loverrellik

Is there a resource for excercises /drills to practice that can be utilized off the track?

Thanks!

carleton

The short answer is: It depends.

Some thoughts:

- The demands of track mass start racing are similar to those for road criterium racing. Maybe seek out some drills from that world. There are lots out there. Sorry that I can't point to any in particular, but have a look and/or ask in the Road Racing forum. Here's one thread: https://www.bikeforums.net/33-road-b...cipe-book.html
- Up Up Up! has some sample programs that focus on sprinting (not road sprinting, but track sprinting): 10 - Sample Programs ? Up! Up! Up! An introduction to track sprint cycling

brawlo

What sort of track racing are you aiming the training at?

As @carleton posted above, UpUpUp is an excellent resource for trainer workouts if you're sprint focused, and some of them can be helpful for enduro types as well. Sticking with the trainer, I have been having fun using Zwift racing for short high intensity efforts.

If you're more enduro focused, a trainer and zwift are a great combo when the weather is crappy. On the road, shorter 1.5-2hr high intensity bunch rides and crit racing would be my picks

krispenhartung

You can pick and choose from the British Cycling Track 8 week training plan. I've used their 4 week time trial plan as a specialty build phase before an A race. The track plan looks interesting. Click on the link to the PDF below and then when you click on each work out, it will pop up another PDF. For the TT plan, I created Virtual Training (Rouvy) or TrainerRoad versions of all of them.

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/zu...EK_1_TRACK.pdf

Bluscuba

I've just ventured into the local track league ( c cat - the lowest of 3 Cats)

Away from the track I've trained using various types of short (45 sec - 3 min) intervals, longer aerobic sessions. The power I can generate in those sessions over 5 - 10 minutes ( typically the length of the c cat races ) seems much higher than the power I've achieved in the actual races.

I've felt tense during the races ( usually scratch, points elimination) - worried about crashes or getting dropped etc so I assume that wouldn't help but if the races are 10 minutes long would I be better tailoring sessions to replicate the race
conditions? Some under and over intervals and some sprints etc? I understand the zone training but at the fitness level I'm at I'm sort of thinking thrashing myself at each session may be yield quicker results ?

700wheel

I practice 500m and 2k TTs on a straight and flat stretch of highway near me.

brawlo

Any fast paced and short (1.5~2hr) bunch rides around you? Before I became invested in the sprint side and was more of an all rounder, I found that to be the best training of all

carleton

Racing yields the very best results for new track racers. It addresses several things at once:

- Comfort on the track.
- Comfort at race pace surrounded by others.
- Learning what tactics do and don’t work.
- Learning about your local opponents.
- Learning the race formats and how to apply your strengths and avoid your weaknesses.
- Anaerobic and aerobic training.
- Learning how best to use your tools.
- Comraderie.
- Tweaking your gearing.
- Tweaking your fit to match real racing (not just what feels right on the trainer).
- It’s very difficult to replicate real race intensity on a trainer.


So, if you can, race as much as possible as a new track racer. That’s the most efficient and effective way to get up to speed literally and figuratively.

Of course, we all can’t do that all the time. But, you could try. Even if your legs are tired, your brain is still learning stuff.

Results from local racing don’t mean much. Don’t focus on that. Focus on learning. Once you are comfortable with the stuff you need to learn, then you won’t spend energy fretting over that and all of your energy and spirits will go into kicking ass.

carleton

Brawlo is right about things that will help off the track.

In CAT-C, usually the fittest rider wins. Being fit will be the most valuable asset. But, again, don’t focus on winning as much as learning. Fitness will get you quickly promoted from C to B. But, everyone in B is fit and thinking wins there. And both are needed even more in the As.

Use time trials to track your progression. Participate in as many time trial events that you can.

It’s difficult to track progress with mass start results in lower divisions as it really depends on who shows up that day.