| First Things
First It is important that we find out your maximum heart rate on the bike.
You need to measure your maximum heart rate in each discipline as it will be different
in each sport. To find your maximum heart rate on your bike find a gradual
hill of 5-8%. Warm up for 15 minutes and then ride up the hill at a moderate pace.
After 1 minute increase to race pace and for the final minute go all out. At the
end of the three minutes check your monitor for your maximum heart rate. This
is what you will use to find out you target zones. Example:
Dave Norona
Maximum HR: 192
Aerobic Base Building: 150 beats/minute
or lower
Tempo/Anaerobic Theshold: 165-170 beats/per minute
Race: All
Out Let's Get Started Three areas to becoming a better
rider are working on your efficiency (spinning those pedals), body position (comfort),
and technical skills(balance and confidence). These three areas are key to having
a great off-road experience and most importantly having fun. Building your base
is easier done on the road. You can keep your heart rate lower on the road than
off-road and sharpen up on your riding skills before hitting the dirt. Many athletes
have a road bike but if you do not then your mountain bike will do just fine.
It might be a good idea to invest in some slicks to increase your speed. Keep
to flat terrain for the first 6 weeks. This will teach your legs to spin at a
high cadence which is very effective. I find a computer that will give you your
speed and average speed helps in keeping you on your plan. This way you can compare
your heart rate to your average speed as you get fitter. Again the hardest
part of this plan is to keep your heart rate down when another cyclist passes
you or the group you ride with is going too fast. Unfortunately this is something
you have to figure out how to do on your own. A lot of people think that they
could not train with me because I am too fast for them. In fact the opposite is
true. I do most of my training on my own because most are going too fast for me.
I believe in my system as it works for me and I have stuck with for a long time.
I have learned to stick to my routine and save my hard efforts for when it counts. Spring
is also the time to try out different positions. Whether you just got a new saddle
or you want to play with your seat or handle bar height, now is the time to figure
these things out so your body can adapt to these changes before the racing season
starts. I also find it handy to write down your bike measurements so if something
needs to be replaced during the season you know what position suits you best.
One of the biggest changes in mountain biking has been with the new riser bars
to hit the market. These bars put you more upright on the bike making for a more
comfortable position and give you more control and confidence on technical descents.
Many believe that a riser bar is bad for climbing however I find it to be the
opposite as it puts you in a better position for opening up your chest and looking
up the hill. Base Building Workouts You should aim
to build up your base to 1 and a half times what you would do in a race up to
4 hours. Then you should build up to that time. So if your longest ride in the
Sea 2 Summit is 4 hours. Then build up to a riding time of 4 hours before putting
in any faster rides. You can incorporate hills into your workouts after 2 months
but keep your heart rate down until you build up to your base time. Think of becoming
tired from the duration of your workout rather that the effort. Since riding
is easier on your body it is okay to start out with more time. For beginners or
juniors I suggest starting at 45 minutes. For intermediate to advanced riders
starting out a 1 hour is fine. Keep your workouts to three if you are a good rider
and you want to work on your running and paddling. For those who need more time
on the bike then four times a week with less time per ride is better.
Multi-Sport athlete David
Norona has seen a lot of the world...and eaten its dust, gotten its dirt under
his fingernails and its water in his lungs. In the past 13 years the 34 year-old
from North Vancouver has cycled, run, kayaked, in-line skated, and cross-country
skied throughout Greenland, Alaska, China, Africa, Europe, New Zealand and North
and South America.
Visit his website: www.Davenorona.com
© 2005 Dave Norona, Used with permission
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