The Caveman’s semi-secret XTERRA tips

• XTERRA is a strong mans race. An endurance event. Don’t let the seemingly short distances fool you. Forget about 400 repeats on the track and all-out sprints on the trainer. Think sustained power evenly delivered over 2.5 hours or more. Getting from A to B as fast as possible is all about even pacing. In this game, a big aerobic engine and a large strength component will take you places. The good news is, both of these components can be built. The bad news is it takes a lot of hard work!

• Its all about The Base: The most important bike workout during base training is a weekly long ride in the mountains. I usually do 3 rides* a week of 3 to 5hrs at 50-75% of max HR. The key is to try and climb as many vertical feet per hour as possible. For me 1400ft per hour is good going. (That includes the down hills and flats) When climbing I focus on a high cadence, (at least 90rpm) smooth power delivery, and keeping a good, relaxed posture.

* Sorry, can’t tell you about the other rides, otherwise it wouldn’t be “The Caveman’s semi-secret XTERRA tips”.

• Running is much the same, two or three months with a weekly long, easy run of about 1h30 and 2 other aerobic runs should set you up with nice base. Again, the braver I feel the more hills I would tackle, mostly keeping my hear rate below 75%. These long, “easy” sessions are key to a long, successful season. Believe me, if you do them consistently and combine it with swimming and cycling, “easy” becomes a relative term!

• Once you have a good base, you may want to whip yourself into shape with some specialized XTERRA training. Note the pun, as this little gem was handed down from Legend to Caveman. Read: Ned Overend to yours truly.
-Find a climb about 10 minutes long. It should be tough, loose and technical. After a good warm up, do the first climb at about 5-10 beats below threshold (AT). Go straight down, hit no2 at race pace (AT), and yes, you guessed it, no3 you grab by the neck and rip its legs off. Oh yes, downhill like you would in a race- you need to get used to seeing the trail through the black spots and shooting stars, and intimately embrace the feeling of starting the next climb with a pair of shocked and jarred legs, filled to the brim with lactic acid.

• As for whipping the running into shape, I believe hill repeats is the best way to build strength and incorporate quality. Actually, this is my coach, Libby’s key workout, which I thought was “crazy” the first few times I did it, but I learnt to love it and now know its probably my most important workout of the week. Its hard to part with this gem…
Warm up and find a nice hill. Dirt or grass is good. Dirt or grass in the shade is best.
Run 6x2minute hills at AT, jog down.
Run 5minutes at AT on the flat
Run 6x1minute hills at AT, jog down
Run 5minutes at AT on the flat
Limp home.
Despite the scant looks of it, this run will be 1h20 or more, so bring our A game.

• Fat burning. Everyone loves this topic, but this technique works for me. I learnt it racing in France in the 90s, somehow forgot about it (!?) and bumped into it again this year. (Hence all the veins) This works best during base phase, only do it once or twice a week, and not when you are feeling fragile. And definitely not before a big race. (or a big day at the office)
Step 1) Skip breakfast
Step 2) Drink a STRONG coffee. Pass on the sugar.
Step 3) Do a long, slow run. Or a long, hard run! (Welcome to drink as much water as you want)
Step 4) Upon completion of run, have some more coffee and try to delay breakfast for a while.
Step 5) Feast!
Expect some serious fatigue later in the day.

What this does is it depletes your body of glucose, which in turn forces you to burn fat more readily. Not only do you lose fat, (duh) but it also teaches your body to use fat as fuel, crucial during longer races. Apparently the feast that follows your run will accelerate your metabolism, which I can’t tell for sure, but it sure feels good!

