Bytager the publication "Possible resumption of bike rides from May 11: what if it was time to cut back?"
Bytager the publication “Possible resumption of bike rides from May 11: what if it was time to cut back?”
As paradoxical as it may seem, and as the gradual end of confinement looms, Maybe it's time to take a little break from training. Explanations.
By Guillaume Judas – Photo: Pxhere.com
Yes, you are not dreaming.. After having advised you on home trainer sessions as a palliative to the lack of training at the start of this current very special period, after having praised the merits home workouts to stay in shape or even to improve certain weak points, but also after having alerted you to the precautions to take regarding the intensity of the sessions during this pandemic period, We will discuss the idea of taking a break from training just before this famous date of May 11, the day when we should be able to ride again on the route.
There are several reasons for this, starting with the mental and physical energy required to string together home trainer sessions., especially among those – many, as we know! – who have not been able to be reasonable. At first, the Zwift sessions, the meetups with several people, virtual competitions or Workouts (with the aim of develop FTP or PMA) have motivated you. But maintaining your condition or trying to improve it when you have no visibility on a probable resumption date or on a calendar of events or competitions quickly becomes demoralizing. Especially since the energy left in the dining room or in the garage is not inexhaustible. Indoor practice conditions are never the same as outdoors, particularly in terms of sweating. Excessive efforts in a confined environment cause dehydration, loss of mineral salts and consequently high cardiac demands which are not without risk, at least as far as accumulated fatigue is concerned.
The same goes for those who have managed to ride a little outside., either by respecting government instructions (1 hour maximum within a radius of 1 km from home), or by defying the prohibitions. But in any case, we can neither speak of truly profitable training, nor of the well-being and escape that we all seek by practicing an endurance sport outdoors.
The hardest part is yet to come
However, beyond this famous date of May 11, which should mark a certain form of liberation for all athletes in cages, you should not imagine that on the one hand you will necessarily benefit immediately from these two months of indoor work, and on the other hand that this is the end of your difficulties. Since this gradual deconfinement requires individual practice, you will have to be doubly strong: first to agree to go out riding alone when you see cycling as a social interest (see, chatting with friends on the bike, doing sprints at the signs or racing each other on the bumps, it's not for right away...), and on the other hand because it will be necessary (re)learn to ride in the wind, without shelter and without relays. No more 35-percent average rides in the imaginary world of Zwift!
Urban artist It is still far too early to have any visibility on the rest of the calendar.. Competitors have no date for a resumption, except for the one – still provisional – for the Tour de France, from August 29. But until then, the authorities have banned all sporting events before mid-summer, and especially those that could bring together more than 5000 people. All this while waiting for the evolution of the pandemic, of course. Many events have been canceled or postponed to unknown dates, which leaves us in suspense as to the possible resumption of classic competitions, whether we are talking about cycling or triathlon. And in the case of a late resumption, the FFC has raised the idea of a calendar that could focus on the last months of the year, with competitions on route until November.
Other uncertainties weigh on amateur athletes, and especially those who plan to spend their holidays climbing passes in the Alps or the Pyrenees. The travel restrictions currently in place for the end of confinement prohibit long journeys.
So what's the point? Resuming on May 11th with a possible resumption of normal activity in August, it's a bit like being at the beginning of December to prepare for a new season. This time with the absence of temptation to abuse counterproductive sessions like certain group sessions.
The work done this winter and during this period of confinement is not lost.. But if the sports season is to extend until the end of autumn, if you are thinking of taking advantage of the Indian summer to escape to courses usually accessible in summer, you will need desire and energy. A short break of a few days now, just before the resumption of a good land base on the route from May 11, is far from superfluous. Take the pressure off and get ready to experience a season that is bound to be exceptional given the very special situation we are experiencing.
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Bytager the publication “Possible resumption of bike rides from May 11: what if it was time to cut back?”
