Technical Advice
Here you will find technical information
Make the best use of the Till Start One during the warm-up and optimize your preparation.
This warm-up is given as an example and is intended for pilots of the “Coupe de France” level and above.
Before a goal, it should be tested during “adjustment competitions” to see if it is well supported, to adjust technical details (e.g.: setting up the home-trainer)
It is described for a mountain bike event but can be suitable for track or BMX with some adaptations (e.g. more explosive sprints for BMX; i4-i5 phases in aerodynamic position for chaser…).
It lasts 40′ and ends 15′ before the start. It therefore starts 55′ before the start.
It can be reduced to 30′ (but not less!) by reducing each sequence a bit.
The intensity scale used refers to the one used by the French Cycling Federation (FFC), which includes 7 levels of intensity (i1 to i7), see for example: on this link or this link.
Jean Paul Stéphan
PE teacher
Multiple World and French MTB Master Champion
Author of the book VTT Rouler plus vite
Club leader
| Par minute | Contenu | Hydratation |
|---|---|---|
|
0' à 10' |
Vélocité i2 puis i3 |
Boisson énergétique |
|
10' à 20' |
5 X (15” accélération force i4-i5– 45” récup braquet souple I2) |
Boisson énergétique |
|
20′ à 23′ |
Vélocité aisance respiratoire i2
|
Boisson énergétique |
|
23′ à 26′ |
i4-i5 braquet optimal |
Boisson énergétique |
|
26′ à 29′ |
Vélocité aisance respiratoire i2 |
Boisson énergétique |
|
29′ à 32′
|
20/20 (20” accélération i5-i6 force – 20” I1 braquet souple)
|
Boisson énergétique |
|
32′ à 33′
|
Accélération force progressive jusque i5 (« sprint final »)
|
Boisson énergétique |
|
33′ à 40′
|
Retour au calme vélocité i1-i2
|
Boisson énergétique |
|
Fin
|
S’essuyer, passer la tenue de course, remettre un bidon plein dans le porte-bidon, se rendre sur la ligne de départ.
|
Eau ou Boisson énergétique |
Some possible warm-up variations :
- 40′ HT, start 55′ before departure
- 30′ HT + 10′ MTB, start 55′ before departure
- 5′ general muscular awakening + 40′ HT, start 1h before departure
- 5′ general muscular awakening + 30′ HT + 10′ MTB, start 1h before
- 5′ general muscular awakening + 30′ HT, start 50′ before departure
- 10′ MTB + 30′ HT, start 55′ before departure
A few more things
Do a few “adjustment competitions” before your main objective to find the right protocol and not ask yourself any questions on the big day
Energy drink during the whole warm-up. Be careful! Manufacturers often indicate exaggerated doses on the boxes… Put about 30g of powder for 1 can in hot weather (drink the whole can), and about 45g in cold weather (drink two thirds of the can).
Before or (rather) after the warm-up, do some technical exercises to get the right feeling. This can go up to 10-15′ on the mountain bike, but in this case you should shorten the HT warm-up (30′ option).
Especially if the race takes place in the morning, the HT warm-up can be preceded by 5′ of “general muscular awakening” based on arm and trunk movements… In this case, start 1 hour before the start.
You don’t have enough time to warm up? Focus on speed, turn your legs quickly, this is what provokes the greatest amount of movement and warms up the fastest… And organize yourself better next time by calculating each schedule (meal, departure from home…) from that of the race.
Provide a change of clothes to approach the competition in good conditions.
It can be beneficial to “ritualize” the phase before the start in order to be as much as possible in a usual environment: avoid the “haphazard” start!
Make the best use of the Till Start One for active recovery.
The objective of recovery is to facilitate the elimination of toxins due to intense efforts and to be able to recover as quickly as possible, your capacities.
For a good recovery it is good to turn your legs for a few minutes at low intensity while drinking to eliminate toxins more quickly and therefore fatigue. This applies to the end of an intense training session (come back while pedaling quietly), but especially at the end of a race, where it is more practical to pedal a little on the home-trainer.
To be effective, recovery should begin as soon as possible after the end of the race, as if you wanted your pedaling to gradually decrease in intensity rather than stop once you’ve crossed the finish line.
Count on 5′ to 15′ of low-intensity velocity while drinking water and nibbling on a piece of fruit (banana, raisins, dates, pear…whichever appeals to you) or sipping a recovery drink.
Recovery and warm-up are sometimes more or less the same thing. For example, between two rounds of BMX or MTB XCE, you turn your legs to recover from the round you just ran and to stay warm for the next one.
The pedaling intensity that optimizes recovery is low compared to that of the race. It can be located at i2 on the most commonly used scale of 1 to 7.
http://ecolevelolepuy.e-monsite.com/medias/files/20140331-zone.d.intensite-.pdf
A few more things.
Having a practical home trainer makes this little extra effort easier. Indeed, at the end of a race, we don’t always have the courage to put back in place a complicated equipment.
Change from time to time (another fruit, another flavour of drink, why not salty in hot weather…) to avoid saturation.
During the recovery pedaling it is important to keep the muscles warm. If the weather is cold, you should wear a jacket, leggings or even a hat. Of course, if the weather is hot, it is useless to over-cover yourself, as you risk dehydration.A few more things