Racer X Virtual Trainer

I’ve been following Joe Friel’s methods, along with other cycling training methods and this site for this training / racing season and I’m still a little confused with the peaking and racing periods of the season.

Joe outlines how the peaking procedure for “A” priority races are done, followed by a short transition period and then more base (if necessary) and building periods leading up to the next important event. How does this relate to motocross racing when there may be 4 races in a 6-8 week period? My guess is there is a difference between peaking for select races and maintaining your current level of fitness.

Also, since amateur motocross races are basically 4-5 lap sprints that last maybe 15 minutes, what type of cycling intervals would be the most beneficial for racing? (short sprints in HR zones 4-5, longer TTs at or above LT threshold, etc.)

Thanks as always

Usually for amateurs I have riders peak for the most important 2-3 races per season. You cannot peak for every single event. Then the other non peak races become events that are essentially training events used to bring a rider up to that peak. Depending on how long you have been consistently training, a young athlete can hold a peak for 4-5 weeks at the most. This works for Ponca/LL for instance. After a peak event, fitness is purposely reduced and the timing of the next build periods is designed to bring about the next peak (which if done right will be higher than the last one).

As far as intervals, you have to be really careful in younger riders. For the younger riders I keep the highest intensity stuff limited to the actual motorcycle and leave intervals on the bicycles in the aerobic zones (up to zone 3). For older, more experienced riders that have done consistent training for years on end, I do use zone 4/5 intervals once during the race week to keep those fuel systems primed but again, the bulk of aerobic training is just that, aerobic.

Please post a response if you need more information, I am on a short break at Ponca and only have a few minutes at a time!

Good luck!

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Coach Seiji
www.coachseiji.com

Thanks for the response, this makes sense. I'm 25 and have been consistently training for 2 years now, before that I was just randomly exercising here and there. I have very limited time on the motorcycle every week due to lack of riding areas and other things, but I can usually train off the bike between 10-12 hrs per week, with every fourth week as a recovery week. I guess sometimes I get caught up in training for cycling races instead of moto races, where the physical demands are a bit different. Thanks again