The Fastest Riders Waste the Least Energy

Most riders don’t fade because they “lack endurance.” They fade because they spend their limited anaerobic matches like they’re unlimited—then act surprised when the second half of the race feels like riding through wet cement.

Key Takeaways

• Your “rest” in intervals is training, not a coffee break. If the session calls for tempo between hard surges, hold it.
• The goal is smaller spikes, not bigger hero efforts. Smoother power = more speed late.
• You can’t peak for eight straight weeks. Pick a peak window, then protect recovery like it’s a workout.
• If you race this week, that race replaces a hard workout. Otherwise you’re stacking intensity until you snap.
• Warm-ups shouldn’t feel like work. If you finish one feeling cooked, you overdid it.

Why Riders Blow Up (Even When “Fit Enough”)

Watch the pattern in almost every Cat-level cross or short XC file: the first half is a jagged skyline—huge surges, deep troughs. The back half looks “smooth,” but only because the rider has lost the ability to surge.

That’s not endurance magically disappearing. That’s anaerobic capacity being spent early.

Think of it like 30/30s done wrong: anyone can smash the first few reps. The workout gets real when the “easy” 30 seconds has a target and you’re still expected to go again.

Racing is the same. You don’t get to coast just because you went hard. You go hard, then you settle into a “still working” power, then you go hard again.

The Fix: Reduce Amplitude, Not Ambition ⚡️

Start by changing one thing: cap your spikes.

On punchy climbs, corner exits, barrier runs—aim for threshold to VO2, not “match-flame mode.” You’ll feel like you’re being conservative. You’re not. You’re buying the ability to repeat.

Practical rules that actually work:

• Every surge has a cost. Spend it when it changes your position, not when it strokes your ego.
• If you’re racing on Saturday, don’t do two hard interval days midweek. The race is already your hard day.
• Build fatigue resistance with long tempo/sweet spot blocks. Not because it’s sexy—because it teaches your body to keep producing power without constant relief.
• Fuel like it’s your job (even if it isn’t). Long events demand gut training as much as leg training.

Peaking Without Burning Out

A lot of athletes try to “hold peak form” for months. That’s not how humans work.

A more realistic approach:

1. Pick your real peak inside the final 2–3 weeks of your key block.
2. After a true peak effort, schedule a downshift week. Not “sort of easy.” Actually easier.
3. Expect non-peak races to be training with numbers on it. Still valuable, just not your absolute best.

Your body adapts during recovery. Training is the stimulus. Rest is the upgrade.

Warm-Up: Prime, Don’t Cook

A warm-up is supposed to switch systems on: circulation, muscle recruitment, and a little neural “wake up.”

Keep it simple:

• 20–25 minutes mostly easy
• A few short spin-ups
• A brief touch of controlled hard (not a test)

If you finish the warm-up thinking, “That was hard,” you just stole from your race.

Why It Matters (for busy dads + data-driven riders)

• Less time wasted: Smoother pacing delivers better late-race speed without adding hours.
• More consistency: Replacing a hard workout with a race prevents the “every day is hard” trap.
• Better adaptation: Recovery stops being optional and starts being part of the plan.
• Fewer blow-ups: You keep the ability to surge when it actually counts.