a tri-athlete. It is originally designed as cross training and
isn’t that not what we all want to do in the fall anyways? It helps you to
keep the desire for training with a little running and some
strength training - all in one package. The
bikes are relatively cheap and most of the equipment you need you already
have. There are big super competitive series and then there are local
low-key events to choose from. Once you catch the bug, you can race every
weekend from September to Christmas. Maybe this sport fits your lifestyle
better and you cut down on the racing in the summer or early spring. Or you
just do a few races at a more relaxed schedule. Cross opens up a whole new
world in fitness and cycling, it makes an athlete more complete in many
ways.
Verge Series week 1 podium
Roger 1st,
Kevin Hines 2nd, Johnny Bold 3rd
I got a later start this year due
to a very busy road-racing schedule this fall. I finished the Tour of
Catskills on Sunday and on Monday I got my 2010 Ridley X-Night, times 2. In
cross on a higher level 2 bikes or sometimes 3 bikes is
are a necessity. With the help of QBP and Westwood Cycle and a
few good results last year this was possible. So I had 5 days to switch my
brain to a different mode and dial the new bikes in + traveling to Burlington, VT.
Saturday was my first race; needless to say I was not prepared. Did a few
laps on Friday night and then another 3-4 on Saturday morning. Lined up, front
row start since I got 3rd last year in this series, wearing my
National Champ Jersey, every New Englander wanting a piece of me. It was
like getting thrown in the water not knowing how to swim. Everything came
back to me in a few minutes and the fitness I have from all
the road racing, backed everything up. Won the first CX race and
took the leader’s Jersey that I never had
before in that series. Next day was rain and mud, another shock to the
system. Tire choice and tire pressure was now a major factor. Cold and wet,
now I need the SPORTSBALM more than ever, another great sponsor I
could not do without in cross racing. I felt more confident on Sunday and
took control of the race right from the start, 2nd race –2nd
win, so kept the leaders Jersey and pretty
much was covered from head to tow in mud. The new RIDLEY bikes, my nice
clean UVEX helmet and my kit ready to be hosed down. Thanks Westwood Cycle,
Ridley, Sportsbalm, Uvex
and Country Choice Organic for helping me to get off to a good start in my
Cross Campaign! Cannot wait to race again!
Well I am not the only guy here who races cross! Finkraft has several athletes that are outstanding
cross racers and some of them even started before I even had a bike this
year.
Ralf Warmuth is one of them. He took
4th and 5th in the opening Mac Series weekend and
then made the trip to WI for the USGP last weekend. There he had two
excellent races with an 7th and 8th place in the
Elite masters division. Ralf is almost a Specialist in Cross and only uses
road racing as training for his cross racing. Ralf placed 8th
last year in the Nationals.
Kevin Hines is another super fast
CX racer, second both days in VT ( I barely edged
him out each day, there is no rule that says I can not beat my client,
right??) and he already won a race in NH the week before. Kevin is probably
on of the best masters cross racers in the Country right now in his age
division.
Kevin’s goal is to improve on the 3rd
place Nationals to a win this Dec in Bend,
OR this year.
So come to a cross race and check it out or put that You Tube
to use to see what it is all about.
CYCLOCROSS
BRIDGING FROM ONE SEASON TO ANOTHER
BY
KYLE WOLFE
AS
FEATURED ON TRAININGPEAKS
http://blog.trainingpeaks.com/2009/09/cyclocross-bridging-from-one-season-to-another.html
As I stare out of my window into
the New England woods, I become all too
familiar with the impending autumn. The days are growing shorter and
the evening air much crisper. Despite all the beauty of the changing
leaves, I can only think of one thing: cyclocross
season is almost here!
When the road racing season draws
to a close many riders simply hang up their bikes for a few months,
resigning themselves to indoor gym classes and the occasional weekend group
ride, if the weather is nice. But for a growing group of racers, the
fall season brings out the cyclocross bikes:
machines akin to standard road bikes but with no water bottles, nobby tires and cantilever brakes.
The sport started about a century
ago in Europe when road racers looking to
continue their racing and training during the winter were forced across
fields and over fences to avoid the snow covered roads. This new
cycling discipline steadily grew into the very popular sport we now have
today. When people ask me for a description, I tell them to imagine
Steeplechase events, but on bicycles. The sport is a mass start bike
race on a course loop that takes about seven or eight minutes to complete,
with less than half on pavement and low hurdles and other obstacles like
sand pits or dirt hills that often force a rider off of his bike to carry
it and run. The races are held over a time length of 45 or 60
minutes, rather than a number of laps or a preset distance. The sport is a
fantastic spectator event, as they are often held in parks or fields where
one can watch most of the race lap from one location.
