BIKE TIME
IS BUSINESS TIME
BY BEN GRIFFIN – EXERCISE
P H Y S I O LO G I S T / S A N S E G O C O A C H
(15 X IM FINISHER *PB 9:15)
W
Y could
B E N argue
G R the
I F bike
F I N leg is most critical to performance given it accounts
hilst all disciplines of a triathlon are important, B you
for approximately 50% of the E total
time
it
takes
to
complete
at
triathlon.
X E R C I S E P H Y S I O LO G I S T Here’s
/ C some
O A perfect
C H sets for busy athletes training for
Sprint or Standard Distance triathlon as we head into this summer’s racing.
( 1 5 require
X IM
I N I S natural
H E R talent
*PB
: 1 5 ) a higher emphasis on technique and
Unlike swimming and running which
a bit F more
and 9 place
biomechanics, cycling rewards those who are prepared to put in the time and effort honing their craft. Before starting, it is important you get
set-up with a good bike fit to ensure you are set in an appropriate position to ensure optimal performance, comfort and minimise the risk
of injury.
Depending on your current ability and goals for the future, I would suggest riding at least three times per week if you want to make
noticeable gains regarding your performance. Below are some great training sessions if you are planning to complete a Sprint or Olympic
Distance Race this summer. Each session takes about one hour to complete.
W
hilst there are many different metrics such as heart
rate, speed and RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) we
can analyse in training, power is undoubtedly the
most important when it comes to cycling. But how
uses a power
meter can (and should be) very different
1) a cyclist
THRESHOLD
SESSION
to how
WARM
UP a triathlete uses a power meter. Cycling races are usually
about
being strong
enough to make several key selection points
10mins
(Building
Intensity)
in races,
MAIN
SET whilst triathlon races are usually about who was able to
sustain
the highest
output consistently
through the day. Given the
5mins
@ *Threshold
‘uncomfortable’
/ 60s Rest
bike 4-8times
leg of an Ironman often accounts for over 50% of the race
Repeat
duration
we know pacing this discipline is critical to success.
COOL
DOWN
One
of the
first things an athlete should do after installing
1-2mins
VERY
easy
a power
is to
establish
some training
this
allows
*If you
have meter
a power
meter
use 85-100%
of FTP zones,
for your
5min
you and your coach to prescribe and review training sessions
efforts
A quick
and easy
way
to a do
this
by RPE
completing
a
**If effectively.
you don’t have
a power
meter
use
5-8
on is an
(1-10) scale
Functional Threshold Power (FTP) test. A simple and easy protocol
by Hunter
Allen and Andrew Coggan is listed below.
2) developed
INTERVAL
SESSION
Repeat 4-8times
1min *MAX Effort / 2mins Rest
Repeat 3tmes
COOL DOWN
1-2mins VERY easy
*If you have a power meter use 115-130% of FTP for 2min efforts
and 120-140% for 1min efforts
**if you don’t have a power meter use a 9-10 on an RPE (1-10) scale
3)
RECOVERY SESSION
One of
WARM
UP the key metrics we use to measure how successfully an
athlete has
paced Intensity)
a ride is their Variability Index (VI) from their
5-10mins
(Building
power
MAIN
SET file. Essentially this is just a measure of the difference
between ‘Steady
normalised
and
power. between
This variance
30-45mins
Pace’ power
aiming
to average
keep cadence
85-95
should
nearly always be below 1.05 for a triathlon. This would
WARM UP
COOL
DOWN
•
10mins
@ 65%
demonstrate
that you have been able to execute an evenly paced
10mins
(Building
Intensity)
1-2mins
VERY easy
3x60s
(fast pedalling) / 60s easy
to evenly
pace ride
your
ride
will result
in for
a poor
30s • Sprint / 30s
Easy @ x *100rpm
5
*If ride.
you Failure
have a power
meter
use
55-75%
of FTP
your result
main set
• SET
5mins easy riding
as you
you don’t
either have
fade a towards
the end
during
the
MAIN
**if
power meter
use of a the
2-5 bike
on an and/or
RPE (1-10)
scale
• *MAX Effort
5mins / hard
effort
run depending how poorly you paced the ride. Sometimes the
2mins
2mins
Rest (use this to guide your 20min effort)
•
10mins easy riding
pro’s will have to spike their power in response to surges by other
•
20min Time Trial (maximum, evenly paced effort)
athletes, so this can cause a rise in VI but regardless of your talent
•
Subtract 5% from your 20min effort to establish your
level you only have so many matches to burn, so be mindful of
new Functional Threshold Power
how and when you use them.
The final point I would stress is that you need to always make
Whilst this test does make a few small assumptions about the
sure your FTP is current and accurate. This is because we as
I understand for many people it isn’t possible to complete three sessions per week, given family, work and other commitments. In this
power you can hold over an hour, it usually correlates strongly.
coaches calculate many important metrics (Training Stress Score,
case, aim to just complete two sessions and keep rotating through the three sessions provided.
Given we need to constantly retest FTP to ensure we re-establish
Intensity Factor and Training Zones) all relative to your FTP. So, if
These sessions can easily be completed indoors on your trainer or outdoors on the road. Completing indoors often works well
training zones relative to changes in fitness, it just isn’t practical to
you don’t regularly validate your FTP the data you are collecting is
because you can work specifically on what you are trying to achieve without the distractions of riding on the open roads. I always
keep doing 60min TT efforts so 20mins makes much more sense.
flawed and training less effective.
encourage all athletes to make sure they do get some riding on the open roads as well to ensure they get used to riding in various
So now that you have your FTP established, how do you use that
weather conditions which they will undoubtedly face during a race. The open roads also help develop and maintain your bike
information to pace your next race? Following is a table from Joe
handling ability such as cornering and descending.
Friel’s Power Meter Handbook which gives a great insight into how
‘hard’ you should ride during various endurance events:
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