05/16/2023  Written by: Madeline Depman

Hi Birkie Friends!

Looking forward to this Northwoods race in about a month. Hopefully, these tips will help you feel more prepared.

Skills Days!

I like to have at least one dedicated skills day every week or two. On these days I set up cones or go to a pump track or focus on flowy descents, etc.

I’ll only work on 1-2 skills and when I start to get frustrated I call it a day and head home! I like to keep these rides fun – my favorite is when a friend does them with me!

It also helps to take some videos so you can see what you are doing.

For the Birkie Epic, I’d recommend focusing on flowy descents and rocks and roots for your skill training!

What should the hard days look like?

Any sort of interval work can be beneficial, a mix of VO2, sprints, and lactate work is great. You’ll likely use all of those energy systems during the race! Since the Epic is a longer race some longer tempo/threshold blocks and back-to-back longer or harder days could be super beneficial!

One of my favorite tempo/threshold workout styles is to do longer blocks with alternating sitting/standing. This is great for mountain biking because you are often changing position because of the terrain.

Have fun!! It’s an awesome race and I’ll see you out there!