"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you have to keep moving.” Albert Einstein
(well...that’s not completely true especially if you’re a sprinter.) Sounds good though, so let’s look at how we can keep moving.
General fitness:
Training for next season; what do you do to make next season better:
This training period is called “preparation” which means you will work on general fitness, strengthening not only cycling specific fitness but fitness in other sports. It's important during the months of October - December to mix at least one other sport with your bike riding, even taking that other sport more seriously than riding. You'll still ride your bike during this training period, but it’ll be more for fun than work/training. Try not to put in more than 3 hours of road or mtb riding in one ride so you don’t compromise the other work you’re doing.
This is the season when you get back in the gym and maintain a weekly routine that includes back, ab, arm, and leg exercises. I prefer riders to do circuit training, but some need more specific power training, working on increasing their maximum pedaling power. (Ask me what you should be doing).
Track sessions this season will be fun and educational, focused on improving your skills while helping to learn new things. For example, I will be teaching how to sprint (both match sprinting and points/scratch sprinting). This month and into the first two weeks of November, track training will focus on the 200m time trial and standing starts. Everyone is to ride only 88” gears if you are ONLY interested in timed events; then use your tt bike only. Otherwise through December, use your massed-start bike setup for every track session.
Racing Opportunities:
Let’s get into The Mandy Challenge.
I encourage everyone to try it, though beware the most difficult part of the challenge is listening to the music play-list you’re required to engage while climbing. Get with somebody else to share in the ride.
Fall/Winter track racing:
LAVRA will be holding races at the track. Racing is as good as weeks of training; so I recommend trying to do as many racing days as possible.
Detroit and L.A.
I heartily encourage you to go to Detroit some time soon. A weekend at the Lexus Velodrome is as good as an entire season here in L.A. You will return from the Motor City a different, more skilled, more expert rider. Racing on the Detroit track is good for several seasons of doing LAVRA races, but if all you do is ride the track (and not race) you’ll still be a far better rider when you get back to California.
Here’s the Lexus racing schedule this season:
Madison riders you should note the dates for the Madison Nationals. Also of GREAT interest is the Detroit/L.A. 6 Day race where you race at both tracks over two three day weekends.
I’m pretty excited about these races!! And I am completely confident the people in Detroit will help you learn, ride safely, and have fun.
Of course there’s plenty of off-road (gravel, mtb, and cross) races on the calendar. I encourage you to watch if not ride one of the off road events offered in your area (let me know when you do!!!).
In charge in Detroit there is -----
Dale Hughes
Dale Hughes has:
- built two Olympic Velodromes
- built the track three World Hour records were set on
- built a portable track that sustained racing around the country for over 10 years including a major motion picture. Riders like Greg Lemond, Jeff Pierce, Alex Steida, and Steve Bauer (all Tour de France stage winners and/or yellow jersey wearers) rode on Dale’s portable track.
- he promoted races for over 40 years ranging from local to international caliber
- coached thousands of kids and developed hundreds of introductory classes.
- built his own indoor velodrome running a regular streaming TV show on flobikes.com as well as other streaming services.
- Over the past 3 years has personally escorted the largest group of juniors from any velodrome to the Nationals
Dale gets it - and there’s nobody in the U.S. that has for so long put in as much effort to develop and maintain track cycling.
He is my coach's (r.i.p.) son in-law. His entire family have taken up the mantle of Mike Walden, Hall of Fame coach, and driven the sport in a direction (I feel) is the right way to go, TV and Madison racing…
My friend Christine Walden-Hughes and her sons support Dale and help develop the sport. They are the infrastructure from which Dale builds not only his velodromes, but riders and events, the complete package. They even are in the commercial bike business.
If you go online to watch the Lexus Velodrome show; you’ll hear both Jon Hughes and (sometimes) Christine. Jon is well known for shouting out his commands to the riders. Things like “Over the top riders!” to watch out for riders attacking and the ever popular “YOU ARE EEEEEELIMINATED” when calling someone in the elimination/miss-and-out race.
If / When you go to Detroit I assure you will be in the hands of the very best people with safety and fun as their paramount concern. If cycling was a poker game; The Hughes family would be “all in” - and I love them. They are my family and (again) you couldn’t be in better company.
Take care, have fun, ride easy this month - and have fun no matter what,
Roger
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