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OFF SEASON INTERVIEW
FEBRUARY 2001 |
City: Hilton Head Island / Northampton
State/Province: South Carolina/ Mass
Country: USA
Team: BikeReg.com/ NCC/ Pedro's
Email: mdenoncourt@hampshire.edu
What do you do for cross training? (not cyclocross, but off the bike exercise)?
Weight training (Dec - April), Nordic skiing (classic and skate), dh skiing, snowboarding, Ice climbing, running, snowshoeing, long romantic walks on the beach. For the most part I'm on the bike full time starting in January. If the weather forces me to stay inside more than a day or two I'll probably end up going skiing. In January and February I usually do "something else" 3 days a week
Do you take time off the bike in the winter?
Not intentionally. I take a two week transition period in November where is just ride my bike for fun, mostly just take out my slalom bike and run into things around campus, and go for epic mtb rides.
How do you avoid weight gain in the winter?
Try as I might, I still can't gain any weight, fast metabolism's run in my family.
What month do you plan on coming into fitness for the 2001 season?
My first race is March 3, but I am using races in March and early April for training. The ambc races in NC and Georgia in late April will be the first races I will be truly competitive for.
What month do you start your pre-season training?
I start doing prep work in November and begin doing base work in December. Through November and December I train Silicon-Free,(no power monitors or HRMs etc...). January 1 things start to get serious and I break out the computers.
How do you deal with riding in the winter conditions (cold, snow, ice, lack of daylight)?
I'm pretty lucky, I spend December and January in South Carolina, so there's very little worry about the weather for me until I get back to Massachusetts in February Then we usually get hit with some real winter weather. I usually have about 2500 miles in my legs since December so I often substitute in a ski workout for a bike workout, I'll do the exact same intensity and duration I'd do on the bike, just on skis. I still ride at least 6 hours a week and train however many hours a particular training week calls for. If it's too wet outside to ride I break that 6 hours up into two 3 hour rides on the rollers(to refine pedaling technique and muscle memory lost from skiing). I also find it's real fun to strap on a headlamp and go for a night ski.
What are your goals for the 2001 season?
I want to win at least 1 ambc race, get a top 10 at a National and Podium at the Killington stage race
Is the "pro mountain bike racer" lifestyle as much fun as you thought it would be?
That's a hard question for me to answer, I've never really done anything else. I can't imagine a life more fulfilling than being a bike racer though. The rewards you reap from your "work" are so visible. The fun part of being a bike racer is riding your bike. The un-fun part about being a bike racer is also riding your bike. We had 2 feet of fresh powder fall a couple of days ago. I wanted to go outside and play with some snow toys but I kept thinking to myself "Gainesville is only 3 weeks away, ride your bike". -Mickey