Cyclocross season is here! If you aren’t a diehard crosser, the season may have snuck up on you. But, not to worry, there is still time to hone your existing fitness to the demands of cyclocross racing - not to mention get in on the spectator friendly venues littered with heckling, costumes, beer and money hand-ups. Coach Daniel Matheny shares his cyclocross training overview with a few workouts to get you on course.
Getting your nutrition dialed for cross race can be trickier than you might think. Races are relatively short, but they are also incredibly intense. The only thing I've encountered that comes close to their physical intensity are short-track mountain bike races, but even they are not quite as vomit inducing. Sprinting over barriers and up steep hills by foot as commonly encountered during cross races pushes the intensity level through the roof. You need glycogen stores to be at maximum to fuel these and other anaerobic efforts, but you also don't want much food in your stomach come race time. That is, unless you want to be distracted from going your fastest by burping up breakfast. It's not a pleasant feeling.
I used to fade super hard towards the end of a 1-hour cyclocross effort. Now, in my final laps I've been able to launch attacks and even sprint to the finish.
Since starts are crucial to cyclocross racing, take 1-2 servings of Beta Red 2 hours before your race, and then have another serving approximately 30 minutes before starting.
Beta Red Pre-Workout Orange has been available for a few months now, but some of you have yet to try it. This formula has the same powerful beet juice / amino acid blend as the original to take your performance to the next level, but with a refreshing citrus flavor. While we love the clean beet flavor of the original Beta Red, we wanted some variety since we drink it most days. This new flavor is great alone and in recipes.