What makes this sport both fun and
demanding is how it requires the athlete to not only be a strong cyclist,
but also to be good at bike handing skills, a solid runner and have upper
body strength to lift or carry the bicycle when needed. As such, the
training for this sport is very different from normal cycling and sometimes
can even favors triathletes.
The training for this sport often
starts well before the season begins (usually in mid September), which can
be tricky. Although the running distances can be short in cyclocross, their intensity and ability to change a
race require that the racers be good at it. However, your average
cyclist does not run much during the season. Often in August they
will try to get out once a week for a short run, and then step it up much
more once Labor Day arrives. The type of running required in a race
usually means some track workouts for short intense speed, a few trail runs
to help with the balance and high step exercises like stadium stairs and
grass drills.
Kyle Wolfe and Roger
At Gloucester
CX Race
The intense pace and power
required to go as fast as possible for under an hour also requires very
strong core muscle strength. Cycling specific workouts including
abdominal and lower back building exercises like crunches and planks are
good and should be worked into the weekly routine as soon as possible, and
then throughout the cyclocross season to prevent
injury and muscle exhaustion.
Upper body workouts are also needed to help condition
the arms, hands and shoulders for the lifting and carrying of the
bike. Monkey lifts, wrist curls and box or ball pushups are a great
way to help with this part.
And on the bike itself, most workouts are shorter and
more explosive; taking advantage of the yearlong fitness level that most
cyclists and multisport athletes have
built. The need to be able to push the bike at high levels through
the grass and mud requires that the racers can handle high intensity levels
almost all the time.
Of course, the most important thing is to practice the
sport itself when you train. Although you might look a little silly
running around your local town park carrying your bicycle, getting use to
doing all the different things associated with cyclocross
is absolutely crucial.
Cyclocross is great for all levels of athletes as the bicycles are
comparatively inexpensive and an entry level ride will get you through a
whole season of beginner races. It is also a great way to continue
your season a bit longer and stay fit in the process. The next year
is always a lot easier to start when you come off of a three month racing
season of fitness and power. Cyclocross
racing also helps prevent burnout as you are doing a whole new sport that
continues to benefit your summertime goals.
Here is a short write up about
Kevin and Troy from the CX race in Gloucester, MA
In the 35+ elite category Kevin Hines had
a phenomenal weekend . The wet and slick
conditions after raining the night before and still raining
during the Saturday's race really favored Kevin's superb bike handling skills . After Kevin's teammate and our buddy Jon Bold
dropped everybody from the gun and soled to an impressive win, Kevin pretty
much did the same thing to take an equally impressive 2nd place . I had a talk with Kevin that night and told him
that Sunday would be his day, I could just tell that he was on an
incredible form and had a great chance to win the Sunday's race . Kevin changed his ways of racing and rode a lot
more aggressive than ever before and it payed off
big time . A huge win and took the over all lead
in the series from me as well. ( do not worry , I
will take it back......that is what racing is all about!!!)
Kevin
wins the 35 +
In the 45+ Troy Kimball, lined up pretty far back on the starting grit , since this was his first cross race this
year and he did not have any points to get called up by. This did not
hinder Troy
to make his way to the front quickly and take charge of the race . Troy capitalized
on his great fitness in the very heavy muddy conditions and he won the
first day of Gloucester.
Day two Troy got on the front row and pretty much toyed with the
competition and dropped everyone one by one except Mark Gunsalus
, who won the 2nd day in the 45+ and took the over all lead back going into
the Providence race weekend .
Troy wins the 45 +
We are now a couple of weeks into the cross season and I think
everybody is getting amped up and more savy about the racing , you could just tell how the
speed was increasing this past weekend !!
Tough, man
by Kyle Wolfe
The past three weeks have shown the end of the triathlon
season with two very difficult area races, the Westchester Toughman half Ironman race
and the Westchester Olympic Triathlon.
Finkrafter Lyn McCabe continued her streak of multisport podiums (since getting coached by Finkraft) by taking 7th overall at the half Ironman distance race and 2nd in her age group.
Lyn was first out of the water after 1.25 miles, had a solid bike and a
1:48 half marathon time.
Not too shabby since it was her first time at this long distance event.
Two weeks later at the Westchester Tri race, freezing rain and cold
air greeted the athletes at an incredibly early start time. There was
some confusion during the swim as the lead woman skipped some of the course
and currents in the water made it a long morning. Not to be outdone,
Lyn again pushed through and scored 9th overall and the bronze for her age
group. Tired from a long season, this was a great end despite a tough
day.
Good work to Lyn and all of the triathletes competing
this year!
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
ARIZONA
TRAINING CAMP 2010 FEBRUARY 21 TO MARCH 14
TUCSON, ARIZONA
Photo
shows actual house for next year's stay
for more info go to web
site link / services-training camps
WWW.FINKRAFTCOACHING.COM
|
