One of the appealing aspects of cyclocross is that it is completely different from road racing. The racing is different, the training is different, the brakes & tires are different and the vibe is different. So I'm surprised to be doing a cyclocross workout to prepare for the road season.
Sandpits are a staple of cyclocross courses. After being terrorized by one with a dog leg turn, I started brainstorming ways to ride sand better. I searched for volley ball courts, schemed to get onto golf courses and pondered the damage that salt water would inflict on my bike. It took me a couple weeks to realize that I had been riding by the answer on a regular basis. Local ponds (as in a twenty minute warm up ride away) have beautiful, fresh water beaches that are completely open and deserted in the fall.
So off to the beach to mystify dog walkers with my antics. I figured out how to shift my weight and manage turns while staying upright and moving. At times it felt like stick racing, apparently better known as bat spin racing. And it didn't take long to figure out that it's incredibly exhausting. Even after you are able to relax the death grip, it just sucks the energy out of the lower back and hips.
I'm a big proponent of periodization. In the early spring, I mostly do low cadence / high torque workouts. This involves a lot of one-legged pedaling or tension intervals, and it gets kind of boring. Riding sand works very similar muscle groups as my spring workouts, only a lot faster and it's a nice change. I skip the turns and just try to make it all the way across the beach. Once I start falling, I recover on the trails the lead to the next beach. Here's what it looks like. By the way, the playground segment has nothing to do with periodization or road racing. I was just having some fun after I couldn't get across the beach anymore.
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