Virtual Coach - February

This is the fourth article in the series and if you've been following them from the beginning you should be well on course to be in good shape for the start of the season. So far we've concentrated on building a firm base to build from, so have mainly been looking at strength and endurance. If you've been following the plan that I set out in the 2nd article you should be starting your 2nd preparation phase. We now need to start adding some interval work to turn the muscle that you've been building in the gym into something that's useful on the bike and helps you to sprint more powerfully in races.

Sprinting consists of four main elements:

1/ Explosive power for fast acceleration. If you’ve been working out in the gym you should be including some plyometrics to develop explosive power.

2/ Top-end speed, which is a measure of the highest attainable speed during a sprint.

3/ High pedal cadence.

4/ Overspeed, which is a higher speed than you would normally ride, such as when you sprint downhill.

Below I've listed some intervals that you should think about including in your weekly training sessions to try and improve your sprinting. They don’t need any extra equipment but you should try and do them on your normal race bike so that you can keep them as specific as possible.

THE WORKOUTS...

SPRINT INTERVALS

Why:
Develops riding speed and acceleration and improves the effectiveness of your fast twitch muscles. This exercise basically takes the muscle mass that you’ve built up in the gym and converts it to work better on the bike.

How:
These sprints should always be performed at 100% effort. Roll along at a moderate speed (15 to 20 mph). Then stand up and sprint as hard as you can in a smooth and efficient form for a sprint of around 8 to 10s, or about 200m. Then rest until you’re fully recovered. Do a total of between 3 and 6 sprints. You can do these all year and can be dropped into the middle of a boring endurance ride to make it more interesting.

Sample Workout:
30mins warm up at easy pace,
Perform 3 or 4 sprints of 8 to 10 seconds each at max effort,
Allow full recovery of 5 to 20 minutes between sprints.
Cool down for 10 mins then stretch.

DECREASING INTERVALS

Why:
Increases anaerobic power, lactate threshold, and repeatability during short intense efforts. So will help you make sure that your last sprint is as good as your first one.

One of Phil's first attempts at decreasing sprints.
The red trace for heartrate only tells half the story - snot and tears finish the picture!

How:
Ride along at a reasonable speed on a flat section of trail. Then attack the interval and sprint as hard as you can for 60s. Building speed as the interval continues. Change gear if you have to but try and keep at the same effort. If you’re doing this right you should only just be able to last 60s. Recover and ride easy until your heart rate drops back to zone 2. As soon as you reach it immediately sprint as hard as you can for 50s. Recover again and then repeat for 40s and so on until you final sprint is for 10s.

Sample Workout:
30mins warm up at easy pace,
2 sets of decreasing intervals,
with 5 minutes between each set.
Cool down for 10 mins then stretch.

ACCELERATION SPRINTS

Why:
Acceleration sprints involve increasing your speed from a rolling start, to a moderate fast pace to a fast pace. So they will help to develop the muscle you need to sprint out of corners and power to the line.

How:
To do acceleration sprints you need a long flat section of track with at least a 150m section with plenty of run out to do the sprints on. You need to approach the start at a relatively easy pace and as you pass the start line change up a few gears and work at a moderately hard pace for the next 50m. Then change up again and ride at a fast pace for the next 50m before sprinting flat out to the finish. You then need to ride at a very easy pace back to the start and recover until your heart rate drops back to Zone 2, then repeat up to a maximum of 10 times.

Sample Workout:
20mins warm up at easy pace,
8 sets of acceleration sprints,
Cool down for 10 mins then stretch.

OVERSPEED SPRINTS

Why:
Increases your downhill sprint speed by working on the speed at which you can turn your legs, your max cadence.

How: Find a slight downhill that's between 50 and 150 metres long. Pedal up to it at around 25 to 30 mph, then stand up in a moderate gear and accelerate as hard as you can without changing gear. As the track levels out continue sprinting and maintain your leg speed for the entire sprint. Allow about 5 to 20 mins recovery between sprints.

Sample Workout:
20mins warm up at easy pace,
Perform 2 to 4 overspeed sprints of 6 to 10s,
Fully recover for between 5 and 20 mins between sprints,
Cool down for 10 mins then stretch.

HOLLOW SPRINTS

Why:

Trains your body to use less effort while sprinting and teaches your body to work in 'economy' mode.

How:
From a rolling start, sprint maximally out of the saddle for 50 metres, then sit down and maintain your pace for the next 50m. Then for the final 50m sprint maximally out of the saddle again. Ride back to the start at an easy pace and recover until your heart rate drops back to Zone 2 again and repeat

Sample Workout:
20mins warm up at easy pace,
8 sets of Hollow sprints,
Cool down for 10 mins then stretch.

You should be aiming to try and include 2 and 4 sprint sessions each week. Some of them can be included in normal endurance rides while others will need a specific session of there own. You should try and give yourself time to recover between sessions though so if you haven't done these before then try not to do back to back sessions on consecutive days.

Pete Osborne is a qualified British Cycling Club Coach and has worked on their Go Ride Primary Link Program. Pete rides downhill and BMX and competes at national level in both. For more information or to inquire about a personal training program tailored to your exact needs contact Pete at p.osborne -at- shef.ac.uk.