Matthew Zepeda – Zoom Performance

Gravel Adventure

Matthew Zepeda — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 11:57:45 +0000

In the past few years, gravel riding has gained an incredible amount of popularity. The bike industry has been flooded with gravel specific bikes, pros and amateurs alike have flocked to gravel races, and the number of people and bike tire tracks seen out on those rocky roads have steadily increased. There are a lot of reasons contributing to this latest trend. As spring approaches and the gravel dries and temperatures rise, it’s the perfect time to give it a try!

A big force steering many riders to the gravel is the fact that the paved roads are becoming less safe with a growing number of distracted drivers. And while the gravel is still open to cars, the number of vehicles encountered is significantly less than most country paved roads. In a lot of places it is possible to go over 15 miles without seeing a single car.

Also, despite all of the marketing of gravel specific bikes, almost any type of bike can be used for this type of riding which means the barrier to entry is quite low. Cyclocross bikes with moderate width tires are the most common, but people also ride mountain, fat, hybrid, and even road bikes.

A variety of bikes can be used on gravel because the conditions are always changing. During the right time of year, many of the roads are almost like pavement when all of the big gravel chunks have worked their way into the road, making it smooth dirt. Other times, there are long stretches of big, chunky gravel if they have recently put down fresh rock. But most of the time, it’s something in between and is small gravel that is fairly fast but requires constant vigilance. There are usually steep hills that take practice in order to maintain traction in the loose rock. Because of the ever changing conditions, riding gravel is one of the best ways to work on bike handling skills.

In addition to all of this, one of my personal reasons for venturing out onto the gravel is the scenery. The endless hills roll into the distance like ocean waves. The sun streams through a cloud of dust and the wildflower meadows go on as far as the eye can see. There are cows, llamas, horses, and historic barns and covered bridges. Listen closely. It’s quiet and serene. Gravel riding is marked by the sound of labored breathing when climbing a steep hill. Then the gravel “tinks” off the bike as it blasts down the hill.

Riding on the gravel is a pure and simple endeavor. It requires no special bike or training, and it rewards the rider with a great workout and incredible experience. Start the adventure; it may take some trial and error to discover the best roads, but it will be worth it!

Ten Tips for Cyclocross Success

Matthew Zepeda — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 11:26:00 +0000

Some people say that cyclocross is a blend between mountain and road cycling, but it really is an entirely unique discipline with unique characteristics. Here are some tips to keep in mind as you take part in this challenging sport:

The start is KEY! It is worth it to push yourself a little more than you are comfortable with to get a good position. Be prepared to be VERY uncomfortable for the first few minutes of every race.
Cyclocross success is all about carrying momentum! When you see something like a steep hill or sand pit, attack it! This will significantly decrease the effort required to get through it (and most likely keep you ON your bike). Similarly, the best line is often the widest line because that means you can carry more speed through the turn.
When riding through mud or sand, accept that the bike is going to move some underneath you. Stay relaxed and try to do all of your braking beforehand so that you are not braking (or turning if possible) in the sand/mud.
Off camber sections are common on cross courses. Again, do the majority of braking prior to reaching the section to slow yourself down. Then just lightly feather the brakes if necessary while you are riding the off camber. Also do not try to put down too much power or your tires will slide out. Just soft pedal through these sections.
Don’t try to be a hero and ride everything. Sometimes it’s faster to run. If possible, make the decision prior to hitting the obstacle so you aren’t caught up in an awkward, unwilling dismount.
Don’t underestimate the importance of tire choice and pressure.
Learn to refocus. Everyone messes up but you need to be able to learn from it and move on.
Get a good warm up before the race and do course recon. Doing at least 1 lap at speed (or at least the technical sections) is a good idea so you know the limits of your tires and what the fastest lines are.
Go fast and make up time where you can but focus on being smooth and recovering on sections of the course that you aren’t going to make up significant time anyways.
RUN! That’s right, no walking over barriers. RUN! This is an easy way to pick up a few seconds with just a little extra effort. It’s easier to recover once you are on your bike (and potentially coasting while still moving forward) rather than walking and carrying your bike.

