MASTERCLASS

BY MARCUS SPEED

Ride Yourself
Into Form
Whether you have 12
weeks or four weeks
until your big day, theres
always room for a little
more improvement.

MASTERCLASS

96

elcome back to the Speed

Doctor! Its a pretty safe
assumption that we (at
least in the southern parts
of Australia) have made it
through the worst of the winter weather
and are ready to get out there and
demonstrate the strength and endurance
weve built up in grimy garages and
on the freezing roads over the past few
months. In fact, its the perfect time to do
just that, and the best way to prove to
your harshest criticyourselfthat youre
a better cyclist than you were this time
last year is to pick an event to compete or
participate in.
If youre a regular racer this might
mean selecting a particular A race for
the year or at least for the first half of
the spring and summer season. Whereas
if youre new to the sport or more of a
recreational rider it might mean selecting
a charity or Gran Fondo type ride, such
as Melbournes Bupa Around the Bay,
to focus on. Either way, pick a day or a
week sometime in the near future (the
next three months or so) when you want
to be riding at your absolute best. Were
going to work our way backwards from
there to get you in the best form of your
life! Before we launch into it, lets just
re-examine some of the parameters we set
for ourselves in earlier articles.
Since most of us dedicate our lives to
more than just cycle training, we have to
deal with the fact that our performance
level, at least to some degree, depends on
the time we have available for training.
That means we have to remember
our priorities when we analyse our
performances. We must remember our
priorities at cycling events, our success
in daily life events, in relationships with
colleagues, friends and family, or simply
in any given situation in which you
decide to invest your time. Therefore,
there are logical reasons why you do not
have the same amount of time available
for training as a professional cyclist.
Most professionals, however, train using
the same principles of high intensity

Bicycling Australia

September October 2012

workouts with moderate volume that we

have explored over the past monthsthe
only difference is that their definition of
moderate is not the same as yours or
mine, and they do far longer recovery and
base-building rides. The era of 1,000km
per week, month after gruelling month,
is a thing of the past in the world of
pro cycling. This is due to an increased
awareness of scientific training principles
and a decrease in the use of artificial
recovery methods. A very noticeable
result of the decrease in drug use within
the pro peloton is the trend toward highquality, lower mileage training methods.
So there you goyoure training just like
a pro!

but you will

become a better and
more competitive
athlete simply by
spending more hours
riding at a high
and competitive
intensity.

A common criticism of this type of

training is the reduction or elimination of
what I term Time Ineffective Training:
namely recovery rides, social rides, and
long slow distance training (LSD). I am
not suggesting this type of riding be
struck off your training regimen forever.
But I am saying that it should not take
the place of high intensity interval
training, provided your intention is to
become a faster bike rider. This is not
because these other techniques do not
add value, but because you have to
spend a lot of time on these activities
compared to high intensity to achieve
any outcome. For example, recovery rides
can potentially help you recover better
from hard training sessions, but you
are also spending quite some time on a
low-intensity activity. From a strict time
effective perspective, you would be better
off eliminating the recovery ride. You will
save more time for your other priorities
in life. Many cyclists will argue that they

cannot skip their recovery rides because

they are so crucial. If you have the same
opinion, ask yourself the following
question:
From a strict performance perspective,
if you take a day off, which day would
hurt your performance most? The
recovery day or the high intensity session
with interval training?
Recovery rides, social rides or long
slow distance training have other
positive effects and if you eliminate
these sessions you will miss out on these
benefits. But you cannot have it all. A
positive side effect to eliminating lowintensity workouts is that you get more
focus and quality into your remaining
training sessions. It might sound
obvious, but you will become a better
and more competitive athlete simply by
spending more hours riding at a high
and competitive intensity. If you do more
training at a competitive intensity, you
will begin to ride your bike faster and
youll sit in a more aerodynamic position.
You will also feel more comfortable
when bunch riding and youll gain vital
experience to handle your bike in more

So as we said, lets begin at the end.

To get you feeling fresh and strong, fit
but not overtrained, a good taper is
very important. Because of the intensive
nature of the training youve undertaken
in recent months, recovery is critical
much more so than for somebody who
rides 350km per week at a steady pace.
Tapering is really just a way to supercompensate for all that hard training,
with the goal of making you stronger
than ever before. Its not much more than
an awesome, week long recovery session
where you get to relax and eat lots of
carbs! Many riders are a little unsure
about the need for massive reductions in
training in the run-up to big events, but
when you remember the amount of work
your body has done for you during this
preparation phase, you can be confident
that the rest you are taking wont detract
from your fitnessitll just sharpen you up.

