Attention Bicycle Roadies: How To Make Certain You Win A Race This Season

By: Bart Summers
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:25:38
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Question: What’s the #1 guaranteed way to make certain you win a race this year?

Answer: Optimize Your Power Output On The Bike

Here is Why:

With at least half if not more of your base miles already done and the season right around the corner, now is the time to optimize your power output on the bike.

The definition of power is force multiplied by speed and is the ability to turn a large gear for a long period of time. It is sometimes referred to as muscular endurance.

Power is without doubt the most important factor that you need to work on if you are going to be competitive this season and have any chance of winning a bike race this year.

So why is power so important in bike racing? Well think of it this way- how about you line up in a motorcycle race alongside 4 other riders all riding similar motorbikes to you except for one thing- they have 500cc bikes, but you’re only riding a 250cc machine. How do you rate your chances?

Not great. Of course not because your power output is exactly half theirs- you’ve lost the race before you’ve even started- but ask yourself this-

How many times have you lined up for a road race having done little more than base miles with the occasional interval here and there?

Is your power output optimized for the season ahead? Have you done everything you possibly can do to make certain your sustainable power output is as high as it can be before entering your key races for the year?

If not then you could be in for a shock when you begin racing. Your penalty for not developing sufficient power will be precisely the same as lining up in that motorcycle race- except that those higher powered motorcycles will be other riders with their own more powerful engines…

So how do you know when you’ve got a power problem and what can you do about it? Well see if any of these scenarios sound familiar:

Scenario #1

You’re riding well in a race but suddenly you enter a crosswind section and the bunch lines out in the right hand gutter. Instantly you realize you’re getting little shelter from the pace line and begin to suffer. Slowly you let a gap open and you lose contact with the rider in front. Riders behind start yelling at you to hold the wheel but you can’t and the group begins to ride away. Suddenly you and everyone behind you is out of the running- Why? Because you couldn’t produce enough power to hold the wheel in the cross wind.

Scenario # 2

Your speed drills have worked well and you’ve managed to get yourself into what looks as if it could be the winning move. But now you’re up front and there’s only four of you to hold off the pack. Suddenly you are unable to go through to do your turn. Your legs are screaming and the other riders are yelling at you to work! In desperation you cling to the last rider’s wheel to try to recover but then you realize he is taking you out the back of the break. You watch defeated from no-mans land as the rider bridges back to the pair up front and works with them to contest the sprint for the line. What happened? You were unable to sustain enough power to contribute to the working break.

Scenario # 3

In your next race you swear this won’t happen again and you’ve psyched yourself for the pain. This time you’re not going to crack you tell yourself. But this time you don’t manage to draft anyone into the break. You’re boxed in when four riders sprint away and you see what looks like the winning move disappearing up the road. Finally you hit the front and jump with everything you’ve got to try to bridge across to them. Good, there’s no-one on your wheel but you can’t believe how strong the headwind is and you start to suffer badly. There’s no-one to help you out and you don’t seem to be gaining on the break. Finally you succumb to the headwind and the pack catches you again. Why? Because you couldn’t sustain sufficient power to bridge across to the break.

The good news is if you make it your business to increase your power before you begin racing you can avoid all of this happening and you’ll be the one who not only makes it into the winning move but who’s there to contest the win! So what’s the fastest way to develop the kind of power you need to win bike races?

Answer: Ride the Indoor Trainer.

Huh? You thought that was only for riding in the winter when there’s snow on the roads right?

Wrong!

Riding the indoor trainer is the best way to do your intervals for one key reason:

You can go MUCH harder on the trainer than you can do out on the road.

Riding the indoor trainer allows you to undertake the kind of interval training that is simply not realistic on the open road. You can go so hard that you may taste blood or feel noxious but without the need to worry about controlling the bike when you’re riding flat out. The result?

Your next race will feel easy by comparison and if it doesn’t- you can go back and hurt yourself even more until it does!

Still don’t think it works? Read this:

Former world hour record holder Graeme Obree rode an incredible 32.75 miles during his hour record. He prepared for this record by riding flat out on his indoor trainer several times per week.

Ex professional Tour De France Yellow Jersey holder and stage winner Sean Yates was quoted last year as saying: “I’ve been riding 2-3 hours per day in the mornings and spending the rest of my time on the trainer”

Both riders and countless other pros understand the importance of doing high intensity work on the indoor trainer.

Whatever else you do this year, ride your intervals on the indoor trainer. You’re guaranteed to increase your power output and it will likely give you your most successful bike racing season to date.

Good luck with your 2006 season!

Bart Summers is an active amateur racer and author of http://www.50topbikeracingtips.com

Article source: Expert Articles