Cross is a great way to shake up your off-season, so get out and give it a try!

How to Get Faster on the Bike with No Additional Saddle Time

Matthew Zepeda — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 18:54:57 +0000

Almost everyone wants to go faster on the bike, but not everyone has the additional time (or motivation) to dedicate to more training. Fortunately, there are a variety of ways to actually get faster without doing harder or longer workouts!

Skills: A confident, comfortable rider that knows how to handle a bike is a fast and efficient rider. Practice skills such as carrying momentum, cornering, standing, descending, braking, pacing, group riding, etc.
Mix it Up: This includes both discipline and terrain. One hour of mountain biking has a lot different demands than one hour of pavement or gravel. Similarly, a four hour ride with less than 1000 feet of climbing is a lot different than four hours with 4000 feet of climbing. Include variety by riding road, gravel, mountain, sustained climbs, rolling hills, flats, headwinds, tailwinds, and crosswinds!
Rest: This is one of the most overlooked aspects of training and sometimes hardest to do. However, rest is crucial because it is during these times that your body actually has the time and energy to adapt and make the physiological changes necessary to make you fitter! Most people benefit from at least one full rest day each week and periodic longer rest periods.
Bike Fit: A good bike fit will help to decrease numbness, increase aerodynamics (if that is a goal), prevent injury, and ensure that the proper muscles are being utilized with each pedal stroke.
Nutrition: This is another component of training that is oftentimes underestimated. What you eat before, during, and after a workout (and really all the time!) is incredibly important in the quality of training and weight management. The body needs proper fuel in order to keep up with the rigorous demands placed upon it. Focus on high quality foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins.
Relax: Inexperienced or unconfident riders have a tendency to tense up on the bike. This uses a lot of unnecessary energy and actually makes bike handling much more difficult. Concentrate on relaxing your grip on the handlebars and keeping your arms soft.
Equipment: If you have a lot of extra money lying around and are looking for an easy way to get faster, equipment upgrades definitely can help! Aerodynamic wheels, lighter frames and components, stiffer soled shoes, and aerodynamic clothing can definitely make you faster if you are willing to make the investment! For those not wanting to drop extra cash, simply maintaining the equipment that you do have can make a huge different in how smooth your rides are and increases the life of your current components.
Tactics: This is incredibly important for racers looking to place better in their respective categories. Learning how to race intelligently is a completely separate component from fitness. The fittest rider does not always win the race, so learning HOW to win races is a skill that needs to be developed. Usually this is best done by watching more experienced riders and just racing a lot yourself so that you can learn from your mistakes.

Strength Training for Endurance Sports

Matthew Zepeda — Tue, 20 Jun 2017 19:13:59 +0000

Strength training is a component of fitness often overlooked by endurance athletes. The excuse often heard is, “I’ve got limited time to train and don’t want to take time away from my sport.” The irony is that by incorporating strength training into your training program, you can make big gains in your desired specific sport, without even actually doing that activity! The composition of your strength program will change depending on what time of the year it is, but it should always be present for optimal performance. Identify strengths and weakness and which exercises are most effective for your sport and then commit to it!

Injury Prevention: Resistance exercises strength the bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Repeated movements in endurance sports stress certain body parts, so strength training helps our bodies become better able to endure these repeated stresses.
Speed: Resistance training improves both muscular strength AND endurance. This allows you to continue to deliver maximum output throughout a workout and delays fatigue, thus making you faster!
Power: Muscular power is also increased. This is especially important for shorter distance endurance activities such as sprint/Olympic triathlons, 5-10k runs, and cycling races of all disciplines. You’ll be able to respond quickly to changes in speed and then recover from those efforts so that you can do it again.
Body Composition: Strength training decreases body fat and increases lean tissue. The less unnecessary body weight endurance athletes have to carry, the easier it is on the body.
Confidence: You’ll look and feel better about yourself if you have a toned, lean, and strong body. This translates into overall greater self-confidence which helps in all areas of life.
Mental Health: If you go through the whole year without mixing up your exercise routine, you are going to begin to experience burn out. Incorporating different types of exercise can help to keep you motivated. Strength training is also a great activity to do with a friend who has similar goals!

