Here in Norcal we can train through winter. My last cx race will be 1/8/06. I really like the early season road races, but I wonder if I should skip them and focus on base miles, and be ready to race in March?

When does your cx season end? How much time do you take off the bike, if any? When do you begin your build-up for road, and how long do you do base before your first (real) road race?

I don't feel real beat from cross. My mileage is way down from road season and I honestly feel like I could take a month or two easy and be racing by early March. But I am no master of training methodology.

Just curious,

Morgan

Here in Norcal we can train through winter. My last cx race will be 1/8/06. I really like the early season road races, but I wonder if I should skip them and focus on base miles, and be ready to race in March?

When does your cx season end? How much time do you take off the bike, if any? When do you begin your build-up for road, and how long do you do base before your first (real) road race?

I don't feel real beat from cross. My mileage is way down from road season and I honestly feel like I could take a month or two easy and be racing by early March. But I am no master of training methodology.

Just curious,

Morgan


I was using cross as more of a training tool than anything, but I also took October off and did what I wanted for fun. Including a couple CX races and a lot of mountain biking. Nov marked the start of any serious training for some April events.

Our season ends in Dec in Oregon and I am looking forward to the last 3 races as I feel like I am starting to come back into form.

Here in Norcal we can train through winter. My last cx race will be 1/8/06. I really like the early season road races, but I wonder if I should skip them and focus on base miles, and be ready to race in March?

When does your cx season end? How much time do you take off the bike, if any? When do you begin your build-up for road, and how long do you do base before your first (real) road race?

I don't feel real beat from cross. My mileage is way down from road season and I honestly feel like I could take a month or two easy and be racing by early March. But I am no master of training methodology.

Just curious,

Morgan

I took a 3 week block off at the end of July/beginning of August. It wasn't entirely planned. I got injured a bit and had to back off. I would like to have raced through August and then have taken some time off... but I digress.

I will also be taking 2-3 weeks off starting the week of Christmas. The coach is suggesting a month, but I think I'll go stir-crazy. One can only run so much before the desire to be back on the bike kicks in hard!

I don't feel beat physically either. Mentally, probably a little. I'm sure I'll feel more beat after nationals and travelling, at least mentally if not physically. If you train and race hard, time off isn't ever really a bad thing in my experience. Can't hurt to take a few weeks off and do something else for a change.

My final 'cross race will be 12-4-05.

I will do nothing but long easy miles during december and January (mostly 3 and 4 hour rides every day). I live in the pacific northwest and we get little to no snow.

I have 2 mountain bike races in february I plan on doing and then I will race road every weekend from march through may.

I'm done now. Cooked. That's fine with me, because the snow is starting to fly in these parts. I commuted in today with temps in the 20s. Time to do some more running and general prep for X-C skiing, which is big around here.

It's been a real up-and-down year for me. I started off well in the spring (i.e. first race in early April), but got smacked with a herniated disc in the neck on Memorial Day weekend. I couldn't ride at all for nearly 2 months. I did a few mountain bike races this summer, which mostly felt like hell. Started finally feeling decent again in late August, just in time to hit the ground running for CX. My first 5 CX races went OK, but after a double-up weekend I was really zapped. Then I contracted some dreaded hacking cough thing, and the last 3 CX races were a steady decline. I definitely need a break and to switch gears. Just played hockey a few nights ago, and now I'm sore as hell from that!

I may try to pick up a Central or Northern Cal race after (if convenient) in Jan. or late Dec.
will go into 'form mode' and work on pedaling technique,etc.. through Feb and will be on the Track shortly after.

Couple more races up here in NY state, in Canada, actually. I cross country ski race all winter until about first weekend in March, then our spring road racing series starts, mostly just club type races until April, sometimes cancelled due to snow and such. I don't like to ride much in the cold, but end up doing more every year so I can at least keep up in the spring. I probably race too much and don't really train with much thought, so I'm not a good person to ask.

it'll be forced retirement for two weeks over Christmas/New Years because I'll be traveling, but that's all I'm taking "off". I'll ease back into it over the month of January so that I can be ready for the early season RRs here in socal. A lot of the good road races are early in the season, and they taper off and the crit series heat up.

my "training" is bunk anyway. I ride because it's fun, and try to ride fast because that's fun, too. All attempts at a structured program get sabatoged by work and life anyway, so I have to take what I can get.

-sf

Here in Norcal we can train through winter. My last cx race will be 1/8/06. I really like the early season road races, but I wonder if I should skip them and focus on base miles, and be ready to race in March?

When does your cx season end? How much time do you take off the bike, if any? When do you begin your build-up for road, and how long do you do base before your first (real) road race?

I don't feel real beat from cross. My mileage is way down from road season and I honestly feel like I could take a month or two easy and be racing by early March. But I am no master of training methodology.

Just curious,

Morgan
Next weekend is our last race in the Seattle area just like Matt said. I'll race the last two races and then I'll concentrate on running more. Running has worked pretty well durring cross season, I havn't ridden bike much durring cross season except durring races. I will be doing a 10mile trail run race in mid January and I'll figure on more running races from there, 10k's probably a half marathon and I am considering my second marathon, did one in 98. I will probably do some bmx racing in the summer and mountain biking for fun with friends. My friends will probably try to convince me to race at the marrymoor velodrome in Redmond, but I don't think I'll have the time.