Periodization for 1st Crit Season?

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I am ending second summer of fairly structured training. Have been a top 10 finisher in a few mountain bike races ~ 1.5 hr events. Sights are on next summer. Namely a local crit in early Jun. I've ridden it, but I want to RACE it. I am trying to lose approx 15 lbs by next May (I'm 190). I have two 3week periods of 2-3*20 under my belt and have seen great improvement. FTP~300.

I am working FTP/SST. I need to improve in all power levels, but want to emphasize my ability to handle anaerobic repeats. I am unsure of how to periodize the anaerobic training in with FTP and VO2 so that I can be ready for somewhat of a Peak for the criterium. I thought a couple of anaerobic mini cycles throughout the winter could lead to a better peak at that time. I understand the crit requires serious race savvy, but I do not have access to much formal racing prior to "the one". For now I am going to do what I can, which is to work my engine. Thanks in advance for your time. BB

....I am unsure of how to periodize the anaerobic training in with FTP and VO2 so that I can be ready for somewhat of a Peak for the criterium. I thought a couple of anaerobic mini cycles throughout the winter could lead to a better peak at that time. .I wouldn't recommend anaerobic mini cycles mid winter for June crit fitness. You really shouldn't go deeply anaerobic in a crit if you ride it well. It's more important to be able to accellerate quickly and repeatedly but I think of that as more of a neuromuscular fitness question with emphasis on the neuro part or the ability to wind a gear up quickly to cover gaps and get out of corners quickly. Think about working in some microinterval work in the second half of your winter to train yourself to quickly wind up gears and then settle right back into a sustainable SST/L4 pace. Something like Bill Black's hour of power workout or an easier version I call Tempo with a Twist where I ride high L3 pace and put in a seated 10 second burst every minute or two for as long as I can do it but shooting for half an hour or more per block. AP works out to be L4 with a much higher peak power burst but more importantly it gets me ready for the quick accellerations of crits and helps me recover quickly while riding Tempo or L4.

Personally I'd save the pure L6 anaerobic tolerance work for 5 to 7 weeks before your target crit. Speed work can be developed pretty quickly and I think mini cycles in November or January are a fast track to training burnout. YMMV.

Good luck,
Dave

I wouldn't recommend anaerobic mini cycles mid winter for June crit fitness. You really shouldn't go deeply anaerobic in a crit if you ride it well. It's more important to be able to accellerate quickly and repeatedly but I think of that as more of a neuromuscular fitness question with emphasis on the neuro part or the ability to wind a gear up quickly to cover gaps and get out of corners quickly. Think about working in some microinterval work in the second half of your winter to train yourself to quickly wind up gears and then settle right back into a sustainable SST/L4 pace. Something like Bill Black's hour of power workout or an easier version I call Tempo with a Twist where I ride high L3 pace and put in a seated 10 second burst every minute or two for as long as I can do it but shooting for half an hour or more per block. AP works out to be L4 with a much higher peak power burst but more importantly it gets me ready for the quick accellerations of crits and helps me recover quickly while riding Tempo or L4.

Personally I'd save the pure L6 anaerobic tolerance work for 5 to 7 weeks before your target crit. Speed work can be developed pretty quickly and I think mini cycles in November or January are a fast track to training burnout. YMMV.

Good luck,
Dave
I see the difference. I guess I, or my legs, felt like the crit was all anaerobic repeats when I tried it last year.

I understand 5-7 weeks. Would I precede that phase with a mostly VO2 phase? Also, would I begin say at 7 weeks out with a mix of anaerobic and L4, gradually working the L4 out of the mix and intensifying the L6 as the race approaches? I know its not black and white, but would this roughly make sense?

It seems like minutiae, but I have been unable to make the leap from Coggan and Morris's books to a sensible periodization for myself. Again, many thanks.

Brad

I see the difference. I guess I, or my legs, felt like the crit was all anaerobic repeats when I tried it last year....Yeah, most folk's first crit sure feels over red line for the entire time but remember you can only sustain anaerobic glycolocis for about 2 to maybe 3 minutes continuously. For something as long as a half hour crit you have to be aerobic for almost all of it. Doesn't mean a bit of anaerobic tolerance work won't help you through the crunch times, just that the vast majority of the race has to be ridden aerobically.

...I understand 5-7 weeks. Would I precede that phase with a mostly VO2 phase? Also, would I begin say at 7 weeks out with a mix of anaerobic and L4, gradually working the L4 out of the mix and intensifying the L6 as the race approaches?...Something like that. I work on L4 and SST almost all winter and don't stop it when racing starts. About 8 weeks before my first races I add L5 (VO2 Max) work. With about 4 weeks to go I add some L6 work. If I'm racing a lot I don't do L6 work in training and focus on SST to keep my CTL high without killing myself in training. If I'm racing less I keep up some of the L5 and L6 work but again try not to sacrifice too much CTL which is easy to do when you're focusing on shorter harder workouts.

