Coming off the summer race season, riders likely have a solid aerobic base established. However, moving into cyclocross racing requires some specific workouts to get you best prepared for the unique demands of 'cross. In Ryan's case, we wanted to start his 2009-2010 campaign off a little more gradually than in previous years. The hope is to deliver him to US National Championships in December with the fitness to defend his title, and the freshness to be successful in Europe afterward.

Ryan's season began with a few mishaps that cost him some training time, but his form is coming on well, as evidenced by his recent victory at the fifth stop of the US Grand Prix of Cyclocross in Mercer, NJ. With Ryan I use the following workout to get him in tip top form for racing:

 

7x12min OverUnder Intervals ( 1 minute Under, 1 minute Over) with 6 minutes between intervals

 

The goal of the Over Under Intervals is replicate some of the physical demands of cyclocross, specifically the short, high-power efforts necessary on technical courses.  We’ll utilize this workout two or three times a week in the lead up to the race season.  Keep in mind that the volume of intensity in this workout is designed for an elite athlete. Ryan's races last an hour, whereas the typical amateur 'cross race is closer to 40-45 minutes.

When you add up the total work time of Ryan's OverUnder workout, he accumulates 84 minutes of work near his lactate threshold power output. While that's what he needs, the average racer can accomplish the goal of the workout in far less time. Personally, I like to keep the intervals long, so even for Cat 3, Cat 4, and Masters 'cross racers, I recommend 12-minute OverUnder intervals - just fewer of them. Relative beginners should start with 2 OverUnder Intervals, and intermediate riders should aim for 3 intervals, and some may be able to handle four.

 

Here are the specifics:

15 minute warm up

1 minute at SteadyState heart rate or power range

1 minute at ClimbingRepeat heart rate or power range

1 minute at SteadyState

1 minute at ClimbingRepeat

1 minute at SteadyState

1 minute at ClimbingRepeat

1 minute at SteadyState

1 minute at ClimbingRepeat

1 minute at SteadyState

1 minute at ClimbingRepeat

1 minute at SteadyState

1 minute at ClimbingRepeat

6 minutes easy spinning recovery

Intensities:
SteadyState intensity range: 86-90% of CTS Field Test power output, 92-94% of CTS Field Test heart rate. ClimbingRepeat intensity range: 95-100% of CTS Field Test power output, 95-97% of CTS Field Test heart rate.

 

Give these OverUnders a shot and best of luck in your next 'Cross race!