Focus on the
small changes that
will have a positive
influence on your
performance

Mark Gunter

stressful situations.
There is also a positive psychological
side effect to riding fast; you teach your
brain to ride fast and maintain full
concentration when you ride your bike.

Time to Commit
Okay, weve established that were
going to train fast, get plenty of rest and
throw in the occasional long ride when
we can. Now we need a detailed plan to
rocket us into form for the major event
that weve selected. The training plan will
be for 12 weeks, but if your event is only
10, 8 or even 6 weeks away, dont panic.
Just do the last six weeks or whatever
of the planyoull surprise yourself
with your rapid improvement and the
confidence that comes with it.
So, whether you have 12 days or 12
weeks to train, there is always time and
room for improvement. It is clear that
you could prepare better if you had 12
weeks, but sometimes thats not possible.
Even elite riders have their race schedules
and priorities change throughout the
seasonsuddenly an athlete has the
chance to represent the national team and

then that race gets the highest priority

and a short deadline. In such situations,
it works best to simply begin at the end.
Instead of trying to do the impossible,
you should stick to sensible training
planning techniques. Sometimes it is
important to accept the fact that it is not
possible to make miracles happen in such
a short space of time. Instead, focus on
the small changes that will have a positive
influence on your performance (optimum
tapering, optimisation of bike setup,
nutrition etc).

Tapering before big races is not just

a question of reducing your training
distance during the final three days before
the event. If you really want to achieve
your absolute best performance and get
the full value for all the hours you have
spent training during the last couple of
months, you have to adopt a tapering
protocol of at least seven days duration.
The main principles well adopt during
tapering will be to:
Reduce training amount
Reduce interval volume
Maintain some intensity in the
remaining rides we undertake
Using this simple but effective tapering
system, you will get the recovery you
need to compensate for the hard training
youve donewhile maintaining your
aerobic and anaerobic power at your
highest level.
If we continue to work backwards from
our chosen event (from now on well
just call it your A race, even if the event
youve selected is not technically a race),
weve got your taper under control. Now
we need to work on lifting our VO2 max

MASTERCLASS

Begin at the End

Marcus Speed

former professional athlete himself, Marcus is a

full-time coach who specialises in strength, core
conditioning and endurance.
As well as having a degree in journalism, he is a
certified coach with Cycling Australia and is currently
studying for his Masters in Elite Sports Coaching at
Griffith University. He can be contacted on
[email protected], and you can visit his
website at www.speedcyclingsystems.com.au

www.bicyclingaustralia.com 97

and increasing your threshold power.

There is some overlap in training benefits
for these two fitness indicators, and even
though they will both help you ride faster
for longer there is quite a distinction
between the two.

Lift Your VO2 Max

When endurance athletes perform at
the decisive moments in their sports,
they deliver oxygen consumptions that
are extremely close to their VO2 max.
Even though at most times during cycling
events an output significantly lower
than your VO2 max is required, those
athletes with the highest VO2 max tend
to win or be successful a lot more often
than athletes with a lower VO2 max.
Your VO2 max plays a central role in all
endurance sports, so its a great idea to
spend time optimising it as it can make
you a winner! The basic rule of training
is to train what you aim for. Interval
training with intensity close to your
maximum oxygen consumption is surely
going to improve your VO2 max.
If you think about your VO2 max as
the size of your aerobic engine its easy
to see how improving it will make you
a better and more efficient rider: a car
with a big V8 engine can not only go
faster than a little 4-cylinder hatchback,
but it also performs better and is more
comfortable at lower speeds. Having

a large aerobic engine is crucial in

endurance sports. In road cycling, for
example, you spend most of the time
using a lower percentage of your VO2
max, but in the decisive moments it is
guaranteed that you will perform close
to it. You depend on your VO2 max
to shake off your nearest challengers
in the toughest parts of a race. It is
also important to remember that your
performance at lower intensities is always
closely related to your maximum. So when
you build up your VO2 max, you will feel
more comfortable at lower intensities and
it will be easier for you to accelerate in the
final moments of the race.

Increase Your Threshold Power

Okay, weve sorted out our taper
check. We have identified the methods
and the importance of increasing our
VO2 max.check. Now we need to work
on increasing our threshold power. The
absolute value of your threshold power
is often a lot more important than the
absolute value of your VO2 max. This
explains why athletes with the highest
VO2 max values are not necessarily the
strongest riders in the bunch. They often
are, but its not a given. Remember, the
difference between the two is this: your
VO2 max will dictate how easily you can
ride all day at a steady pace, whereas your
threshold power (or anaerobic threshold)

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All road rides have support vehicles,
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will determine how much power you can

exert for approximately one hour. The
way to improve your threshold is to use
interval training where you hover just
above or just below your threshold. It is
simple, yet difficultand it hurts!