Important technical skills:
1. Look far ahead. The faster you go, the further ahead you should look.
2. Look where you want to go. Know you are going there, and don’t doubt it for a second. Even just a glimpse at that tree on the side will steer you straight into it!
3. Brake early. Fast riders don’t brake in corners. They brake before the corner, let go of the brakes, just flow through the turn, and exit fast. It’s hard to get your mind around that one, but once you get the feel of it, dragging the brakes through a turn will feel as wrong as going to work in pajamas.
4. Easy does it. A smooth pedal stroke and steady balance is key to climbing the loose stuff. Choose your line before you start the climb, then commit. Move your weight to the nose of the saddle, pick a light gear and turn the pedals with loving care, the rear tire will love you for it and grip nicely.
5. Learn to un-weigh your wheels over obstacles. (And eventually bunny hopping) Example: You’re barreling down Tunnel Creek (XTERRA Tahoe) at close to 40mph. The trail is smooth, fast and straight. BUT, every 300yds there is a big water-bar diagonally across the road. If you just slam into that thing it will send you flying over the bars and into the trees. You have 2 choices: 1) slow down drastically and negotiate it in a civilized manner. Lose bags of time. 2) The right choice: Thrash that thing at max speed, jump right over it, and go win the race. How? Just before you actually hit the water bar, do a well timed bunny hop and fly clean over the hump. This technique applies to any smaller obstacle and is a sure fire way of making heaps of time. Also works well for floating over tire eating rocks at speed, jumping up curbs, finessing over muddy roots, hopping over fallen logs, clearing fallen riders etc. Bunny hopping is easy to learn: “load” the bike by pushing it into the ground and crouching with your body (while standing on the pedals). At just the right moment, release the load by quickly shifting your weight upwards (think “pounce”) and pull up on the bars and pedals. Timing is what its all about, so practice, practice, practice.

A few sayings I’ve accumulated:
– “Hesitation, devastation“. Essentially the same as “5,4,3,2,1!” at bungee jumping.
– “It isn’t a ride till there is blood”. Falling happens often and that’s ok. It is very rare to actually get hurt, usually it’s just a scrape or two and brownie points at the office. Relax. Don’t fear crashing.
– “Speed is your friend” Due to the gyroscopic forces of nature, a slow moving cyclist falls over more easily than a fast moving cyclist. But this saying can be used loosely in many situations. Be it the nonchalant way to explain how you just cleared the 5 foot drop, or maybe someone’s approach to the post race party.

Important mechanical skills:
• You should be able to change a tire with your eyes closed and one hand tied behind your back. Non negotiable.
• You should be able to fix a broken chain. I broke a chain in Milwaukee 2005, fixed it with a Specialized multi tool and a SRAM Golden Link, and still won the race. It wasn’t easy, but a mechanical doesn’t have to mean “game over”.
• You should be able to replace a derailleur hanger. Rear derailleurs get eaten by hungry rear wheels, jumping sticks, and predatory rocks. Its easy replace and shouldn’t take more than 90 seconds.
• You should be able to set your brakes. Rubbing brakes happens from time to time. V brakes rub and disk brakes rub. They are both quick and easy to set. Look and learn.
• You should know what tire pressure you run with which tires on which courses. It sounds complicated and “for the pros”, but the right tire pressure and the right tire choice is probably the most important mechanical aspect of your bike. Get a floor pump with a gauge, and go experimenting.
Some rules of thumb about tires:
– The better your skills, the softer you can run your tires*. And yes, softer is faster 95% of the time. I run 28-30psi (2bar) on most courses. A softer tire grips getter, jumps and jutters less over loose stuff, gives a smoother ride, doesn’t get sidewall cuts as easily, and believe it or not- rolls faster over broken terrain. * If you get lots of pinch flats (by slamming into rocks or sidewalks) your skills are lacking. Either improve your bike handling and trail reading, or put more pressure in your tires.
– For most dry courses a 2 inch wide tire with many short knobs works well. (I like the Specialized Fast Trak LK)The muddier the course, the narrower the tire and taller and fewer the knobs. A narrower tire requires higher pressure to prevent snake bite flats.
– Tubeless is undoubtedly king.
– A new tire grips like crazy. If you cant afford a new set of tires before every big race, have a set of “racing tires” and a set of “training tires”.

• I bank heavily on good suspension. Setting your suspension is not all that easy, so if you’re not a mechanically minded person, have someone set it up for you and don’t fiddle. If you are curious to learn, ask someone about the basics, and go fiddle. You cant break it.
• You should be able to pack and unpack your bike from its travel box. Seems obvious, but I heard some funny stories. Go to your bike shop, (or local pro rider) let them show you how to pack your bike safely, then learn how to do it in the dark with one hand tied behind your back.

I always carry:
– A tube wrapped in thick material (funny things happen in a saddle bag)
– CO2 or a reliable pump. Unless you’re trying to win the race, the latter is always safer.
– A good multi tool. Apart from the obvious Allen keys, it should have a chain breaker
– A Golden Link. Enables you to repair a chain quickly. In theory, anyways.
– A spare derailleur hanger

A calm mind is key to fixing trail side problems quickly. Actually, a calm mind is key to most things, including winning races…

Keep it in the big blade
Conrad