... I know its not black and white...Yep, it's not black and white and everyone has different strengths, different goals and responds differently. That's where a good coach like Ric or Alex can really help you plan your training and stay on track.

...I have been unable to make the leap from Coggan and Morris's books to a sensible periodization for myself. ...Well if you can generalize from running to cycling you might take a look at this: http://www.fitnesssports.com/lyd_clinic_guide/Arthur%20Lydiard.pdf that's pretty close to what I use for periodization on the big scale with a big emphasis on SST/L4 work topped off with L5, L6 and L7 work to meet the demands of cycling. You could also look for a copy of Greg Lemond's book. It's out of print now, but it really nailed some important concepts of training and periodization. Friel has some good stuff but it's muddled up with some bad advice in terms of going much too easy during early winter base(I hear that he's even backed off on this approach but it's still what you'll find in his book) and fixed, preplanned work/rest cycles which really hit me as a good way to squander training time and naive in terms of working around life's interruptions.

Good luck,
Dave

P.S. Here's a very nice adaptation of Lydiard's concepts to cycling including crits that Charles Howe put together: http://www.freewebs.com/velodynamics2/modelplan.pdf

It's a rough guideline that may or may not apply to your particular circumstances including your work, family life and ability to recover quickly. There is no "one size fits all" plan for training, but this might give you some ideas in terms of yearly periodization.

-Dave

I am ending second summer of fairly structured training. Have been a top 10 finisher in a few mountain bike races ~ 1.5 hr events. Sights are on next summer. Namely a local crit in early Jun. I've ridden it, but I want to RACE it. I am trying to lose approx 15 lbs by next May (I'm 190). I have two 3week periods of 2-3*20 under my belt and have seen great improvement. FTP~300.

I am working FTP/SST. I need to improve in all power levels, but want to emphasize my ability to handle anaerobic repeats. I am unsure of how to periodize the anaerobic training in with FTP and VO2 so that I can be ready for somewhat of a Peak for the criterium. I thought a couple of anaerobic mini cycles throughout the winter could lead to a better peak at that time. I understand the crit requires serious race savvy, but I do not have access to much formal racing prior to "the one". For now I am going to do what I can, which is to work my engine. Thanks in advance for your time. BB

The way you train for a crit will depend a little on the level of the race, the expected tactics, your relative strengths and weaknesses, the course, etc.

I disagree with Dave rarely, but I disagree with this:
"You really shouldn't go deeply anaerobic in a crit if you ride it well."

In many crits and under many different racing strategies, you will be very 'anaerobic' - eg you will sustain power >130% threshold for more than 30s on a number of different occasions. Crits are still primarily aerobic and if your goal is in June it is absolutely a good idea to focus on threshold for now. It may also be worthwhile working on neuromuscular power (short sprints, seated and standing) for one session a week. Move to VO2max at the point of 'diminishing returns' in your base/threshold training. Maintain some threshold work at all times. Work in the anaerobic work closer to the end - that is the 'icing on the cake'.

...I disagree with Dave rarely, but I disagree with this:
"You really shouldn't go deeply anaerobic in a crit if you ride it well."....Heck, we gotta disagree sometimes :)

Emphasis "deeply" in that quote. I hear a lot of riders that have suffered in their first crit conclude that they lack the "anaerobic fitness" to hang in a crit. I'd argue that more often than not they lack the aerobic fitness, ability to acellerate quickly on demand and pack riding skills to hang and a focus on anaerobic intervals is not the path to success. OTOH I fully agree that anaerobic intervals on top of a well built aerobic base can be the difference between hanging in a crit and winning or making the key break.

-Dave

P.S. Here's a very nice adaptation of Lydiard's concepts to cycling including crits that Charles Howe put together: http://www.freewebs.com/velodynamics2/modelplan.pdfI can't remember if I've read that one before or not but I couldn't make the link work.:confused:

I can't remember if I've read that one before or not but I couldn't make the link work.:confused:weird, I just clicked the link in your reply and it worked fine. Here's a repaste from my bookmarks, lets see if it works: http://www.freewebs.com/velodynamics2/modelplan.pdf

-Dave

Heck, we gotta disagree sometimes :)

Emphasis "deeply" in that quote. I hear a lot of riders that have suffered in their first crit conclude that they lack the "anaerobic fitness" to hang in a crit. I'd argue that more often than not they lack the aerobic fitness, ability to acellerate quickly on demand and pack riding skills to hang and a focus on anaerobic intervals is not the path to success. OTOH I fully agree that anaerobic intervals on top of a well built aerobic base can be the difference between hanging in a crit and winning or making the key break.

-Dave

Well I totally agree with this analysis so maybe it is all just semantic. :)