How to get ready for the 10th anniversary of Rock Cobbler

ABOUT THE ROCK COBBLER

Rock Cobbler is known to be a stupid crazy, fun gravel race in Bakersfield. That is how my good friend sold me on the race - I’m all about stupid fun.

However, Rock Cobbler is not to be underestimated, the Cobbler is 80 miles with 7000’ and the Pebbler is roughly half of the that.

Many endurance athletes may think… “80 miles … 7000 feet of climbing..easy I got that”.

What they may not realize is that the terrain is rough, the climbs are relentless, and most of this race is on some kind of dirt, grass, gravel and unroad. It will test your endurance, your skills, your stamina, and your strategy.

Here are some tips to help you prepare for the 10th annual Rock Cobbler.

 

  • MAKE YOUR TRAINING COUNT

    • CAUTION: Getting long miles in are getting tight and trying to cram the miles will only leave you feeling fatigued.

    • Work on your Sweet Spot Training Zone - this sub-threshold training zone will help your body to train for these longer events but also the strength for those sustained climbs. Sweet spot is roughly 90-95% of your Functional threshold power.

    • Strength training will help your fast-twitch muscles for those pitchy climbs. Start with bodyweight if you are new to strength training. Try this 20-min bodyweight workout to strengthen your glutes, quads, and core. Includes a 5-min mobility warmup.

    • Get dirty! Ensure at least one of your rides is outside on dirt and work on your dirt skills including shifting through various terrain, descending (singletrack, steep, ruts), ascending (singletrack, steep, ruts) and work on good form on the bike with light hands and shoulders relaxed.

  • NUTRITION STRATEGY

    • Get comfortable eating and drinking on your rides. Often times people ride for 1-3 hours and don’t feel the need to eat. But you aren’t eating for that ride, you are preparing your body to digest food while you are working and also working on the mechanics and skill of eating on the bike. Opening that wrapper, finding the food in your back pocket or from your burrito bag. And you may also find that you prefer different foods. DON’T CHANGE ANYTHING ON RACE DAY

    • Have a nutrition plan in place for race day.

      • Study the aid stations - How far apart are the aid stations? What do they offer? What do you need from the aid stations ? (Coach Tip: don’t skip on water..ever)

      • Eat early and often - Set a timer on your head unit or hit the lap button every time you eat. Timing is critical and a general rule of thumb is every 45-min. Your body can only digest 30-50 g. of carbs per hour. Some can do more..but that is something that you train your body do over time. For example - Cliff Blocks have six blocks in a sleeve - 3 of those blocks has 24g. of carbs.

      • Hydration is also key. Drinking a bottle of water per hour is a good place to start. For example: if it takes two hours to get to the first aid station - your goal is to finish the second bottle as you approach the aid station. With hydration comes electrolyte balance - what you sweat out ,you need to replace. This includes sodium, potassium, magnesium for starters. There are electrolyte pills you can take as well as powder forms that you can add to your bottle. Practice and see what works for you best. DON’T CHANGE ANYTHING ON RACE DAY

      • Back to eating a lot - work backwards and see how much you will need to eat for your estimated time. 5 hours = 250-300 g. of carbs (minimum). Layout your food and make sure you have that much. Also you may experiment with whole foods like dates and boiled baby potatoes (one of my favorites). Study the aid stations and see what they are going to have. Maybe you carry your favorite treat and grab bananas and bars at the aid station. Have a plan.

 

  • RACE GOALS/MINSET & FINAL PREP

    • What is your goal for the race? To have fun, to be with friends, to kick ass!, to win, to place top 5. There is no right answer. Knowing what your goal/intention for the race will help with your expectations and experience. For my first Cobbler experience I was all in for the stupid fun - so every time there was a twist or struggle, I said to myself “let’s have some stupid fun!” It was fun to do the tire toss, get chased by a bull, climb a hill that I thought would make me roll down the mountain, and then to finish with the most fun berm descent. YEEHAWWW..crazy good fun!

    • GEAR PREP - Do inventory of your gear and your bike. Do you have what is needed to complete the race with said goal(s). Do you have have the right tires, burrito bag? Do you know what you plan to wear from socks, gloves, kit, heart rate monitor? Are your electronics charged up include your head unit (e.g. Garmin), shifting, etc.

      • Complete this PRE RACE CHECKLIST.

      • Don’t leave things to chance or wait until the day before to go through this checklist

      • SEE VIDEO - that outlines how to prepare for race day.

 
Gravel cyclingCynthia Plankenrace prep, gravel, raceComment