Most important – have a race plan but also have a plan B and a plan C.
by Alison Powers, ALP Cycles Coaching
Wednesday morning was our monthly coach/athlete ride. We call these monthly rides the ‘ALP Rides’. Each ride has a specific focus and goal for the workout. This month the focus was on team tactics and team racing.
Alison brought several of her jersey’s she’s won over the years and teams were divided up- yellow team, green team, red team, and an ALP Cycles team. Each team came up with their own race tactic for the section of road that was our ‘race’. We did 4 races in duration from 3-4.5miles. After each of the race segments, the teams got back to together and talked about what went well and what do to better for the next race.
Some of the tips and tactics that were learned
– Be aware. You must be aware of your own racing (positioning, effort, etc), but you must also be aware of what’s going on around you. Where are your teammates, what are the other teams’ tactics, who’s riding in the wind, who’s doing what, etc. The more aware of the race situation and whole picture you are, the better of a bike racer you can be.
– Start to become aware of what you are doing and how it’s effecting your team and your teams’ potential outcome of the race.
– Look at the course and start to learn where the race will happen- hills, corners, wind, etc. Have a race plan in place that takes all of this into account.
– Have a finish plan. It’s one thing to have a race plan with your team, it’s another to take that race plan all the way to the finish. The more specific the plan is, the better.
– Most important – have a race plan, but also have a plan B and a plan C. Races don’t always go according to plan so you must have an open mind and be able to switch plans on the fly as needed
Looking over our ALP Athlete’s ride files from the day, proves that this ride was very race specific. For the 4 races, we had IF’s of .90-.10. It was full gas. Plus, half of the racing was in the rain, so that extra stimulus added was a big bonus that is hard to get on our own.
Yellow team proved hard to beat with 3 of the 4 wins. Green team was quite strong as they had two in the winning move each race, but they didn’t quite know how to put it together as a team to beat the individuals. It was a great learning experience and tons of fun.
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ABOUT ALISON POWERS
Alison Powers only recently retired from cycling, finishing her final season on the UnitedHealthcare Women’s Team. Her career has spanned a wide array of wins, including the 2013 USA Cycling Professional Criterium National Championship where she won in memorable fashion by soloing after an early breakaway that obliterated the pro women’s peloton. Other standout results during the 33-year-old’s 2013 season include the win at Redlands Bicycle Classic, second at the Tour of Elk Grove, third at the US National Road Championship and the US National Time Trial Championship, and stage wins at Cascade Classic, Tulsa Tough, Tour of the Gila and Redlands Bicycle Classic. Hailing from Fraser, Colorado, Powers has been racing bikes professionally for eight years and is a true athlete with her career beginning as a teenager in mountain bike racing. In her mid 20s, she added in alpine ski racing before switching over to the road. In addition to being the current Criterium National Champion, Powers has two other national championships (Time Trial, Team Pursuit) and 2 NRC titles (2009, 2013).
About ALP Cycles Coaching
ALP Cycles Coaching is located in the mountains of Colorado, and is a cycling coaching company with over 25 years of professional sports experience. ALP Cycles Coaching is unique in that we have 4 coaches, Alison Powers, Jennifer Triplett, and Patricia Schwager who each brings her own coaching strengths and personal experiences. We work together to create a training plan that works for each and every person. Visit them online at http://alpcyclescoaching.com
