In training, whether for soccer, cycling, or skiing, we tend to reproduce and, in some cases, exaggerate the technical-athletic gesture we're called upon to perform. Among the cycling disciplines, cyclocross is perhaps the one that most closely adheres to this rule. Those training for a Sanremo will perhaps do 300 kilometers once or twice, but those aiming for cross-country will not only often do that hour at full speed, but in between will also tend to faithfully reproduce the famous power peaks which he will have to express.
Starting from a file Strava di Lorenzo Masciarelli, with the help of Michele Bartoli (now a trainer) we tried to understand not so much how a cross-country skier trains, but what happens when he hits the ground running. And Lorenzo, though young at 17, has plenty of experience with cross-country skiing. Son of Simone (the eldest of three brothers) and nephew of Palmiro, a couple of years ago he moved to Belgium, precisely to dedicate himself body and soul to cyclocross.
The maximum peaks
The file shows that Lorenzo did an initial half-hour warm-up and then started to get serious around the 14-kilometer mark. The first part of the workout was particularly intense. There are 15 peaks, lasting 10″-15″ in which Masciarelli even reaches over 1.300 watts. A typical intermittent workout. The power curve then tends to stabilize. Finally, another half hour of relaxed training follows.
«At first glance – says Bartoli – It seems more like a training session for road riders, almost like a sprinter who needs to build dynamic strength. In cross-country, you don't replicate the actual effort of running, but you work on the quality you need most—your maximums. So, variations and lactic acid work, as Masciarelli did. You have to learn to live with lactic acid.
«Of course, sometimes you also have to consider distance, which is always useful, especially if the cross-country rider is also a road rider. It's the basis of preparation. Maximal and specific workouts are also good for the road, and once you've done two a week, they're enough."
Like in a time trial
«Cyclocross – continues Bartoli – is almost like a time trial, today more than yesterday. In fact, once upon a time, if the routes were fast, walking sections were inserted precisely to slow them down, but today if they are fast... so much the better. As a result, training becomes even more similar to road cycling. An hour of maximal effort or near-maximum effort, which is precisely what happens in a time trial.
"During those accelerations, Masciarelli was at his maximum for 15 seconds with long recovery periods (over a minute, ed.). He was therefore looking for performance and wasn't simulating the race. In my opinion, ideal training for simulation is to do 10-15 minute periods where you push hard, relaunch, and start from a standstill..."
The importance of recovery
In interval training, which is perhaps the quintessential workout for cross-country, recovery time between intense phases is crucial. If you need to get used to lactic acid, this should be shorter than the duration of the intense phase; if you're aiming for performance, recovery time should be longer.
"A sprinter," explains the Tuscan, "who tries to do a great sprint in training must be as fresh as possible or do so with a small dose of lactic acid to reproduce what happens in the final stages of a race. But in the famous 40″-20″, in those twenty seconds the body gets used to recovering from lactic acid in a short time. And this happens often in cross.
«I tell my guys at the Academy, you always have to manage yourself, even in a discipline that requires you to do it all out like cyclocross. In the first 15 minutes of the race you should be a little below your own values, which is basically what you do in a time trial. If you're racing against the clock at 400 watts, it's better to stick to 380 watts rather than 410 in the early stages. Otherwise, you'll create a high energy expenditure that will pay for itself in the final stages. If you start at 380 watts, you might end up at 420-430, but if you start at 410, you'll end up at 360. In the early stages, you'll always burn more. The same goes for cross-country racing; sure, if you have to keep a small group together on a fast course, you'll stick with it, but you have to manage your energy within your means.
Road and cross, same watts
We were saying: two specific workouts a week, high intensity. This formula works for both road and cross-country.
«The 1.300 watts of Masciarelli or the 1.500 of Van der Poel They are the same ones that they touch on the road, only that in cross they are forced to do them 20 times and on the road once or twice. This is why certain cross-country skills are also good on the road, this is why Van Aert and Van der Poel often do a lot of road attacks and that's why I decided to create the Academy. I really believe in this: they are useful for training the athlete.
«You do the 40″-20″ in training and try to perform them as best you can, but you have no emotional involvement. Follow your values, in cross you do them naturally, but with the stimulus of the opponent."