As with any type of training, it is important to listen to your body. When you first begin incorporating strength work into your program, you will probably feel more fatigued during your sport specific workouts. Being consistent is important because your body will begin to adapt to the new stresses. Then you will begin to enjoy all of the great benefits of strength training!

Group Ride Etiquette

Matthew Zepeda — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 20:47:38 +0000

Cycling does not have to be a solo endeavor. In fact, one of the best ways to get better is to ride with people faster than you. However, before you go out to your first local group ride keep these tips in mind!

Ask Questions: Prior to the start of the ride, ask the regulars questions about the group. Is it a fast ride with lots of sprints and tactics? Is it a no-drop ride where there are designated spots to wait for the entire group? Where does the route go? Is there a ride leader? Find the right group ride for you! Some will fit your needs and current abilities better than others.
Half Wheeling: This is when you overlap your front wheel with the rear wheel of a rider ahead of you. Don’t do it! Ride handlebar to handlebar with the person next to you so that the whole group can stay tightly together and safe. The easiest way to cause a crash in a group is to cross wheels so protect your front wheel at all times!
Pacelining: Most group rides utilize some sort of paceline, but there are a variety of different types that may occur.

A double paceline is oftentimes used during warm up or when the speeds are slower. Two riders are on the front riding side by side at all times. Both riders pull off together, each to the outside, so that the next 2 riders in line pull through the middle to take over the front. This type of paceline takes up quite a bit of space on the road.
Once the speeds pick up, many groups use a rotating paceline where there are 2 lines side by side but one line is moving quicker than the other line. Once the rider in the front of the fast line is finished pulling, he pulls off to the side (at the front of the slow line), and begins to slowly drift back. When a rider is last in line in the slower line, they drift back over to the end of the fast line and slowly move up as the front riders continue to pull off and drift back.

Pulling Off: If two riders are at the front together, communicate so that both riders pull off SMOOTHLY at the same time. Oftentimes, riders will give an elbow flick to indicate to the riders behind them that they are finished at the front. If you are solo, move gradually to the side when you are ready but make sure that you do not slow down until you are completely out of the way of the rider behind you.
Pulling Through: Once the rider(s) in front move to the side, it’s the next rider’s turn to come to the front and “pull.” As soon as there is space, immediately begin maneuvering forward at a steady speed. Do NOT surge ahead.
Sitting On: If you are not strong enough to take a pull on the front, it is acceptable to “sit on” at the back of the group. You do this by letting the riders coming to the back of the group (the ones that just finished at the front) slide in front of you. It is helpful for you to vocalize to them that you are not pulling through so that they know to close the small gap you leave for them. The art of sitting on takes quite a bit of practice since sometimes you can let gaps form as you let other riders into the paceline. Another option is to take a decidedly very short pull on the front. Sometimes it is easier to stay in the rotating paceline and go to the front but just immediately pull off when you do reach the front.
Maneuvering through a Group: Any movement that you do should be gradual and steady. Don’t immediately veer in one direction or slam on your brakes. Doing anything sudden will likely cause a crash.
Obstacles: If you are in a very small group, verbally yelling for objects such as potholes, cars, road debris, etc can be acceptable. However, in big groups realize that the only people that will probably hear you are those a couple rows back from you. They may hear you yell something but are not sure the details, which then causes them to look frantically around for why someone is yelling. Generally, hand signals are more effective in large groups. Also, only point out obstacles that are worth noting (can cause damage to a bike or person behind you).
Slowing Down: If the riders in front of you start slowing and cause you to need to reduce your speed, do so as gradually as you can. One way to do this to come out to the side a little to reduce the effect of the draft and let the wind naturally slow you. You can also LIGHTLY tap your brakes to maintain formation but do not slam on the brakes.

