Cycling Sprint Training
This can be done with a cycling partner.
• Pick a flat road
• Bring the speed to just below your max speed
• Pick points like lamp posts where you will sprint past your friend
• up your speed and sprint past him
• Then your friend sprints past you
• Don not drop your speed between sprints
• Try to keep close on the wheel of the cyclist in front
• Repeat these steps
Another way to do sprint training intervals is to get a friend to with motorbike or scooter, get him to go at just below your maximum pace. Sit in behind him and at different points in the road sprint past him. This can be a more effective sprint training method and the guy on the motorbike does not tire!!
So now onto speed training as the term suggests this will help with our speed. As with the above cycling intervals they will also help you with your speed, but each interval is really focuses on a certain area, like power in your legs or speed or sprinting etc.
Speed Training
• Get a flat long road, a few miles preferable and quiet.
• Use a Cycling computer to measure distance
• Try to set out targets like lampposts etc.
• Try cycle above race pace
• Start with A� miles, take 1 minute slow recovery between each of the 4 sets
• Then do a A� mile 2 minute slow recovery between each of the 2 sets
• 1 mile, this is only 1 set 4 minute recovery
• A� mile 2 minute slow recovery between each 2 of the sets
• Finish with A� miles sets, slow 1 minute recovery between each set
If you find you have a lot left in the tank after these speed intervals then you are not pushing hard enough, check your heart rate and speed, you really should be spent after doing these sets. You can up them over time if you feel you can do more. But remember to cycling slowly between your sets, take your recovery period, try to get your breathing back, and when the set starts again go at it hard!!
Again a word of caution if you are not fully fit of you feel yourself tiring very quickly or your heart rate is too high stop and train a bit more and get your base fitness up before trying the speed intervals again.
These high intensity intervals are also great for triathlon training and burning fat. When doing the speed interval sets lactic acid should be really filing your legs as you feel the burn in your legs.
The last interval I will look at is Endurance Intervals. These are great for acting out race scenarios. Take your Sunday cycle or 40-50 miles or what ever you do, and do sets during the cycle, pick lampposts, hills signs, and race for them, do them as hard as you can and when done go back to your normal pace. You can throw these into your long cycle. As in a race situation speeds can be upped at certain times and to up your speed to keep in that pack, you also have to be able to maintain the pace after these bursts.
So that is it, Interval training is a must, if you want to improve you overall cycling. You can go on long 50+ miles cycles but doing this will not improve your speed and hill climbing ability as much as doing intervals. Another way to do these intervals if the weather is bad is to invest in a turbo training, these can be a great way of keeping up you bike fitness in the dark and cold winter months.