We’ve been getting a ton of great feedback on the new mountain bike training plans. Like I talked about in an earlier post, these plans are designed to help riders develop the unique fitness characteristics that are necessary to excel on the trail. While the typical cross country, enduro, or XTERRA athlete will be able to pick a plan and run with it, some off road events out there may require some modifications and workout supplementation in order to prepare adequately.
100 Milers
When somebody asks me which training plan is the best fit for a 100 mile mountain bike race, the first thing I ask is “what race is it?”. An event like Leadville where the racing takes place entirely on dirt roads, the high intensity and unique power fluctuations that you’ll find in the mountain bike plans are not necessary. A Century Build or even a variation of the 40k TT with some added volume would be a much better fit.
For ultra endurance events that take place mostly on trails, the new mountain bike plans are where you need to start. Follow an Advanced High Volume plan and supplement it with 40k TT or Advanced Century workouts on the prescribed “hard days” in order to really bulk up the volume, while still honoring the rest and active recovery days. Getting 1-2 “double days” in per week at 2.5-4 hours will do incredible things for your aerobic engine. While following the structure and high-intensity workouts in the mountain bike plan will prepare your heart, lungs, and mind for the technicality of riding trails.
Downhill
That’s right, fitness is now just as important in downhill racing as it is in any other discipline. The fact is, all top downhill athletes are fit. With how far bikes have progressed and how talented so many downhill riders are, it is often a riders sprint power out of each corner and ability to maintain their charge when their heart rate is through the roof that determines the winner.
For downhill racers, I recommend following the mountain bike plan that they have enough time throughout the week to stick with, and supplement with Super Time Crunched workouts. Most gravity riders don’t want to spend a lot of time on the trainer, and rightfully so. So swap out the longer, more aerobic workouts in the mountain bike plan you choose with these Super Time Crunched workouts, while still honoring the rest and active recovery days. This combination is a recipe for short term explosive power – exactly what you need for that lung-bursting, 10-minute sprint to the bottom of the mountain.
Are you preparing for some off road events this season? If so, which ones? And how are you preparing?
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Being a mountainbiker, your new plans are more than welcome. For me the big question is not whether your plans work or not – they surely do, but it’s more how to implement the plans into the needed outdoor training.
I really love being by my Tacx mainly because I know it’s so darn effective, but I also realize, that sticking to the Tacx only will make me like handicapped to races, as my technical skills will drop big time.
I will most probably tackle this issue by making 2-3 test runs outside in stoneparks and equal and have a look at the heartrate (don’t have power tools on the MTB) to investigate which zones I am normally in when riding really technical. And then take 2 of the weekly indoor rides with estimated same intensity and make them outside instead.
Other suggestions are more than welcome 🙂
Hey Bo,
You make a great point here. For me, I like to do the majority of my fitness work under the structure and focus of TrainerRoad, while dedicating a few days each week to just building technical skills. Depending on how much time you have during the week and how accessible trails are, getting a good workout in on TR and then following it up with a quick spin around some local trails is great for keeping you sharp on the dirt.
Hi Trevor, thanks for hitting the 100 miler MTB topic. I’m training for Marji Gesick 100 in Michigan. An ultra endurance single track race with over 11,000ft of climbing. I finished it last year but it took me over 17hrs so I’d really like to shave off some hours. I started with a Sweet Spot base, although I think I should have went with traditional base. I’m about to start the Sustained Power Build phase. Could you explain what you mean when say follow an Advanced High Volume Plan and supplement it with 40k TT or Advanced Century ride? In my case during the Speciality Phase would I replace the weekly long Cross-Country Marathon ride with a random 40k TT or Advance Century ride? One other question, I am going to attempt High Volume going forward. I travel for work so I am only home 4 days a week. Would doing 1-2 double days to get all the workouts in be a good idea or would it be best to switch to a lower volume in order to get adequate rest? Thank you!!