Indoor Training Strategy for Cyclocross Racing

What's that you say?

It may seem antithetical to the roots of cyclocross to recommend indoor training for cyclocross racing. But it can be a winning formula when combined with adequate outdoor skills practice.

Mud, sand, run-ups and barriers aside, the fitness needed to succeed in cyclocross can be achieved largely through indoor training. But as with most good things, there are trade-offs...

On the plus side: 1) You can train no matter the weather. 2) You will (likely) avoid injury associated with trail running and riding. 3) You can be very specific with your efforts.

On the negative: Well, I can only see one real negative to doing the bulk of your cyclocross training indoors – you may  miss out on the “acclimation” effects of being outside in all conditions.

But even this negative can be a plus as many top athletes report “weather fatigue” from training and racing in bad conditions all the time. By not worrying about the weather for your training sessions (thus mentally preparing for anything race day can throw at you) I believe this consideration is minor at best.

So what would a good indoor cyclocross routine look like? Here is my recommendation based on a four week build/recovery cycle.

 Weeks 1-3

Monday – Rest (assuming a weekend race or long ride)

Tuesday AM – 60 min run intervals

Using a good treadmill, alternate moderate running pace for 2 minutes @ 6-7mph with sprinting for one minute @ 8-10mph. You may need to build up to these paces and times.

Tuesday PM – 60 min weight circuit or core strength

A moderately stressful full-body weight circuit (with rapid switches between exercises and enough exertion to work up a sweat), TRX, P90X or a similar “boot camp” routine is good.

Wednesday – 60-90 min outdoor CX practice or indoor threshold intervals

20 min warmup, 6x6 min intervals at zone 4/5, 3 min easy spin between intervals, 20 min cooldown.

Thursday AM – 60 min run hill intervals

Using a good treadmill at a moderate pace of 6-7mph, alternate moderate running with no incline for 2 minutes and at the maximum incline for one minute. You may need to build up to these paces and times.

Thursday PM – 90 min bike “jumps”

Using your indoor trainer, warm up 20 minutes then complete 3 sets of the following: In gear that you can spin up (but not spin out) do 5x – 15 second all-out sprints. Spin easy one minute between sprints, 5 minutes between sets. Cool down 20 minutes.

Friday – 60 min “cross starts”

Using your indoor trainer, warm up 20 minutes then complete 5 sets of the following: Shift to a moderate gear and stop pedaling, waiting for your trainer to spin down. Practice a sprint start (make sure there is enough resistance on your trainer tire) and shift through the gears until 60 seconds. Rest 3 minutes between starts. Cool down 20 minutes.

Saturday – 60 min singletrack, run-up and/or barrier practice (outdoor)

OK, so getting out and “doing” cyclocross is a good thing too. Spend an hour carving singletrack, managing surface transitions, dismounting/mounting, running barriers and hauling your bike up hills. Even with the great fitness you've cultivated indoors, you'll need these skills to master cyclocross racing.

Sunday – RACE or 2 hour endurance ride (outdoor or indoor)

Week 4 (recovery)

Remove Tuesday AM, Thursday PM and Friday workouts along with reducing the intensity of the Wednesday session, whether it is indoor or outdoor.

Several top cyclocross stars report using indoor training as the major thrust of their training once the weather turns gnarly. There is no reason you can achieve the same benefits by getting in quality training no matter what Mother Nature throws at you.

Predictable. Quantifiable. Intense. Just what training should be.