Spending time riding at different intensities up to and including VO2 Max level will develop your top-end speed and power, as well as give your Threshold power a bit of a boost as well as generate all-around cycling strength. This session will help you develop that and is great for all cyclists including triathletes and mountain bikers.
Each Wednesday I’ll post a Windtrainer Workout that you can do in about 60 minutes to enhance your cycling. See a previous post about training intensity (Levels) to know how hard to work. If you are working directly with Coach Ray he will in most cases prescribe either a Power Zone or Heart Rate Zone to work within if you are training with these tools.
The inspiration for this session comes from What’s On Zwift, I’ve modified it a little based on my expertise. You can read the full article here.
Modified Lavender Unicorn
- 10min WU Level II;
- 30sec Level III, 30sec Level II RI;
- 30sec Level IV, 30sec Level II RI;
- 30sec Level V, 30sec Level II RI;
- 3x
- 3min Level III;
- 1min Level IV;
- 30sec Level V;
- 3min Level III;
- 1min Level IV;
- 30sec Level V+;
- 10min CD Level II;
- 10min Stretching
Start the workout with a ten-minute Warm Up (WU) at Level II. The original warm-up for this workout is shorter than what I have here, but to get a good physiological warm you need a good ten minutes before increasing the intensity.
Next up are three short primer reps, all 30 seconds in duration at Level III, Level IV & then Level V respectively. Take a 30-second Rest Interval (RI) at Level II between reps.
Next up is effectively four reps but the fourth rep is a little different from the previous three.
These reps start with three minutes of riding at Level III, then increase your effort to Level IV for a minute, then increase your effort to Level V for 30 seconds. Complete three full reps and then start the fourth. The difference for the final rep is when it comes to the 30 seconds at the end increase that to Level V+ (150% of your Functional Threshold Power).
Conclude the intervals with ten minutes of riding at Level II for your Cool Down (CD). The Cool Down in the original version of this workout is only two minutes long which like the warm-up won’t be physiologically effective.
Finish with ten minutes of stretching to assist with your recovery.
Here is the data from when I did this workout:
If you would like further advice feel free to contact me.
I am the Head Coach & Director of Qwik Kiwi – Endurance Sports Consultant.
I specialise in assisting first-timers and recreational athletes to achieve their sporting goals. I can be contacted at coachray@coachray.nz and 021 348 729. Make sure you sign up for my informative newsletter.
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