Cycling and Endurance Sport Training Information - Dealing With The Weather
By Hunter Allen
Unfortunately, we have to race in bad weather. Preparing for it can make all the difference in the world! Here are some tips to make sure you are ready!
Road Races
Doesn’t usually affect strategy too much, but just makes it important to have on enough clothes for warmth. Make sure to have a clear rain jacket also. Carry extra food , as your body will need more carbos to stay warm.
Criteriums
Affects strategy greatly- Makes the start even more important than normal and also you must find the fine line through all of the turns. Make sure to get a good warm-up in a parking deck or on the trainer underneath an awning.
Some people are better on rain soaked courses than others. The main thing you can do to get better is to ride your bike in the rain and practice turns!
Time Trials
Doesn’t affect strategy much , unless it is a curvy course, and then it is important to be conservative on the turns.
Road Races
Can affect strategy greatly. If there is a large crosswind, then be ready for it and stay near the front, so you don’t get caught in the back half of the split. A couple of teammates willing to work hard can make life hell for the rest of the pack. If they ride on the side of the road and rotate as hard as they can , so no one can get a draft they can literally destroy a field of riders. If it is a head wind, don’t try to ride solo off the front ! It is too hard and energy sapping. However, if in a tailwind, sometimes a small groups of riders can ride faster than the field, because they have a greater benefit of the tailwind.
Criteriums
Usually isn’t a huge factor, unless the course is very open. Then it can also split a field into pieces. This makes the start crucial again and also your positioning throughout the race. Remember if the finishing straight has a headwind, and a short distance to the finish line, many times it is better to lead out the sprint. That way when someone tries to come around you, they will have to do it very quickly or not at all. If the finish line is in a tailwind, then a long sprint usually takes place and the rider with the first "jump" usually wins. The tailwind finish tends to equalize riders sprints and favors no one, therefore the rider who jumps first and can maintain it, will usually win.
Time trials
Affects a race greatly- Make sure if it is a headwind on the way out, go pretty hard, because you will have a tailwind to help you on the way back. If it is a tailwind on the way out, then be careful to save some energy for the ride back in! If a crosswind, then make sure to be careful of handling especially if you have disc wheels.
Temperature
Hot
Drink a lot more water and/or sports drink beforehand and during the race. The hotter the race, the more everyone suffers. If you think that you are feeling bad, that means that most everyone else is feeling that way too. Drink tons of fluids!
Cold
Wear plenty of clothing (you can always take it off) and make sure to have some extra food. Your body uses more energy in cold weather and it needs more carbos to keep the furnace going. A big factor is making sure you are not too hot nor cold. A good way to judge this is that is you are a "tad" bit cold in the first ten minutes of your ride, then you are dressed properly (providing the weather doesn’t change).
By Hunter Allen
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