Thank you to all who participated in the practice race at Eagle Mountain on Saturday morning. Riders from every ride group displayed great efforts out on the trail. As coaches, we were very impressed. We’ve made a few tentative changes to the ride groups but have not finished making adjustments yet.
Because many of the riders made such big efforts on Saturday, today’s ride will be a fun recovery ride. Choose trails that allow the riders in your group to cruise along without any heavy work. Ask the riders who rode on Saturday about lessons they learned and encourage those riders to share their thoughts with the group.
Before the ride, remember to emphasize the critical importance of a solid warm-up and make sure the riders understand both why we warm-up and one proper method of warming up. Always warm-up and always be talking about the importance of warming up. Let the riders know that some racers spend as much time warming up on race day as they spend racing.
While riding today, reinforce and practice the following:
- passing skills – reiterate with the riders that it is okay to pass and to be passed; the important things are good communication and always giving their individual best efforts; and
- hydration while riding – carrying water while riding and drinking that water regularly during the ride are two different things; for riders with water bottles, make sure they are practicing pulling those bottles out regularly, taking a sip, and returning the bottle to the cage while pedaling; for those with hydration packs, remind them to sip frequently.