BIKES: Trackday Training With Cornerspeed®

Motorcycling Lifestyles

BIKES: Trackday Training With Cornerspeed® - Time And Intensity

By reducing the intensity, you can remain more relaxed for longer periods of time, whether on a bike or motorcycle...

Aaron Stevenson | http://cornerspeed.net | Posted April 16, 2010 Charlotte, NC

Losing the front end is something everyone experiences. Pushing the limit to the point where the tire lets go teaches you what to look for and how to react when you are on your road bike. (Photo: Aaron Stevenson, Cornerspeed)

Greetings from the paddock once again. I hope everyone is getting their season off to a good start by training, eating, sleeping and riding as much as they can-- both types: riding on bicycles and riding on motorcycles.

More than just the fact that both vehicles have two wheels, when it comes to training, there is an amazing correlation between cycling and motorcycling. And as we all know, the top guys racing motorcycles are training on bicycles. Even HOW to train is very much the same. In this article, we will be talking about "Time versus Intensity". Using the aerobic endurance sport of cycling as our backdrop for comparison, we'll talk about these two key ingredients you use to get the most out of your performance on a motorcycle.

There is always a trade off between these two topics. In cycling, we use the human body as our motor so we have to pace ourselves and be reasonable with our effort (Intensity) on any given ride so we don't burn up all the fuel too soon or worse yet "damage the motor", i.e. getting cramps which is much like seizing a piston. If you have a 100-mile ride ahead of you, starting the day at full speed will usually lead to burning out in a very short time. Way too much intensity when there is too much time ahead. And for most folks, a 100-mile ride is about "seat time". Just riding the bike and building base strength. Seat time. "You need more seat time." Sounds like something you've heard before from your motorcycle instructors and coaches? And in this sense, it is very much the same. Seat time is the one sure way to get better at your motorcycling skills. But how does this apply to Intensity? Kenny Roberts Sr. said in an interview many years ago, and I paraphrase: "I can usually ride about 3 laps at 100% effort before I crash". Think about it. A three-time world champion is basically saying, "Hey, I'm human. I make mistakes. I can only go so fast for so long before perfection runs out and something bad happens". This goes back to intensity. All of us need seat time but we also need to dial it down a little so we can ride for a while. If the intensity is too high, you're going to burn out mentally and physically before you get in the time you need to improve in the areas you want to work on. This means that for track days (or race practices), don't try to beat your personal best lap time every session you go out. Scale back on the intensity and work on specific areas of your riding (utilizing "time" as your key ingredient). Perhaps it's transitioning over the bike efficiently on tight sections of a track or working on picking up the throttle sooner in key turns around the track. Whatever you choose to work on, take it one step at a time. This way, you can work on your skills for the entire day and reduce the chances of a big get off due to pushing too hard for too long.

When training with intensity, it's best to practice on small bikes so there is little to no consequence for your mistakes. (Photo: Aaron Stevenson, Cornerspeed)

By reducing the intensity, you can remain more relaxed for longer periods of time. It's the same in cycling with pedals, you back off of the intensity so you can work on different energy systems in your body. If you're always pushing super hard, you're only working your body one-way. Your body will be missing necessary areas of development if you train the same way every time you get on a bicycle. The same goes for your motorcycling. If you're always pushing super hard with your motorcycle riding, then you're going to miss out on some of the nuances and more finesse movements you'll need in some areas of your riding. And these can only be developed if you slow down and figure out where you are making mistakes. Yep, we're still talking about seat time. But you need the intensity too.

When it comes to intensity, you have to pick and choose "where", "when", "how", "how long", "how often", and most importantly "why". This is key. Most everyone that has participated in athletics has found themselves injured from working out too hard, working out too much, holding onto the credo "there's no gain without pain", and if you take all of that and put it into one word, what do you have? Intensity. Or it’s better said as “way too much intensity for too long”. Taking a measured, well thought out approach to your training will allow you to put intensity into your workouts whether on pedals or with your motorcycle.

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