The Cyclocross Workout Of The Day for Saturday, 7.26.13 – “There’s eyes in them thar hills…”
Howdy folks,
This weekend – if it’s at all possible – I recommend getting in one of the remaining few road or MTB races of your season. The Cross racing is right around the corner, and it’s really darn hard to match the intensity of racing when you’re training on your own.
So, if you can manage it, your workout today is –
Go Race!
No racing in your neck of the woods?
Today’s Workout, then, is…
The Hills Have “I”s
(“I” is for “intensity.”)
Warm up, ideally in the course of a ride out to some pretty darn hilly terrain.
Find a hill – or a series of hills – that will take you 5-10 minutes to climb at pretty darn close to race pace.
Hit the base of the climb hard, out of the saddle, and accelerate into it.
Sit down when you feel you’re starting to lag, and drop a couple of gears. Spin (but still fast, IE about the same as your 2×20 minute level.)
Stay seated until you are breathing a little easier, then…
Out of the saddle, Attack! Hard like you did at the base of the climb.
Same as before, when you start to lag, sit down, spin.
Repeat to top of climb.
At the top of the climb, get out of the saddle, and accelerate as the grade eases. Power over the top and well into the descent, until your speed is great enough that coasting is faster than pedaling.
Coast/spin to bottom of climb.
Pedal at moderate intensity (IE – 2/3 of your 2×20 minute level,) for roughly equal to the amount of time it took to complete the entire climb, or until you get to the next hill, whichever is greater.
Repeat 3-5 times, or until you are spent, or until you run out of time.
If you do more than 3 repeats, spin easy for 5-10 minutes after 3rd repeat.
Total duration should be 2-3 hours, longer = more climbs.
If you do 4 hours, you’re either really damn fit, or you’re kidding yourself.
Better to go shorter and harder than to extend the ride and slow things down.
Have fun!
M
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