Did this help Feldman and Kiel on the cinders? (photo Caitlin Coar)All L5 racers need a break after the mental and physical stress of Little 500 but after a month off then what are the Pros or Cons of summer racing?
- Keep cycling-fit over the summer BUT- Risk burning out with year-round intensity
- Banging bars in Crits or on the velodrome helps with bike-handling in a pack BUT- Risk a costly crash in those events.
- Learn race tactics? BUT- Risk a costly crash and what use are non-L5 tactics?
- No need to race as plenty of time to find form over the winter BUT- Isn't it better to come to winter training with a stronger platform?
- Track racing improves the spin BUT- The Little 500 bike/ track is a unique circumstance so there is little cross-over.
- It's fun to ride/race with friends BUT- I have other friends who don't race and I want to hang out with them
- Other teams don't race through the summer? BUT- In recent years the Cutters do race and....
- I have to work through the summer. BUT- People with full-time jobs can ride fast as well.
There is no right or wrong answer to this question as clearly L5 excellence has come from riders that never raced over the summer (see almost the entire Womens race). However this would appear not to be the norm in the Mens race and for me racing over the summer at whatever level would seem to be beneficial. I guess it comes down to whether you like riding/racing your bike or whether you like being a Little5er. Both are just fine but the results may be better one way or the other.
17 comments:
My 2, 3 or 4 cents, no biggie if you disagree, just how I see it because I know this will offend some.
I think it is an issue of where an individual's personal motivation come's from. Those you named have motivation from within, while most others get their motivation from their teammates and/or fraternity houses.
Also, most of those named don't have budgets throughout the year, so they are accustomed to paying for their own gear and entry fees. Riders on teams with big budgets often get spoiled and therefore don't race because of travel costs, entry fees and maintenance expense.
Another issue is that many Little 5 riders underestimate the benefits of consistent, long-term aerobic base. Endurance sports are a life choice not a seasonal game.
Agreed...race your bike if you care to be good. If not, then go ahead and suck.
-Chartier
It is less of the big budget, and more of the lack of desire/motivation. Little 5 means so much to many of those teams, that racing your bike outside of it really doesnt matter. After the race there is such a let down, that three months can pass in no time and all of a sudden you are out of shape and are back counting down to the race and starting your fall base. That being said, I think you should race your bike in the summer because then you will be better at Little 5.
The true hard core Little 5er will show up to a race and refuse to use anything but a 53-19 gear, unless it's Cat 1-2 then that gear won't cut it. : )
Woj
Sure,
there's a 'right or wrong' answer...
8^)
I fully advocate not riding. I believe that the Jan Ulrich off-season training mentality is the way to go. Just chill eat as much chocolate as possible and get fat. That way when your doing your base mileage you have to haul around all that extra weight and then you get hella strong.
-Hank Lusk
I like your ideas and to a certain degree I do advocate this but where you are wrong my friend and where you blew your cover, showing the world that you are not in fact me (The real Hank) and just a wishful poser is when you said chocolate. Everyone knows I'm a Crescent Donut fan you jackass.
Funny that this hasn't stirred more response. I guess those others turn off cycling completely in the summer.
Fake Hank,
Base mileage is garbage except for burning fat and maybe the first two weeks of trying to get in shape. If you're not doing some form of harder efforts during base periods you are pretty much wasting your time unless you just want to stay thin!
Woj
Woj,
I agree. The problem is that most think base mileage is long slow rides so they go out and putz around for 5-6 hrs. (Bishop was famous for this) However, even during these long rides there must be some sort of focus. I am amazed at the amount of people that do not do some sort of baseline testing (HR, power, etc) and then base their riding off of that. I hope L5ers will one day realize that simply riding your bike all of the time is not going to cut it.
Hamilton
Chartier I could not agree more. Short and to the point haha.
Is this a chink in the power of the Cutters Collective? Hamilton actively criticizing Bishop is surely only the start of the internal arguments and the whole program being torn down from the inside! Take heart Frats!
I think long slow miles have their place but it's always good to throw in a little Fartlek to help with form and boredom- http://www.training4cyclists.com/fartlek-as-interval-training/
Wait, Cutters are secretive. Lets shut up now. I used to do too many miles and wasted two Little 5's because of it. Power went down, weight went WAY down, infections went up, and we didn't win the race! go figure.
Woj
Woj, as moderator of this blog I respectively ask you do not add anything else regarding your current or past infections. Thanks.
So if Woj didn't take care of himself and showed up at the race sick the lesson is to ride less?
I'm sure there are plenty of other lessons one could draw from that.
Woj was a moose. Woj succeeded (and failed) during his Little 500 years.
(to quote the old car add disclaimers:) "your mileage may vary."
Chartier did sum it up nicely and succinctly. (so I'll simply follow up with a wordy 'here here'.
Little 500 is a race (a bike race to be exact). Bike racing requires a whole tool box of skills (both physical and mental) to be successful.
Little 500 is a one shot deal every year. I you wanna win Little 500 you better hone those skills.
... and if you don't that's your business.
Cheers,
Fred
Long slow distance riding is about as useful as training for a marathon with a 20 mile walk. It has no place at all in cycling except to keep off fat or maybe the first few rides when your legs are totally out of shape. It is completely worthless unless your goal is to reduce your power and lose weight. Even for recovery, it stupid unless it's about a max hour long ride. But that's the thing I love about Little 5. The losing teams continue to go down the same path of refusing to listen to good science. Get that HR monitor and get in that 3 months of base training 300-400 miles a week and you'll be a beast on a quarter mile track. Ha Ha. Well, you'll probably be better than half the field that rides too little but that's about it.
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