by David Peckinpaugh, M.S.


In most regions, the racing season has already started or is just around the corner. Therefore, it is important to decide if you are ready to race. Many racers have the attitude that they will just start racing to get in shape and believe the common misperception that racing is the best training. These same riders often spend several months of hard training and racing where most rides turn into a "mini-race". By May or June, they are often then wondering why they are burned out and are ready to pack it in for the season.

This pitfall can be avoided by following a carefully laid out training program that is designed to get the racer to the start line of their first race with adequate fitness for the category in which they are racing. If a rider is just starting the base phase, we generally recommend at least 6 weeks and up to 8 or more weeks of training at an endurance pace to establish an aerobic fitness foundation to build on. Most sport scientists agree that riders with a well developed aerobic system tend to find a higher peak and can maintain fitness longer into the season.

From there, we usually recommend around a month of moderate intensity intervals followed by a month of race pace intervals near your lactate threshold to prepare you for the intensity of a race.

The goal of this type of program is to be sure that you are ready to race and can maintain race pace intensity before starting your first race. It is not a lot of fun to show up to a race you aren't ready for only to have you feeling miserable. For many riders, this type of negative experience may turn them away from the sport over the long term. Many riders also respond to a poor start in racing by just doing more and more hard training only to find themselves overtrained or burned out in several weeks or months.

If you have been following your plan consistently up to this point and you feel you are ready to race then go for it! In general terms, being ready to race means you can ride at or near your lactate threshold heart rate or power output for at least 30 minutes within a longer ride (or longer for riders in higher categories). Your endurance should be at a level that you can ride for at least an hour or more beyond the total duration of your event.

What should you do if you don't feel you are ready to start racing? First, discuss your options with your coach to determine what is best for you based on your fitness and your goals. If you don't feel you are ready, it may be in your best interest to wait to start racing. Delaying the start of racing can help you get more out of your racing experiences and give you a strong foundation to build upon for the remainder of your season.

Whenever your race seasons starts...Good Luck!