After a season with almost no racing, many of us are more motivated than ever to get back to racing, or at least our normal riding routine. If you’re getting ready to set your goals for the new year, take a second to make sure you’re setting yourself up for success.
Most of us didn’t toe a start line once in 2020. Those who did race certainly had a very limited schedule, with just a handful of small races capable of putting on events due to local, state, and federal guidelines designed to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Even in locations that could host races, many organizers chose to cancel under the selfless thought-process of being a part of the solution, not contributing to the problem.
If it was a year off from racing, then it’s a big comeback to competition for us in 2021. It’s easy to look ahead and bite off more than you can chew, but taking a second to set smart, challenging, achievable goals can set you up to succeed and keep you motivated if things don’t go to plan.
Race Yourself. We’ve all got a rider or two we always tend to tangle with. They’re our rival, our nemesis and, quite often, they’re one of our best friends. It might be easy to set a season goal of beating that rider who always seems to have your number, but remember, there are too many variables to base your performance on someone else. Heading into a new season, your training may be way ahead or way behind your own normal fitness, and your buddy could be in the same boat. Focusing on one other rider in the race can also give you tunnel vision, which could actually hold you back from chasing the race and maybe even faring much better than you ever thought!
Race Your Numbers...Training with metrics can help quantify your hard work and give you a better idea of what you’re capable with. Not only will training with power or heart rate improve the effectiveness of your training by ensuring you spend the right amount of time in the right zones, it can also give you targets to hit in-race, too. While training with power can be expensive, many riders consider it a great investment. Training with heart rate can also provide structure, guidance, and feedback on your work, too, for much less money.
...But Don’t Get Stuck On Them. You are not your FTP. Watts don’t always win bike races. Instead of fixating on power, watts per kilogram, or training load, use your metrics as just another tool to inform your training and assess your fitness. You know your body better than any piece of technology; if you feel tired, rest, and if you feel great, get after it.
Target The Fall. While the vaccine is currently being distributed, it could be June, July, or even August before enough Americans have access to it and we begin to get back to normal. It’s a pretty safe bet that many states will continue to have event restrictions in place this spring, and some locations have already announced they won’t accept permits for in-person events until the fall of 2021. Many events will push as far back in the season as possible, which may make building your fitness this spring slowly and being at full speed for autumn is the best strategy.
Set Goals, Not A Goal. In addition to setting both training and racing goals, make sure even individual races have more than one goal. Base your goal on your previous race times, final finishing position, and those intangible things like how smart you ride tactically, pace your effort, or play the finale. There are just too many variables in course length, weather conditions, and who shows up to base your finish goals on just one thing.
So, what are your 2021 goals? Let us know and we’ll share the best!