>> page 100

MASTERCLASS

Beginner Rider Weekly Plan

98

MONTH 1

Mon

Tue

Week 1

Pilates/Yoga/
Stretching

Easy ride in Zone

1 (20km)

Week 2

Pilates/Yoga/
Stretching

Easy ride in Zone

1 (20km)

Week 3

Pilates/Yoga/
Stretching

Easy ride in Zone

1 (20km)

Week 4

Pilates/Yoga/
Stretching

Easy ride in Zone

1 (20km)

MONTH 2

Mon

Tue

Week 1

Wed

5 X (40+20sec)
100%/50%

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

Total

Commute or
steady ride (10km)

3 X (3 + 3min)
100%/50%

Group ride
(60km)

Approx
105km

Criterium intervals
30 minutes

Steady ride (50km)

Group ride (60

-65km)

Approx
155km

Commute or
steady ride (10km)

1 X 5 min 100%

Group ride (60 65km)

Approx
125km

Criterium intervals
30 minutes

Steady ride (50km)

Group ride (60

-65km)

Approx
155km

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

Total

Easy ride in Zone 1

(20km)

Pilates/Yoga/
Stretching

Commute or
steady ride
(20km)

14 X (30 +
30secs) 100%/
50%

Steady ride (50km)

Group ride
(70km)

Approx
170km

Week 2

Easy ride in Zone 1

(20km)

1 X 5min 100%

Commute or
steady ride
(20km)

Pilates/Yoga/
Stretching

Steady ride in hills

(45km)

Group ride
(75km)

Approx
170km

Week 3

Recovery ride
(10km SLOW)

Pilates/Yoga/
Stretching

Commute or
steady ride
(20km)

16 X (30 + 30secs)
100% / 50%

Day off

Approx
50km

Week 4

Easy ride in Zone 1

(20km)

5 X (40 +
20secs)
100%/50%

MONTH 3

Mon

Tue

Week 1

Easy ride in Zone 1

(20km)

Pilates/Yoga/
Stretching

Week 2

1 x 5 min 100%

Week 3

Easy ride in Zone 1

(30km)

Week 4

2 X (3 + 3min)
95% / 50%

Bicycling Australia

Wed

Pilates/Yoga/
Stretching
Pilates/Yoga/
Stretching

September October 2012

Pilates/Yoga/
Stretching

Commute or
steady ride
(20km)

Pilates/Yoga/
Stretching

Criterium intervals
30 min OR Steady
ride in hills (45km)

Group ride
(80km)

Approx
200km

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

Total

Commute or
steady ride
(20km)

Criterium intervals
30 minutes
(or crit race)

Group ride (7080km)

Approx
150km

Commute or
steady ride
(25km)

Criterium intervals
30 minutes
(or crit race)

Group ride
(80km)

Approx
150km

Commute or
steady ride
(25km)

Steady ride (55km)

Group ride (40 50km)

Approx
155km

Easy 20km ride

RACE DAY!!!

Approx 35km
plus race

<< page 98
As well as being really effective, this
session is very shortits over in just five
minutes!

Your Workouts
These intervals should be performed
at an intensity approaching 100%. Dont
hold back too much or youll lose the
benefit of training at or close to your
maximum Then youll have to do more
efforts, which takes more time, and there
goes our efficiency. So go hard!

Session Three: 1 x 5min 100%

This is doing things the hard way,
but it works! Its a great way to focus
on your mental strength as well as your
physiology. After a warm up, go as hard
as you can for five minutes. This is best
done on a wind trainer or indoor bike, as
you really cant afford any interruptions.
Five minutes doesnt sound like a long
time until you try this session, then it feels
like an eternity! Stay focused and do not
slow down, not even for a moment.

Session One: 3 x (3+3min) 95-100/50%

This is a great session. Done correctly
you get nine minutes of effective training
at your VO2 max. The formula above
means this: Three minutes as close to
100% as you can go, followed by three
minutes at 50% intensity. Repeat the
whole thing three times, so that you
get nine minutes at VO2 max, and nine
minutes at about 50% of VO2 max.
Excluding your warm up and cool-down,
the workout is over in 18 minutes!

Session Four: 12-20 x (30+30sec)

100/50%
12-20 x (30+30sec) VO2 max means
12 (or maybe up to 20) times 30 second
maximum effort intervals with recovery
periods of 30 seconds between each
interval. Or to put it another way, 30
seconds hard, 30 seconds recovery, 30
seconds hard. On paper it looks like quite
a long session but in reality even if you do
20 hard intervals with an equal number
of recovery periods plus your warm up
and cool-down, your workout will be
over in 35 or 40 minutes.

