Diary: Cyclocross Training Week 1

Its early August and the Cyclocross season is just 5 weeks away. Having been injured with tendonitis in my knee about 3 weeks prior and being on holiday for a further 10 before this weekend I felt it was about time to start my training if I was going to hit some good form throughout the North-West Cyclocross season. The aim of this first week was to build up the 'base' and prepare my body for some hard training and races throughout the winter months. Usually I have done this with some long rides along flat terrain with minimal climbing involved, this year however was completely different. 

Even though I hadn't ridden many miles coming up to the start my cyclocross training I had been taking part in a variety of different sporting activities. Running, swimming, golf and cricket were all used to keep myself fit throughout my time off the bike, but there was probably a bit too much alcohol consumed along the way as well. Cross riding is a completely different style of suffering than road racing, its about how hard you can push yourself rather than how long to can stick it out chase riders down or staying away in a break. Less aerodynamics are involved usually meaning that as long as nothing goes wrong with the bike, the strongest rider will win.

As I came out for my first cross training session of the season with one of my team mates everything felt different from riding on a fully carbon road bike. The cross bike felt heavier, bigger, but more comfortable and more fun. You can ride a cross bike harder than any other bike because they are built to be bomb proof. Most of the rides on the first week consisted of skidding around muddy tracks and taking on steep climbs which I was completely not ready for and it came to a head when my quads cramped up on a climb. I knew it was a bad way to start the pre-season training by going up so many hills so early but it did help to gauge where my fitness is at before I start doing to full on training with about 3 weeks to go.

Looking forward to getting muddy throughout the pre-season. 

Week 2 to follow soon...