 Rider: Quinn Wentzel Photo: Zachary C. Bako Joel YounkinsHigh Performance Coach 🏁 Racing makes you sharper. Practice makes you better. But how do you balance the two? Most people ask if it’s better to race or practice—but the truth is, that’s the wrong question.
In this sport, too many coaches, trainers, and advisors spend more time tying to copy what’s popular than actually solving problems. That’s why we get stuck in silly debates like, “Is it better to race or is it better to practice?” We'd find it silly if Michael Jordan and LeBron James were debating whether playing games or practicing basketball is more valuable to making it to the pros. They’d both tell you the same thing: each has its place, and both create different environments that improve performance. Previously, I wrote about How Much Do You Need to Ride? where we broke down weekly riding volumes for serious racers. In this post, I want to take that discussion a step further and show you how racing and practice can complement each other through a simple framework: Race:Ride Ratios. "The Active Racer" — Ratio 1:2–3 For serious racers competing almost every weekend, the sweet spot is practicing 2–3 times between races. This gives you enough opportunity to fix issues that showed up on race day, sharpen skills, and double down on strengths—without burning yourself out. "The Seasoned Racer" — Ratio 1:1 For experienced racers deep into their careers or late in a long competitive season, less can be more. The right balance is one solid practice session for every race for these racers. For example, a pro in the outdoor nationals should aim to ride once mid-week to stay sharp without adding unnecessary fatigue. A VET racer in a weekly series shouldn't need to ride much more than once a week. Either months or preparation or years of experience make up for the extra seat time to optimize weekly recovery and performance between rounds. "The Intermittent Racer" — Ratio 1:11–14 or 1:4–6 If your schedule only allows racing once a month, 11–14 practice sessions between races is ideal. If you’re racing twice a month, aim for 4–6 sessions between rounds. That’s enough to keep up with seat time between rounds by still getting 2-4 sessions in a week, even when you're not racing. Why These Ratios Matter These ratios are designed for serious amateurs and pros. Of course, no formula is one-size-fits-all, but the principle holds: the relationship between racing and riding needs to be intentional.
Final Thoughts Too often, people waste energy debating “racing vs. practice” like they’re opposing sides. The truth is simple: races test you, practice builds you, and the right ratio connects the two. Think of it like this:
That’s how progress is built.
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