Riding in a group takes a lot of practice and time to get confident and comfortable. You may get frustrated by how early you lose contact and feel like you are fitter than some of the riders that last longer than you. Realize that this is very common though and just keep learning from each ride. Group rides are a fantastic way to meet fellow cyclists, gain fitness and skills, and have fun, so go find one in your area to try!

One Gear to a Better You!

Matthew Zepeda — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 20:13:53 +0000

Some people think that only crazy people or people who do not understand bike mechanics would ride a single speed mountain bike, but these are bikes are for EVERYONE. Shedding excess equipment offers a unique, simple, and challenging ride.

Riding a single speed will make you a better mountain biker while simultaneously increasing the “fun factor.” There are many benefits to choosing a bike with one gear, so keep these in mind as you are making your New Year plans (which of course must involve the purchase of a new toy!).

Skill Building: One of the first skills you will learn is the art of momentum. If (and when) you bog down on a hill or obstacle, you will have 2 options: put out more power to get through it or get off your bike and walk. No one likes to put out unnecessary effort or have the humiliation of walking so you’ll learn to ride in a way that prevents these type of situations. You will choose better lines, build and carry speed whenever possible, and brake less.
Power/Fitness Building: Riding a geared bike, especially mountain bikes with very low gears, can sometimes make you lazy. You have the option to stay seated and spin up challenging climbs, but on a single speed there is no lazy option! Single speeds will oftentimes require you to stand up and grind out high power, low cadence revolutions. You will need to use your back, shoulders, and core muscles to pull the handlebars and keep the bike moving. It truly is a full body workout!
New Challenge: If you only have a few trail options in your area, it can sometimes get boring. You master all of the tough sections and your rate of improvement rapidly declines. Trying those same trails on a single speed offers a whole new challenge that will keep you motivated! That hill that seemed so easy in your baby gears may now be a “walker!”
Less Expensive: Fewer parts means less money! No derailleur, no cables/housing, no shifters, and just one cog.
Lower Maintenance: Because there are fewer parts, there is not as much to maintain. If you go full rigid (no suspension), the upkeep is even less. Spend less time in the shop and more time on the dirt! The simplicity of these bikes also makes them incredibly crash resistant and perfect for winter riding when there is snow and ice.
Mental Health: Without having to think about changing gears, you can really just focus on the task at hand. Feel the dirt underneath your tires, listen to your breathing, relish in the sunshine warming your neck, and just enjoy nature. Just you and your bike!
Pedal Stroke Efficiency: Single speeds require you to pedal in a wide range of cadences. Focusing on a smooth pedal stroke with limited unnecessary movement will lead to a more efficient pedal stroke, no matter what bike you are riding.
Looks: Let’s be honest, single speeds are just pretty! Not to mention, people will think you are super tough (or crazy!) for riding one.

If you enjoy riding on the dirt and are looking for a way to mix it up this season, consider a single speed. Even if you never race that bike, it is one of the most effective training tools you can own. Once you get over some of the initial frustrating new challenges, you will not be disappointed!

What to Expect at Your First Mountain Bike Race

Matthew Zepeda — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 01:17:14 +0000

Toeing the start line for your first mountain bike race can be rather intimidating! I came from racing criteriums for 5 years and was still fearful about the idea of RACING mountain bikes. To outsiders, the thought of going as fast as you can while weaving in and out of trees, bombing down bumpy descents, and maneuvering around other riders can be frightening. I promise that it is not really as scary as it sounds!

