APRIL
BUILD 2
I
must confess to
not really having enjoyed these last few months of training.
That's not because I don't enjoy riding my bike - it's down
to the freezing weather we have had to endure. Anyone who
knows me knows I am a sunshine man and a bit of a 'jessie'
when it comes to the sub zero temperatures. Once I get out
I'm fine, but I hate the laborious task of putting all the
necessary clothing on. As I write this at the end of March
there are snow flakes falling outside, a freezing easterly
wind and no immediate prospect of it improving. Global
warming - my arse!, as that great prophet Jim Royle may have
said. That said I did manage to ride in my shorts in my
first event the other week - what a mistake that was! After
my usual 40 mins warm up on the turbo complete with Assos
winter jacket plus three layers, I should really have
twigged that as I still hadn't broken into a sweat, shorts
were not the order of the day. After finishing the 10 mile
TT I noticed my legs had gone a funny shade of blue, this
after starting white then going a funny shade of red.
Patriotic, I suppose, but not practical. Given that, I was
more than happy with my 3rd place and a 22 minute ride, off
the back of the winter training that I have been doing just
as I have described in my previous articles.
Unfortunately, and I don't know whether this has anything to
do with the colder weather, but I have now been struck down
for the second time since Christmas with some kind of flu
bug. At this time of year it seems to be an occupational
hazard that we all try to avoid. Those of you with kids will
know how difficult it is to avoid everything as they seem to
have one cold after another through the winter. I usually
drive everyone mad by opening all the windows at home and
work even when it is below freezing outside!! I think a lot
of my success in the last 2 years has been down to the fact
that I have stayed illness free, but now I am really
frustrated as it feels as if you have to go back a couple of
steps. The point I am trying to make is that if you have
done the training as described over the winter, catching a
bug, albeit annoying, doesn't mean you have to go back to
square one. Base fitness will still be there, even after a
few days off the bike. Just remember to build back into it
rather than go 'hammer and tongs' as soon as you feel
slightly better. I always have a couple of easy sessions on
the turbo first, just spinning the legs out and I find I can
be back up to speed within a week.
APRIL'S TRAINING
BUILD 2
Build
2 is very easy to describe and understand. Basically we have
3 sessions per week that are super hard and the rest of the
time you should be taking it pretty easy. One of the biggest
mistakes I see riders make, and I've said this before, is
that when they step up the intensity levels of their
training they still continue to ride 'moderately hard' on
their easier days. This rapidly leads to staleness and a
plateauing of their performances and eventually a downward
spiral into overtraining. In layman's terms, the basic rule
is this - the harder your 'work' sessions are the easier
your recovery should be. These are more important than the
harder bits as without them your body will not make the
necessary adoptions'.
As I said you have 3 'work' sessions, one of which should be
a race. The other two are as follows:
Power Intervals: Can be done on the turbo or the road which
you want. If on the road you need a straight section of
around half a mile, preferably with a slight (and I mean
slight!) uphill or at least into a headwind. Also if on the
road try and use markers around half a mile apart (the
intervals should last around 1 minute), as it is easier to
do this than trying to look at your computer when going flat
out. Ensure you have at least a30 minute warm up before
hitting the first interval. From a slow rolling start begin
in a gear in the middle of your block (say 53 x 15). Get it
moving as quickly and explosively as possible out of the
saddle (this should be similar to a track start) then
quickly sit down and move up into top gear (53 x 12 or 11).
Focus totally on your finish point and put the hammer down.
Concentrate of keeping your upper body still and feel the
power through your back, hips and legs. You must now give it
150% - do not hold anything back. People who hold back
finish races much lower down the order. The last 20 seconds
or so should be like going into oblivion but push all the
way. Do not worry what your heart rate monitor says or what
your cadence is (it might be down to around 40rpm near the
end) - go totally on feel, get the maximum power possible
out of your legs and body. Ride very slowly in a small gear
back to the start, making sure that you have AT LEAST 5
minutes rest (this is in order for subsequent intervals to
be of the same quality). Repeat this 3 more times (4 total)
in week 1, and then add one per week for next two weeks (5
then 6) then 3 times in week 4. You may not think this is
enough - if you still feel this way after completing a
session the answer is simple: you have been holding back. I
would also advise that you take a protein drink after this
session to help muscle repair.
SPEED INTERVALS - These are done in exactly the same way and
numbers as above, except that you should start and finish in
the same gear (I always use 54 x 15). Also do it the other
way round i.e. on a slight downhill or with a tailwind on a
flat road. The idea of these intervals is to get that vital
leg speed in bigger gears. Hit it hard from the start and
get the leg speed up as quickly as possible. I usually find
I can be hitting 35mph plus on a flat road even in this
gear, that means the revs are well over 110 rpm. Again I
cannot stress enough - you must let it all hang out!! In 4
weeks you should noticed a good increase in speed in your
racing.
Here's a typical week:
SUN: Race or longer ride of around 3 hours. If doing the
longer ride keep the intensity low by using small gears.
MON: Recovery ride of 60 minutes on road or turbo with
absolutely no effort. THIS IS A MUST!
TUE: Power intervals as above.
WED: Recovery ride as for Monday.
THU: Speed intervals as above.
FRI: If racing Saturday I do an easy road ride but chuck in
4 x 15 second sprints in 39 x 17 (yes that small!!) in the
middle of the ride. If racing Sunday omit the sprints.
SAT: If racing Sunday, easy road ride with tiny gear sprints
or if you have raced Saturday omit the sprints.
GOOD LUCK! TRAIN HARD & BE SAFE - I'LL CATCH YOU NEXT MONTH.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any queries and,
above all - be SMART, be SAFE.
Eddie,
you can email me at
eddiehumphreys@fireservicecycling.co.uk
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NOTE:
FIRESERVICECYCLING recommends that you consult a Doctor
before undertaking any training regime,
The advice given here is for the serious rider wanting to
race and improve performance, If you use any of the
information provided in this article, 'on your own head be
it' and you also accept not to hold 'FireServiceCycling'
responsible for any injuries or mishaps, That's just FATE!!! |
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