The physical benefits of cyclocross, for top form

Cyclocross has countless benefits for an athlete's physical fitness. Beyond these, there are the mental and psychological benefits that a fun and challenging sport like this offers to professionals and enthusiasts alike.

But what is cyclocross good for, and how can you best train for it? Here—in brief— is everything you need to know to transform this sport into a lifestyle that's good for your mind, heart, lungs, and muscles.

Training and cyclocross: an old story

Not everyone knows that cyclocross was born as a form of off-season winter training for road cyclists, around 1900.
During the colder months, cyclists would take to the woods, fields, and meadows for a break from competition and training. This type of terrain forced them to pedal quickly and powerfully, perfect for building explosive muscles and arriving in tip-top shape for the summer road season.

Not only that, but since some sections were unrideable, they often had to dismount and carry their bikes—a gesture that today distinguishes cyclocross from all other cycling competitions.
This type of training is still very valid: it is not uncommon for cyclo-cross riders (even those in elite races) to practice this discipline only in the winter , dedicating themselves to road cycling or mountain biking during the warmer seasons.

The benefits on the body

Cyclocross has significant benefits for the athlete's physique in terms of cardiovascular training, muscular power and endurance.
Here are the main advantages of practicing cyclocross:

1. Improves heart capacity
   Cyclocross courses involve rapid gear changes and bursts of speed, which force the body to exert varying amounts of effort. The heart rate accompanies these changes, also varying the frequency of contractions and then slowing down once at rest. In healthy, trained individuals, cyclocross is an important cardio workout that improves the heart's pumping ability, or the heart muscle's ability to supply blood to all tissues, especially the muscles heavily involved in athletic activity.

2. Increases lung capacity and ability to consume oxygen (Vo2MAX)
   Endurance activities like cyclocross improve the lungs' ability to exchange oxygen for CO2 to nourish tissues. Specifically, it increases a value known as VO2MAX: this is the maximum capacity to consume oxygen during exercise, expressed in milliliters per minute . Since oxygen is essential during physical activity to nourish working muscle tissue, a high VO2MAX indicates good cardiovascular fitness on the part of the athlete;
   

3. Raise your anaerobic threshold for stronger, more resistant muscles.
   A third physical benefit of cyclocross is that it raises the anaerobic (or lactic) threshold, making the muscles stronger and more resistant during intense and prolonged physical effort.
   The anaerobic threshold is a value that varies from individual to individual and represents a dividing line between aerobic physical activity (in which the athlete works with well-oxygenated tissues) and anaerobic physical activity (in which oxygen consumption is very high).

The anaerobic threshold shifts through training. For example, in untrained individuals, the anaerobic threshold corresponds to approximately 50-55% of the oxygen consumption per minute (VO2MAX); trained athletes, however, must consume 85% of the oxygen available to their muscles to exceed the anaerobic threshold.

Beyond the threshold, physical activity is said to be intense, and the muscles consume some nutrients present in the blood, producing a waste product called lactic acid. The buildup of lactic acid in the muscles causes pain and cramps, forcing athletes to stop and rest.

How to train for cyclocross

We've seen, then, that training for cyclocross can be a real panacea for the most important physical performances required during intense physical activity. But how do you train for cyclocross?

First of all, it's impossible to start from scratch. Before starting specific endurance and technique training, it's important to follow an athletic preparation program and lay the foundations for all this physical effort.

Cyclocross is a very tough sport, requiring intense and consistent training, up to 4 or 5 days a week. No untrained person can improvise a cyclocross race without running health risks.

The ideal solution would be to rely on an athletic trainer or a personal trainer, to establish a training program for cyclocross according to 2 steps:

1. Basic physical preparation;
2. Cardio and muscle strengthening.

The third step is technical preparation, with training on the road or on cyclocross tracks.

What should not be missing from your cyclocross training schedule?

If we had to say what should never be missing from your cyclocross training schedule, we would say:

1. Endurance training , with short pedal strokes and high gears to simulate the type of "fatigue" the muscles experience during a race. In this case, you can alternate between high-intensity work with rest periods or pyramid repetitions, in which the pedaling resistance is inversely proportional to the time required for each repetition. This type of training positively impacts the anaerobic threshold;
2. Aerobic and cardio training , including cross-training options that include swimming, running, or cycling. This type of training teaches the body to consume more oxygen, increasing VO2 MAX. Cardio training regulates heart rate and optimizes recovery times and pace;
3. Technical training on the road or on trails , to learn how to best handle the bike on muddy and steep terrain. This technical training improves factors such as the athlete's agility and responsiveness during the race.

Cyclocross: where to train

As you may have realized, cyclocross training isn't limited to bike parks or dedicated tracks. Cyclocross riders also train in gyms, swimming pools, and on the streets, using weights, stationary bikes, and swimming and running . They also do long, cool-down rides, preferably after each training session.

For technical training, there are dedicated cyclocross tracks. These are circuits built specifically to simulate race terrain, or bike parks shared with mountain bikers and road cyclists. There are several of these scattered across Italy.
Some athletes, however, use country roads or natural paths suitable for practicing cyclocross.

Now that you know all the physical benefits cyclocross can bring you, all you have to do is experience how good it can be mentally too, to have fun and give your best.

What's behind a cyclocross wheel and what should you know to choose the best wheel for your needs?
Find out in this interview with Andrea Zen, Ursus engineer