Here are a few tips to help you enter your first race with some confidence:

More often than not, YOU are in control of your own destiny. Unlike road racing, you are not in a big group of people drafting. It’s called SINGLETRACK for a reason; the majority of the race you must ride single file. The terrain usually splits the fields up pretty quickly as well. (Don’t feel confident riding something? Fine, walk it! Want to go slower? That’s great; you are still beating everyone not riding. Mountain bikers are generally a pretty nice bunch and will be very welcoming and encouraging to beginners.)
Pre-ride the course if possible. Knowing what to expect is HUGE for race success. Note the more difficult areas and plan out where you can recover and where you need to go hard. Also, if there is a section that you know you cannot ride, plan to get off and walk during the race rather than trying to ride it (when you are tired!) and being forced to awkwardly dismount halfway through the section.
Races generally start fast on an open (sometimes pavement) section prior to entering the singletrack. Your position going into the singletrack matters because once on the trail passing can be difficult. Faster riders try to get to the front of the race early! Expect the first lap (or so) to be fast, eventually fatigue sets in and riders will settle into a more manageable pace.
Passing can be tricky, but don’t be afraid of it. If you want to pass someone, let the person in front of you know your intentions. Also, be aware of people behind you that want to pass and listen for them letting you know. In either situation, the person being passed should pull over to the side of the trail when there is an opportunity to do so. Sometimes the person passing will say something such as “on your left up here.” Both parties can stay on their bikes but just move to opposite sides of the trail, and hardly any time is lost. Sometimes it can be hard to get out of the way, depending on the trail, so make sure your intentions are well known whether passing or being passed. Communication is the key to a safe and timely pass.
Have fun! Even if you aren’t at the front of your race, take the opportunity to work on skills and gain confidence. You do NOT have to be winning a race to be competing. There are always many races within a race, whether you’re battling for 1^st or second to last, just keep pushing! The beauty of mountain bike racing is that you don’t have to be winning a race for it to be successful; every race is an opportunity to work on skills, gain confidence, and enjoy a variety of trails in pristine shape.

Mountain bike racing can be a daunting prospect, but if you learn to enjoy the process, it can be extremely rewarding! It is an amazing feeling of accomplishment when you finally ride something that you previously thought was impossible. So if you are considering signing up for a race, I encourage you to give a try. Keep these tips in mind, and enter with a positive mindset. You will not regret it!

You Are Not Your Ego

Matthew Zepeda — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 21:02:12 +0000

For many athletes, this time of year is when we begin to crawl back out of hibernation. Last season is far behind us, and a well-deserved break has been taken. Now the thoughts of all the potential that this year could bring is catching up. New PRs, beating old rivals, and maybe some new gear you’ve acquired over the holidays are all part of the driving force to get back out there and start training again. Although it can feel great to finally start up again, your body is definitely not the same body you had at the peak of your race season a few months ago. However, your mind may have a hard time grasping this concept. So, for this early/pre-season part of the year, one of the most important things you can do as an athlete is to let go of your ego.

Don’t let your ego get you down

Your ego can be a great motivator in your athletic endeavors. It can drive your competitive spirit, get you to finish one more rep and get you out of bed just a little earlier so that you can be the first one in the pool. But your ego can also be a very detrimental force. Your ego remembers how fast you were last August and will instantly draw comparisons between you in peak fitness and you after a little time off and some well-deserved ice cream. It can be demotivating to feel sluggish, unresponsive, and just plain slow at the same intensities that you used to be able to hold no problem.

Let your ego go

So for right now, you simply have to take the ego out of it. Allow yourself to gradual build back into fitness. Don’t worry about the clock and just enjoy getting back into the swing of things. In time the speed will come back to you, but for now, just enjoy the process. Don’t try and hold the same paces that you were in August. Not only will it just further demoralize you, but it can also be a huge injury risk. If it’s been a while since you’ve been in the pool, use this time to really work on your stroke technique. Everything will feel very new to you, but you are smarter than you were last year, so reinforce good technique habits before old bad habits have a chance to take hold. Realize, you are not the voice inside your head that keeps telling you how slow you are compared to last year. You are above that voice and can choose how to respond or listen to it.

