Today marks the beginning of cyclocross season here in Missoula and after our afternoon clinic we are excited to race. Â Yesterday Shaun took us out to do some ‘openers’ and get our legs ready to go. Â Waking up this morning my legs still felt a little bit of yesterday’s short workout, but now they feel ready to furiously pedal. Â Here’s Shaun’s secret pre-race workout if you want to give it a shot before your next race:
Good warmup
30 seconds hard, 30 seconds recovery
1 minute hard, 1 minute recovery
2 minutes hard, 2 minutes recovery
1 minute hard, 1 minute recovery
30 seconds hard, 30 seconds recovery
Good cooldown (you need to pedal away the lactic acid)
It’s a nice, low volume workout, but what makes it challenging is the start of each hard section. Shaun’s directive was to jump, or get out of the saddle and sprint, the first 5 or 10 seconds. Â This puts you in that red zone, but because the workout is short, you’re not in the red long enough to wear yourself out for the race. Â It also helps get your body used to the speed variations throughout a cyclocross race.
Try it before your next event and let us know how it goes.  Good luck!
-Forrest, Cycling House Online Store Manager