We did it! The competition was tough, but the performance was right. Exhaustion, pride and satisfaction spread shortly after the race. The months of training have paid off: the long, cold February rides, the training camp in spring and the test race in May, where the competition was so much faster. In short, everything was perfect - and now? Heavy legs, an empty stomach and - a desire for more. That's how it is for many cyclists in top form with a fresh sense of achievement: they want to maintain the high level they've been toiling for over the last few months for as long as possible, feel the euphoria once again after crossing the finish line, "take in" one more competition. You feel invincible - and keep training hard so as not to lose your form. Recovery? That's for sissies! Cycling coach Georg Ladig (www.2peak.com) is familiar with this behaviour: "After a successful competition, many cyclists are incredibly euphoric. They don't even think about rest and recovery - quite the opposite. They take the competition feeling with them into training and ride an elimination race in the group on every mountain."
But that is exactly the wrong thing to do. Ladig advises those who want to perform optimally at the next competition to do the exact opposite: rest. Despite the ubiquitous incantations of training scientists that recovery should play just as big a role in training planning as exertion, many cyclists see a day without training as a lost day. And thus cut themselves in two. This is because the decisive adaptation processes to a stress stimulus take place during the recovery phase. If this is too short, the performance level inevitably drops. This is even more important after a tough competition, as recovery then takes significantly longer than after hard training due to the greater nervous and hormonal strain. The motto in the first few days after the competition: take the pressure off the pedals. Your head also needs a break to come to terms with the impressions you have gained.
The regenerative processes need time and rest. At the beginning, in the two to three days after the race, you should recover: Feet up, lots of sleep, massage, warm baths. And, very importantly, eat plenty of hydration. This helps the body to break down lactate and replenish depleted proteins (actin and myosin) and glycogen stores in the muscles and liver. Then it's time to actively recover: light exercise supports the body's regeneration process. If you want to cycle, you can do so - but in the compensation zone (maximum 60 per cent of your maximum heart rate) and for no longer than an hour. Other sports also promote regeneration. Swimming - provided you can keep your head above water with a reasonable crawl - is an excellent way to relieve the strain on your back muscles. Leave the bike at home for a few days during the recovery phase and go for a walk or a spin on inline skates instead. The change of scenery will clear your head and encourage you to get back into cycling training and the next competition.
Once the body is sufficiently recovered - a good indicator of this is the resting heart rate measured in the morning, which should be back in the normal range after complete regeneration - you can prepare for the next competition. The same applies here as for the first peak of the season: increase the load slowly and steadily, use recovery days to allow the body to adapt to the required performance. Individual, targeted peaks in exertion will bring the engine up to the speed required in the competition. Training expert Georg Ladig advises that in the time between two competitions, the peak loads should be set sparingly but high and combined with relief at a very low level. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, cycling competitions become shorter in the second half of the season. Shorter competitions are more intense, so you have to train more intensively. Secondly, the basic endurance that you have built up over the year is not lost so quickly, but your anaerobic abilities can certainly be improved in the time between two competitions. And thirdly: most race decisions are made at high anaerobic loads - a dry start on the mountain and it's a matter of winning or losing. So you should also practise these kinds of starts and seconds of maximum effort in training. The motto: dosed, intensive intervals in the peak range (SB) at maximum load. It is important to continue riding calmly after these short bursts. In this way, the body is challenged briefly and hard, but can process these stimuli immediately afterwards.
The immediate race preparation in the week before the next race is structured in a similar way to before the first race. Tapering again plays a key role (see Tapering - eating for form). After a long run in the GA1 range, the glycogen stores in the body are completely depleted. After that, there is hardly any more training and the glycogen reservoirs in the muscles and liver are replenished as completely as possible by the day of the competition through targeted nutrition. The following applies for the next competition: ambition is good, but excessive ambition is out of place - after all, you've already had a tough competition in your legs. If you are not sure what you are capable of, you should choose a shorter race route: it is better to ride 90 kilometres with fun and a good result than to break down on the long 150-kilometre loop.
Conclusion: Take your time between two competitions and don't get nervous. Your mind and body need to recover before you start training again. If you cross the finish line at the second competition just as tired, proud and satisfied as at the first, you have done everything right.
KEEP YOUR SHAPE - THE BEST TIPS
1. less is more: rest, especially in the first two to three days after the competition
2. competition; plenty of sleep, massage and relaxation (passive recovery)
3. followed by active recovery with light exercise; cycling training no longer than one hour in the compensation zone
In preparation for the next competition, three to a maximum of
maximum of four training sessions per week, predominantly in the GA1 range, one or two short peaks of exertion
4. proper tapering in the week immediately before the competition! (see TOUR 7/05)
5. stay relaxed on the day of the competition, do not develop false ambition.
This is how it can work: Training between two races
