Why Am I Still Tired Two Days After a Cyclocross Race?
It’s Tuesday morning. You raced cyclocross on Sunday, took it easy Monday, and expected to wake up feeling reasonably normal. Instead, your legs are heavy. Walking downstairs doesn’t feel particularly good. Your motivation to train isn’t exactly overflowing. And now you’re wondering: Should I train today, or do I need more recovery? For most masters […]
I’m Racing Cross Every Weekend. What Should I Actually Do Between Races?
Cyclocross season creates an interesting training problem. You’re racing every weekend, but you also want to keep your fitness—or maybe even continue improving it—as the season progresses. So what should you actually do between races? For most masters cyclocross racers, the answer is surprisingly simple: recover from the last race, do one quality cyclocross-specific workout, […]
How to Stay Calm on the Cyclocross Starting Line When Everyone Else Looks Faster
They may look stronger than you, but they’re probably thinking the same thing. You’ve trained for weeks or months. You’ve ridden the intervals. You’ve done the running. You’ve practiced dismounts until they finally started to feel natural. Then you roll onto the starting grid for your first cyclocross race of the season. Suddenly none of […]
The Best Cyclocross Workouts for Race Day—and When to Stop Doing Them
You Don’t Need Harder Workouts. You Need More Specific Ones. Cyclocross season creates a unique training dilemma. You spent months building endurance, increasing your FTP, and improving your aerobic fitness. Now races are here. Should you keep doing threshold intervals? Should every workout become all-out VO2max suffering? Or is racing every weekend enough intensity? Many […]
How to Plan a Cyclocross Season Without Burning Out: A Smarter Cyclocross Race Schedule for Peak Performance
Cyclocross season is exciting because there is almost always another race next weekend. That also creates one of the biggest mistakes riders make. They race every weekend, travel every chance they get, push every event as if it’s the most important race of the year, and wonder why they feel flat when championship season arrives. […]
How to Build Cyclocross Fitness Without Riding More Hours: A Smarter Cyclocross Training Plan
Cyclocross season is almost here! You’re excited. You’re watching race videos, cleaning your bike, checking tire choices, and thinking about those first muddy starts. Then reality sets in. You don’t suddenly have ten extra hours a week to train. Most masters athletes don’t. Work is busy. Kids are back in school. Family schedules fill up. […]
Will Gravel Fitness Help Your Cyclocross Season? Why You Don’t Have to Start Over
You’ve spent all spring and summer training for gravel. Now cyclocross season is only a few weeks away, and you’re wondering if you’ve been training for the wrong sport. Will all those long endurance rides make you too slow? Will the gravel races leave you tired before the first cyclocross race? Or do you need […]
Beyond the 80/20 Rule: Why Zone 3 Training Might Deliver Superior Endurance Results
According to groundbreaking research by Stephen Seiler and Espen Tønnessen, analyzing over 15,000 training sessions from world champion endurance athletes, elite athletes actually train 85 percent at low to moderate intensity. That’s the origin of the 80-20 or 85-15 “rule.” More importantly, they found that training distribution varies significantly based on: However, this study is […]
Train Smart, Race Strong: Matching Your Training to Your A-Race Profile
The difference between a good race and a breakthrough performance often isn’t talent—it’s training specificity. When a rider crushes gravel nationals or when cyclocross racers dominate technical courses, they’re not just fitter than their competition. They’re specifically prepared for the exact demands of their target event. Here’s the truth: Generic training gets generic results. If […]
Optimal Cadence for Cyclists: What the Research Says About Power, Efficiency, and Fatigue
by Coach Paul Warloski If you’ve ever ridden with a group, you’ve probably noticed everyone pedals at a slightly different rhythm. Some spin at 100+ rpm (revolutions per minute), others grind away in the 70s. So, what’s the “best” cadence for cycling performance? A great Twitter thread from sports scientist Rod Siegel led me to […]
