Canadian cyclocross star Maghalie Rochette is having a great start to her season, with six wins in the USCX series, and a solid fourth at the first UCI World Cup of the year in Waterloo. Her 2022 season was not ideal after sickness and fatigue took a toll on her fitness. But in 2023, she seems to be ready to go and take on the world’s best.
Cyclocross racing is a short and intense event, so that means you need to be fired up and ready to go from the first second. Rochette prefers to do her warm-ups on her Feedback Sports Omnium Trainer Overdrive.
There was a time when she would warm up on the road, but that’s no longer the case. “In the past, when it was hot I would go on the road to do my warm up,” she says. “While I like the idea of going on the road, it’s not always ideal around each race venue, and it adds a stress factor that something might happen while out on the road.”
Her typical warm-up consists of :
10 minutes easy
5 minutes build up to race pace
2 minutes easy
3 x 20 seconds on/20 seconds off
2 minutes easy
Finally, she will do two starts.
If it’s warmer out, she will modify her pre-race routine. The Sainte-Adèle rider will wear an ice vest when she’s on the trainer, and have a bottle of cold water or ice to splash on herself to keep her temperature down. As far as the warm-up, she will also change it slightly. That means a shorter build-up–2.5 minutes, with less rest in between, 1 minute and then she will do 3 x 20 seconds on and off versus 30.
“That way, my legs get warmed up and activated, but I don’t get my core temperature as high,” she explains.
So if you’re looking for a good way to get ready for your next ‘cross race, why not try the workout from one of the best female ‘cross riders in the world?
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