Jim Mansoor, Ph.D.
jkmansoor@ucdavis.edu
Last column I spoke about surviving the DBC race rides. Now I'm going to tell you what I really think: race rides are for SUFFERING, not surviving! Bike racing is about SUFFERING, not surviving! Winning is about SUFFERING, not surviving! Now that I have your attention, let me calmly tell you why you need to suffer rather than just survive during bike race training.
We all have some concept that the body adapts to training. When we talk about adaptation in physiological terms, we borrow some concepts from engineering. On the road to adaptation, we first talk about stress, or some "thing" that is placed on the body. Next we talk about the body's response to the stress, which we call strain. Usually, stress and subsequent strain lead to adaptation, unless the stress is so great that the body reacts with injury. Adaptation is that feeling that we are getting stronger from our training.
So why am I advocating suffering on the race rides? Because the most important training factor for acquiring the greatest training gains is intensity (baring injury, of course). Watch the big dogs on the race ride: they are constantly attacking off the front, trying to make a break stick or bridging a gap. To do this, their training intensity has to be close to maximal. The payoff comes down the road when the rider can handle this high intensity in a race and finish on the podium.
So next time you are out on the race ride, see if you can attack off the front, recover, get back with the group and do it again. See if you can bridge a large gap with a very intense effort and then hang with the group you just caught. Or better yet, do all of this and still vie for the sprint. Remember, by sitting-in on the race rides you are generally not doing yourself a favor. You have to take pulls, try attacks, bridge attacks, in short, you have to SUFFER! Do this, and I guarantee improved race results.