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training & skills

• Newbie News: Building Your Own Barriers

  13 June 11 • 11 comments

  

  Building a set of collapsible barriers with PVC pipe is a piece of cake! If you’ve ever attending a cyclocross practice session, you probably have seen a set of PVC barriers erected. For one thing, they’re incredibly easy to break down and set up. An added bonus is that if a newer, more unsteady rider crashes into them (or if a seasoned pro comes in too hot and crashes into them), it won’t really hurt anything but his or her pride.

• Newbie News: Why Do A Clinic?

  8 June 11 • 2 comments

  

  The idea of going to a cyclocross clinic can be daunting for some. It’s nerve-wracking to be confronted with trying new techniques, learning completely new skills or even just practicing old ones in front of a crowd. And for me, lining up and taking an off-camber taped-off turn with everyone else watching sounds sort of like the fourth or fifth circle of hell. However, it’s not that bad. Really. In fact, it can be pretty darn fun, not to mention extremely helpful.

• Training Tuesdays: What is Creatine, and Should You Care?

  7 June 11 • 3 comments

  

  Creatine is one of those supplements that you hear about with relative frequency, but what exactly is it supposed to be doing? Studies about the supplement have been cropping up for the last couple of years, and they all seem to have slightly differing opinions on the usefulness of creatine. It’s been suggested that creatine supplements help to reduce fatigue on muscles, improve recovery, and increase muscle strength. That’s a tall order for a nitrogenous organic acid. Today, we’re looking at a round-up of studies done on the topic to see what the experts have to say.

• Training Tuesday: Building a Base in the Off-Season

  24 May 11 • 5 comments

  

  June is here in just a week, and September and racing season are not too far behind. If you haven’t started coming up with a plan for the season, now is the time to start. We have a great article here by USAC Level 2 coach Mike Birner about how to start the season strong by building a good base over the summer. Birner believes that, “Base period should be about building the ‘engine,’” and following his advice will get you one high-horsepower motor!

• Training for Cyclocross: How to Peak for the Big Race

  13 October 10 • 2 comments

  With the 2010 Cyclocross National Championships registration now open, it’s the perfect time to think about training specifically for the big event or another goal race. Which means it’s perfect time to revisit an article from Michael Birner on this exact topic we published a while back. Interested in training for the one lap TT [...]

• The Infamous Stringdusters’ World Tour: No Bike, No Problem

  12 September 10 • 1 comment

  

  Travis Book currently resides in Nashville, TN, but anticipates an imminent move back to his homeland of Colorado. He may not look like much (by design), but he was the Tennessee state champion in 09/10, a year he spent nearly 200 days on the road with his band, The Infamous Stringdusters. Clearly, he’s got the [...]

• Update: Boulder Cycle Sport / FasCat Cyclocross Training Camp Moved to August

  30 July 10 • 0 comment

  It’s already almost August, which means that the US cyclocross scene is right around the corner. While most of us are doing something bike-related, either on or off road, to keep up the fitness, many of the ‘cross-specific skills are atrophying. It’s not too soon to start getting your cyclocross techniques back on track and [...]

• Ask A Pro With National Champ Tim Johnson

  14 June 10 • 1 comment

  Joining us again for our bi-weekly column, Ask a Pro, is 2009 national cyclocross champion Tim Johnson (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com). If you missed our first reader submitted Q&A session, check it out here. Have a question for Tim? Send it to [email protected] Q: Tim, the biggest problem I have late in the year is with my hands [...]

• New Bi-Weekly Column: Ask a Pro with National Champ Tim Johnson

  22 May 10 • 1 comment

  Cyclocross Magazine is proud to announce a new bi-weekly column, Ask a Pro, with 2009 national cyclocross champion Tim Johnson (Cannondale – Cyclocrossworld.com). While winning one National Championship is impressive enough, Tim added this year’s win to the two Elite National jerseys already adorning his wall. A seasoned pro in both road and ‘cross, he [...]

• Overtrainers Anonymous – A Column by Lee Waldman

  9 April 10 • 1 comment

  

  Cyclocross Magazine columnist Lee Waldman checks in on his training progress and reports on his enlisted help to reign in his obsessive training tendencies. In case you missed it, go back and check out Lee’s previous column on instant gratification. by Lee Waldman “We have a new member joining us tonight…” “Hi, my name is [...]

• Training with Power for Cyclocross: Kenton Berg’s Diary #6 – Hazardous to Your Health?

  4 December 09 • 1 comment

  

  Not sure if you’re training effectively? Have some ambitious goals for the season but feel like your racing has plateaued? Cyclocross Magazine’s Kenton Berg has been stuck in this situation and decided to seek professional help. This is his sixth entry. Read his previous entry here. WARNING: TRAINING WITH POWER MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR [...]

• Riding the Night Train – Tips and Tricks for Cyclocross Training at Night

  13 November 09 • 1 comment

  

  by Dr. Clifford Lee Days are shorter and our lives are busy. How does training time fit in to a day with already too few hours? Even Michael Birner’s three-hour training plan featured in Cyclocross Magazine’s Issue 7 is constrained by limited sunlight. You can train indoors on a trainer, or train in the dark [...]

• Training with Power for Cyclocross: Kenton Berg’s Diary #5 – Don’t Call It a Comeback

  10 November 09 • 1 comment

  

  Not sure if you’re training effectively? Have some ambitious goals for the season but feel like your racing has plateaued? Cyclocross Magazine’s Kenton Berg has been stuck in this situation and decided to seek professional help. This is his fifth entry. Read his previous entry here. Back from Injury: One Month In What a difference [...]

• Training With Power for Cyclocross: Kenton Berg’s Diary #3

  17 September 09 • 1 comment

  Not sure if you’re training effectively? Have some ambitious goals for the season but feel like your racing has plateaued? Cyclocross Magazine’s Kenton Berg has been stuck in this situation and decided to seek professional help. This is his third entry. Read his previous entry here. Numbers, numbers, numbers…I’ve got tons of graphs and numbers [...]

• To Hop or Not? Bunny Hopping Cyclocross Barriers

  15 August 09 • 2 comments

  

  Sven Nys’ early days of BMX racing developed his mad bunny hopping skills, and his ability to dominate races by hopping the UCI’s 40 cm barriers single-handily changed cyclocross courses and rules forever. Wonder why we see so few high-speed barriers at UCI races? For some reason, close, tight racing is believed to be more [...]