Flex your mental muscles

Few athletes spend any time doing mental training. This early season period can be a great time to practice your mental strength. By distancing yourself from the voice inside your head you can better focus on the task at hand. How often are you thinking about the past or future while in the middle of workout? Stay mindful of the present and the process you are completing in the now. Control the ego voice inside your head -either through opening up a dialogue and engaging with the voice or by labeling it as a distraction and moving on from it. And come race time later in the year, when the going gets tough and that little voice tells you to stop or slow down, you can better disconnect yourself from your ego, allow your body to take over, and just be a spectator of the whole process.

by Coach Alex Libin

Move Better, Perform Better: An Introduction to Mobility Training

Matthew Zepeda — Thu, 02 Apr 2015 21:11:58 +0000

What if I told you that you could simultaneously improve your performance and reduce your risk of injury in as little as 20 minutes a day? You’d probably think that I was going to try to sell you a shake weight. But alas, I’m only going to attempt to sell you on something that you probably already know about or potentially even do already as part of your training program, yet maybe not with as much priority or focus as it requires. I want to sell you on mobility.

Mobility is a trendy word that has been thrown around recently and is slowly gaining some traction within the athletic domain. For the sake of this article, I will define mobility as the process of improving joint capsule range of motion, decreasing muscle tightness and tendon restriction, and improving sliding surfaces. A lack of mobility will result in decreased force production, inefficient movement patterns, and movement restrictions which may lead to injury.

Some athletes may already do some form of mobility practice, potentially including the occasional short foam rolling or stretching session before or after a workout; but a mobility practice needs to be more strategic than that. A mobility practice needs to take into account an athlete’s specific athletics as well as their lifestyle. The human body is an amazingly adaptable machine and it will form itself into (almost) any shape you put it in, whether for better or for worse.

With that being said, what position are you subjecting your body to the majority of the day: aero position on the bike or lazy position at your work desk? That’s what I thought. This means your strategy for mobilization should not only focus on preparing yourself for your one hour workout but also at improving some of the joint restrictions caused by the shapes that you put your body in the other 23 hours of the day. If you want to improve your performance and reduce the amount of nagging injuries, you need to improve the quality of your tissues so that you train and race on a body that isn’t consistently in a compromised position.

In the future articles, I will specifically address these major parts of the body and how you can improve the mobility of each: The foot and ankle, the knees, the hips, the shoulder, and the spine. But so that you don’t go away empty handed, the following are five lifestyle changes that you can do right now to improve your mobility and body position. You don’t even need a foam roller!

Point your feet straight ahead

You’re a human, not a duck, why are your toes pointed out? Your body was engineered to perform most efficiently when your feet are parallel and pointed straight forward. Non-parallel feet are disastrous for your body, including collapsed arches, inward knee tracking, and much more. Your feet should not only be pointed forward while you’re running, but throughout the entire day. You can fix this problem by consistently checking your feet throughout the day and adjusting them if they turn out.

Stop wearing elevated heels

Elevated heels mean that the heel of the shoe is raised above the forefoot of the shoe. Wearing elevated heels puts your foot into a constantly plantar-flexed position (toes pointed down) which in turn causes the arches of the foot to collapse and the heel cords (Achilles’ tendon) to shorten, basically removing your dorsi-flexion (toes pointed up). This is not as simple as trading in your stability super running shoes and buying a pair of zero-drops that will almost certainly result in disaster. Instead, purchase a pair of minimalist shoes and spend at least two months transitioning into them. Start out by doing your warm up in the minimal shoes and then transitioning into your current shoes; each week increase the duration by about 5-10 percent. Also, if you’re wearing elevated heels to work, go buy zero drop dress shoes; they make them, I promise.

