Preparing your body for the intensity that will be replicated and sustained during an event is an essential part of training. This session is great for triathletes, and road cyclists. It can also be beneficial for mountain bikers, especially for events that are about an hour in duration such as a 40km Time Trial or the bike leg of an Olympic Distance Triathlon.
Each Sunday I’ll post a Smart-Trainer Session 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 a workout in an article by Marc Evan in the November 2007 issue of Triathlete Mag.
Tempo Session #3
- 10min WU Level II;
- 5min Level III Cad 100;
- 5min Level III Cad 70;
- 5min Level III Cad 115;
- 5min Level III Cad 65;
- 5min Level II SLD (5x 30sec each side);
- 5min Level III;
- 15min CD Level II Cad 90-95rpm;
- 10min Stretching
Start the workout with a ten-minute Warm Up (WU) riding at Level II.
The next 30 minutes of the workout is broken into five-minute blocks. The first four blocks are all ridden at Level III the one thing that does change from block to block is the cadence. Start with a cadence of about 100 rpm for the first five-minute block and then change to a bigger gear so that the second block is ridden at about 70 rpm. You will then change to an easier gear for the third block as the target cadence is 115 rpm, with the fourth block having a target cadence of 65 rpm. The fifth block is ridden at Level II conducting Single Leg Drills (SLD), changing leg every 30 seconds for the completion of the five minutes. The final five-minute block is ridden at Level III again, aiming for a cadence between 90 & 100 rpm.
Complete a Cool Down (CD) for fifteen minutes at Level II, with a cadence of between 90 & 95 rpm.
Finish with ten minutes of stretching to assist with your recovery.
Here is my data from doing 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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As you work your way through this training programme you’ll enhance your ability to ride a solid and consistently fast average speed for 40km.
Designed for Intermediate cyclists and triathletes who want to improve their Time Trialing ability. This plan is to prepare you to COMPETE 40km TT at a higher level than you previously have.
Starting anytime, this plan progresses through phases to build you to your peak performance. Each week contains three-four cycle sessions that will have you riding at your best. To follow this plan you will require a Power Meter.
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Prior to using this plan, you should be able to ride comfortably for 2 hours.
Purchase of this plan gives you access to my fortnightly coaching calls where you can ask me any training or racing-related questions.
Prior to using this plan, you should be able to ride non-stop for 60 minutes.
Purchase of this plan gives you access to my fortnightly coaching calls where you can ask me any training or racing-related questions.
When purchasing, use the discount code “web25” to claim your 25% discount.