Despite it being 18 years since my first cross country race, I’m relatively new to “training”. I had previously decided it would not be fun to train, that it would detract from my riding, and would turn me into an anal retentive roady dork. Now I know that training actually is fun, my riding has improved tremendously, and my road bike is getting dusty.
I’ve had my nose in books, lurked on forums, browsed pub-med, and have been nagging professional coaches steadily for the past two years. I’ve made a lot of mistakes. I’ve also experienced a lot of personal success. I’m going into this season 100% certain it will be my fastest.
Here’s what I have learned:
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Consistency trumps everything. I’ve been on the bike every day since November.
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Stress (volume x intensity) should not be increased by more than 10% per week.
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Recovery is when you get faster. I sleep 10 hours a night and eat as many fresh and colorful foods as possible.
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Intensity is critical. I’m using a power meter, and I test regularly with a 4 minute step test until lactate threshold heart rate is reached.
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You can have the power of Lance, but without the skills, it’s wasted. Get in the woods!
Best ride yet this year!
Every Sunday I get in the woods with friends and do an awesome single speed ride. This is what I live for, and it’s a great force workout! (Especially pushing 50+ gear inches in Pisgah.) I focus on being steady, picking smooth lines, and I challenge myself to clean the hard climbs.
After several months of building volume with loads of Aerobic Threshold work (~20 beats < LTHR, or 60-75% FTP), I began including some real muscular endurance work. My core workout is as follows, and is one of the very best for improving threshold power:
20 min warm up
2 x 20 min at or just below FTP
10 min warm down
I like to do this twice a week. I try to mix it up in the woods and on the road. In the woods, this workout teaches race specific skills, but the intensity is such a challenge to hold steady that I’ll do three reps instead. On the road it’s easier to get the intensity dialed, so the second rep is quite enough to get the job done.
Now that race season is just around the corner, I’m fitting in some anaerobic work. I’ve been doing a few sprints early in the week. These are for holding pace over the short climbs and they hit the CP energy system directly. An empty stomach is recommended!
20 min warm up
3 sets, 5 reps, 10 sec sprints @ ~300% FTP
First set is low cadence (60 rpm), second is mid (85 rpm), and third is high (110 rpm)
1 min between sprints, 8 min between sets
20 min warm down
This workout only messes me up for an hour or so, so the next day’s workout still feels fresh.
Snake Creek #2. Thwarted by broken seatpost.
For races like next week’s Snake Creek Gap #3 which I’m willing to loose some fitness in exchange for freshness, I’ll fit in 72 hours recovery after the following workout:
20 min warm up
7-10 x 3 min @ 115% FTP, 3 min recoveries
20 min @ FTP
10 min warm down
This workout drills VO2max, and improves threshold power. Those twenty minutes can really challenge mental skills. Learning to beat that subversive little race limiting voice is one of my personal goals this season.
Have fun!
