Road and 'cross: the perils of two seasons
By Rene and Kendra Wenzel, Wenzel Coaching  © 2000
Originally published in www.bike.com
Reprinted by permission of authors
 

Introduction	Anyone who has raced cyclocross knows it's a very demanding sport, and comes at a time that most (non-'cross) riders take as a break from competition. Coaches are starting to take a hard look at the impact of a tough 'cross season on the athlete's summer performance--for example Joe Friel (article here).  Friel basically says you can do both 'cross and a summer season of road or MTB, but not a full season of both. Now, coaches Rene and Kendra Wenzel of Wenzel Coaching take that a step further: maybe you can't do both at all, at least not well. In fact, they suggest that some top-level 'crossers in the US may be harming their own performances by doing both.  Read on.  --Dave Carr
Is it possible to do both? by Rene and Kendra Wenzel	From a coaching point of view, the increasing strength and professionalism of the cyclo-cross season establishes a new problem--but it is one of luxury, however. The problem [for the athlete] is which season to choose, the summer or the winter. For a serious, goal-oriented road racer or mountain biker it is nearly impossible to go all out for both the main season and the fall 'cross season and still achieve maximum results in the main season.   The upside for an ambitious "crosser" is, of course, that he or she has the summer "off" and can enjoy sunshine and family gatherings a little more, while picking and choosing from the summer racing offerings to put in a few race miles before the 'cross season.   The road and MTB racers have winter off: Hmmm. "Might as well train…"  So, is it possible to do both? Everything is possible, but everything also has a price attached to it. On the pro and elite level of road racing, for instance, the racing is so hard and intense (yup, even in America), and with so many race and travel days, that the athletes simply need a good, long rest.  The cyclo-cross season usually gets going during this necessary rest. By the time a road racer gets back into training he or she will be so far behind fitness-wise that it is almost destructive to attempt a 'cross race unless a rider has the character to race his or her own race "just for fun." For all the categories of racers alongside the pros, anyone who treats their racing as a fulltime hobby will run into this dilemma.
The woes of Mark and Bart	So how do riders such as Bart Bowen and Frank and Mark McCormack get away with performing year after year in both disciplines? Well, in our opinion they don't.  We know they will hate us for saying it, but it is our firm belief that their overall road racing results have slowly, but surely gone downhill since the SuperCup came along and made 'cross a demanding season. The only reason they get away with performing relatively well in both is that they haven't been pressed super hard yet in the cyclo-cross department, and to a certain extent they have been in charge of the tempo in the 'cross events.  That's probably coming to an end, however, as more and more talented athletes turn to 'cross.  We saw stirrings of this last year where Marc Gullickson, Steve Larsen, Tim Johnson and a few more were able to push this trio and sometimes beat them.  When the number of talented 'cross riders starts to rise, riders like the McCormacks and Bowen will have to make a serious choice between fulltime road or 'cross racing.  So why do cyclo-cross if it's going to hurt your next road or MTB season? Well, why not? If you like cyclo-cross and feel it's what you excel at, go for it and arrange your training around that fact. Most cyclo-crossers race the road or MTB some, so you won't lose out on those scenes completely. But with the increasing strength of all the regional series and with the SuperCup series hopefully here to stay, it is time to take cyclo-cross seriously. You might just have to suffer through a summer at a beach somewhere or at a mountain resort doing casual mountain bike rides and hikes with your family and friends.

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