Wow, 2020 was a ride. And we are already well on our way to 2021. Although it seems far away, the 2021 mountain bike season will soon be greeting us with the wonderful sound, smells, and warmth of spring. February and March are great times of the year to focus our attention on things we often neglect when the mountain bike season begins. Here are some things to consider that may save you some time, money, and frustrations when the riding gets good.
1 – Tune-Up, Upgrade, and Test Now
We all know what the spring rush feels like while trying to get that mountain bike into the shop for tune-up and upgrades. Now, more than ever, you will want to purchase those parts and services needed for next season. Now is the time of year you can afford to be away from your mountain bike. Once mountain bike training resumes, having a well-tuned, problem-free bike will ensure you get the training time in that counts, rather than a training interruption waiting for service and parts. Some things to consider for repairs/upgrades may be new cables, tires, brakes, a power meter, a new saddle, and grips. Give yourself some time to test and adjust to any new equipment you put on your bike. You don’t want to learn how to use that new power meter or have to adjust to a new saddle during prime time mountain bike season.
2 – Adjust Your Strength Training
Heavy strength training and high-intensity mountain biking never play well together. In fact, they often negate each other. Both strength training and weight lifting require neuromuscular power and fast-twitch muscular fiber recruitment. In simpler terms, this means it requires the same muscle type as MTB riding does. When doing too much high-intensity weight lifting with mountain biking, recovery becomes much more of a challenge and that much more critical. Often it takes an average of 48 hours to recover from a hard strength session. So if you are mountain biking the day after your strength sessions, you will not give your body enough time to recover from the previous strength session. The solution is to periodize your strength training just like you periodize your cycling training schedule. I discuss the concept of strength training and periodization in an article I wrote a few months ago, titled, “Developing Muscular Strength for Endurance Sport”. February is usually the time I have my athletes in the power phase of their strength training. The primary goal of this is to get our most intense and challenging phase of strength training done when athletes (including myself) are antsy from cabin fever and want to mountain bike. So by March, I will bring down the intensity of strength training and maintain strength gains while increasing volume on the mountain bike.
3 – Cross-Train to Help with Skills
In the Northern Hemisphere, the weather can be iffy, and the winters keep appearing later in the year. These spring storms may provide us additional opportune times to work on the transferable skills we know are needed for mountain biking that may not necessarily be mountain biking. These include V02 Max development, hand-eye coordination, speed and agility, and flexibility. Mountain biking skills can be gained through other activities such as nordic skiing, performance skills drills (like side shuffles and ladder drills), and yoga routines. My colleague, Alana, recently wrote a great article that highlights the benefits of Nordic Skiing as it relates to V02 Max development and multiplane movements. Performance skills drills, like ladders, side shuffles, and box jumps provide for improvement in our ability to quickly change body movements as we navigate the trails and obstacles. Agility training provides for the ability to accelerate on the pedals, decelerate, and more effectively and efficiently respond to changes in the body. If you are unfamiliar with performance skills drills, be sure to join our TEC Happy Hour on Instagram at @Thomas_Endurance_Coaching. I will be displaying some skills drills you can incorporate into your training.
4 – Catch Up on Your Learning
One thing is for certain. Mountain biking is a life long learning process. February is a great time to catch up and refine your knowledge on all those articles, podcasts, books, and software programs you may have been missing. February is also a great time to study up and coming course profiles, plan training camps, cycling vacations, etc. Here are a few resources I have dived into this year as both a coach and athlete:
- The TEC Podcast, Endurance Minded, looks at the psychological and emotional aspects of endurance sports and how they impact performance.
- My winter reading list:
- Endure by Alex Hutchinson
- Mastering Mountain Bike Skills by Brian Lopes
- Good to Go by Christie Aschwanden
- Blog posts by TEC
- Blog posts by TrainingPeaks
Enjoy the space February provides and use this time to shift focus on the things you know you will never do when the mountain bike season comes around. Enjoy this time and incorporate these takeaways into your annual training plan, and you will be a much better version of yourself.
Coach Joe is a dedicated coach and athlete who specializes in MTB racing, road cycling, and strength training. For more information on Joe’s coaching services, or to schedule a FREE coaching consultation with him, click HERE.