Stand up

You’ve heard it, right:“Sitting is the new smoking”? This isn’t just from a cardiovascular health standpoint; it’s really a dumpster fire and it’s ruining your body. At a minimum, sitting turns off your posterior musculature (If you’re sitting while you read this, how fired up are your glutes right now? Oh, they’re asleep?), shortens your hip flexors and the connecting musculature of your quads, and misaligns your femur towards the front of the joint socket. All of these ingredients are a recipe for a highly compromised run gait, among other issues. Therefore, limit your time spent sitting! If you have the option, use a stand up desk at work or set an alarm on your phone every 30-60 minutes to stand up and work on your hip extension for a couple minutes before sitting back down.

Don’t slouch (and stop texting!)

How much time during the day do you spend slouched over your laptop or your phone texting? While this may seem like a comfortable and relaxed position, you’re putting yourself into a shape of compromise with a tight thoracic spine, rolled forward shoulders, and a forward head. Neck pain, poor shoulder mobility, and lower back pain are usually the most common results of this poor position. To improve your position, consistently work at “pulling your shoulder blades together” and sitting up with a stable core. When texting, maintain this same position but bring the phone in front of your neutral head; don’t move your head to the phone (this is going to look weird, but your body will thank you).

Hydrate

Hydration is one of the single most important factors that an endurance athlete has to deal with. Hydration is not as simple as just helping you cool down on a hot day. Water plays a role in every function of your body, down to the cellular level. Body heat regulation, tissues, joints, nerves, cartilage, regulatory systems, and so much more are all effected by your level of hydration. To improve this, you should be drinking around 2-3 liters of water per day and replacing the amount of fluid lost during exercise. When you’re not drinking water with food, make sure that you’re also adding in a small amount of electrolytes to your water to improve absorption.

Use these lifestyle changes right now to begin cultivating a mobile body, so that you can move better to perform better!

By Coach Nick Mongar

Avoid Over-Training at the Beginning of the Season

Matthew Zepeda — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 21:03:32 +0000

The days are getting longer, and the weather is getting warmer. That also means that for most cyclists, race season is drawing closer. After months of being confined to basement trainer sessions, the sunshine can tempt many riders to quickly increase their training level. Some may have also slacked off during the winter months and desperately try to rapidly gain fitness. And while cyclists most certainly should take advantage of the more pleasant weather, care must be taken to avoid overtraining during this time of year.

Increase training load gradually

Generally, it is recommended to increase training load no more than 10% per week. Conservatively, many follow closer to a 5-8% increase. However, since training load is a product of training volume and intensity, it can be somewhat difficult to calculate. Doing eight hours in a week where all of the riding takes places in Zones 1-2 is very different from eight hours with a lot of VO2 max intervals included. Using a Performance Manager Chart and monitoring both your acute (short term) and chronic (long term) training load is helpful because these data take both volume and intensity into account.

Include sufficient rest

This factor relates to the previous recommendation regarding training load. Oftentimes, recovery is one of the hardest aspects of training for motivated cyclists. However, your body needs time and recovery in order for it to adapt to the training demands placed upon it. Continually stressing your body day after day with no recovery time will not make you a faster rider. You become a faster rider when you rest after your hard training. Include at least one complete rest day every 7-10 days, and make sure that your recovery rides are, in fact, at recovery intensity!

Listen to your body

As you increase your training load, you will undoubtedly have some soreness and fatigue. However, if you still have significant soreness the next day and are lacking the energy for a high quality workout, this is an indication that you are not adapting well to the training and are not recovering. If you find yourself constantly fatigued and sore, take a rest day, decrease your training load, and be more conservative in your weekly increases.

Take care of your body

You can do everything right on the bike, but there are so many other variables that factor into your training success. A healthy, balanced diet that is filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and limited processed food is going to provide your body vital nutrients that it needs. Additionally, adequate and quality sleep is imperative to give your body the time necessary to repair the muscle damage that occurs during training. As your training load increases, your sleep needs will most likely increase as well.

The weather this time of year is great for cyclists, and the start of the race season has everyone motivated and excited. Do not set yourself back by becoming over-trained before the season has even begun. Get out and ride, but train smart! Your race results will reflect it.

By Coach Liz Martin