Session Two: 5 x (40+20sec) 100/50%

This workout is very good for race
preparation and could effectively be used
leading up to, or even during, your taper
phase.
In this session you are only working
hard for 40 seconds at a time, followed
by a 20 second recovery. Such a short
effort means its crucial you go all-out at
100%. If you do, youll find that the 20
second recovery feels very short indeed!

Criterium Intervals
These are less regimented than most

interval sessions but are great for

increasing your anaerobic threshold.
Find a circuit with not too much traffic
and ride as if youre racing a criterium.
Accelerate into the corners, hold a tight
line as you turn and accelerate powerfully
out of the bend. Back off the power a
little bit on the straight sections, then
launch into and out of the next corner.
Continue on for 30 minutes. Even
better, if you get the opportunity, race
a few criteriums and use them as an
objective training session. Your goal is not
necessarily to win the race, but to have
some fun, get in a really solid workout,
and brush up on your bike handling skills.

In Summary
The training plans that follow are
designed specifically to get you riding at
your best on the day of your event. They
will, of course, get you fit in a general
sense too, but in reality its all aimed
toward that one day youve chosen.
As I mentioned earlier, if your event is
in six or seven weeks time rather than
12, just do the last six or seven weeks
of the program. If its 14 weeks away,
do the first two weeks twice over before
moving on to week threeyou get the
idea. As race day approaches, dont be
tempted to sneak in any extra workouts.
The hard work has already been done,
so trust yourself to rest, recover and ride
like the wind!

MASTERCLASS

Intermediate Rider Weekly Plan

100

MONTH 1

Mon

Tue

Wed

Week 1

Recovery ride
(30km SLOW)

1 X 5 min 100%

Week 2

Recovery ride
(30km SLOW)

Week 3

16 X (30+30secs)
100%/50%

Pilates/Yoga/
Stretching

Week 4

Recovery ride
(30km SLOW)

Hill repeats 30
Minutes

Pilates/Yoga/
Stretching

MONTH 2

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Week 1

Recovery ride
(40km SLOW)

Pilates/Yoga/
Stretching

5 X (40+20sec)
100%/50%

Week 2

Recovery ride
(40km SLOW)

Week 3

Recovery ride
(30km SLOW)

Week 4

Recovery ride
(40km SLOW)

MONTH 3

Pilates/Yoga/
Stretching

18 X
(30+30sec)
100%/50%

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

Total

Commute or
steady ride
(30km)

Criterium intervals
30 minutes

Group ride (6070km)

Approx
170km

14 X (30+30secs)
100%/50%

Steady ride (65km)

Group ride
(70km)

Approx
195km

Commute or
steady ride
(30km)

Criterium intervals
30 minutes

Group ride (70 80km)

Approx
170km

1 X 5min 100%

Steady ride (70km)

Group ride
(80km)

Approx
210km

Fri

Sat

Sun

Total

Tempo ride
(75km)

Group ride (80

-90km)

Approx
225km

3 X (3+3min)
100%/50%

Pilates/Yoga/
Stretching

Tempo or hills
(75km)

Group ride (90

-100km)

Approx
250km

Pilates/Yoga/
Stretching

Day off

Day off

Easy ride (70km)

Day off

100km

1 X 5min 100%

Commute or
steady ride
(30km)

Hill repeats 30
minutes

Pilates/Yoga/
Stretching

Hills ride (75km)

Group ride
(100km)

Approx
280km

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Week 1

Recovery ride
(40km SLOW)

5 X (40
+ 20sec)
100%/50%

Pilates/Yoga/
Stretching

Commute or
steady ride
(30km)

Week 2

Recovery ride
(40km SLOW)

1 X 5min 100%

Commute or
steady ride
(30km)

20 X (30+30sec)
100%/50%

Week 3

Recovery ride
(40km SLOW)

1 X 5min 100%

Pilates/Yoga/
Stretching

Commute or
steady ride
(40km)

Week 4

2 X (3+3min)
95%/50%

Bicycling Australia

September October 2012

Commute or
steady ride
(20km)

Pilates/Yoga/
Stretching

Sat

Sun

Total

Criterium intervals
30 min OR crit
race

Group ride
(100km)

Approx
250km

Hills ride (75km)

Group ride
(100km)

Approx
260km

Criterium intervals Group ride (80

30 min OR crit
-90km)
race
Pilates/Yoga/
Stretching

Easy 20km ride

RACE DAY!!!

Approx
200km
Approx
45km plus
race

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