The Power Meter Handbook: A User’s Guide for Cyclists and Triathletes

on flat terrain. Select a high gear (such as 53×14), and then coast to a near stop at the base of the hill or the start point for the repetition. While seated, drive the pedals down with great force. Do only 6 to 12 pedal revolutions (count 1 leg only) for each repetition. Your cadence will be very slow at first, well under 50 rpm, and will increase as you progress through the 6 to 12 revolutions.
    Power should peak at a high level. Strive for a Peak Power on each of at least double your FTP. Do 1 to 3 sets of 3 repetitions in a workout.
    Recover in zone 1 for 3 minutes after each repetition and for 6 minutes between sets.
    The risk of injury, especially to the knees, is high for this workout. Stop the workout at the first sign of unusual joint discomfort. The purpose of this workout is to increase muscular force production.
Speed Skills Workouts
    High-cadence drill. There are many drills to improve pedaling skills; this is the most common and basic.
    In the course of a given workout of your choice, insert several high-cadence intervals of a few minutes each. During each of these intervals, increase your cadence to a level that is just slightly uncomfortable and then maintain it for the length of the interval. Use a low (easy) gear.
    Recover between intervals for several minutes while pedaling at your normal cadence.
    Over the course of several weeks, extend the duration of each interval and the combined interval time for the workout. The purpose of this workout is to improve pedaling efficiency.
Muscular Endurance Workouts
    Sweet-spot intervals. These intervals are best done on a flat course or one that has a slight uphill grade. Complete 2 intervals of 20 minutes each at an Intensity Factor of 0.88 to 0.93. Recover in zone 1 for 5 minutes between intervals.
    The first few times you do this workout within a block of training, you may find it helpful to start with shorter intervals by doing something such as 4 × 10 minutes with 2.5-minute recoveries in zone 1 or 3 × 15 minutes with 4-minute recoveries. The purpose of this workout is to increase your Functional Threshold Power.
    Cruise intervals. These may be done on flat terrain or up a hill similar to what is expected in your race. Do 3 to 5 intervals of 5 to 12 minutes each at an intensity equal to power zone 4. The recoveries between the intervals are in power zone 1 and are about a fourth as long as the preceding interval. For example, if an interval is 6 minutes long, the recovery following it is 90 seconds. A 12-minute interval would be followed by a 3-minute recovery.
    Cruise intervals performed on a hill may make it impossible to keep the recoveries to a fourth of the interval duration due to the time requiredto descend. In this case, return to the bottom of the hill and start the next interval as soon as possible. The purpose of this workout is to improve muscular endurance.
    Tempo intervals. This workout is best done on a course that simulates your racecourse. Complete several intervals of 20 minutes each at power zone 3. The number of intervals you should do depends on the event for which you are training. A criterium racer may do 3, whereas an Ironman triathlete or century rider may do 6 to 8.
    Recover by pedaling easily in power zone 1 for 5 minutes after each interval.
    Use a small number of intervals the first few times you do this workout in a block of training. Increase the number of intervals with each subsequent session or two. Be sure to practice your pacing strategy (50-40-30-20-10 Rule and match-burning control). The purpose of this workout is to improve muscular endurance.
Anaerobic Endurance Workouts
    Fast group ride. For the road cyclist, this is the ultimate race-simulation workout in the build period. In order to simulate the anticipated Training Stress Score of a road race, however, it’s possible that that the entire ride may need to be longer than the group-ride portion. It’s common, therefore, to precede or follow the group ride with race-appropriate intervals. The purpose of this workout is to prepare for a road race or criterium.
    VO 2 max intervals. These intervals may be done on flat terrain or on a hill. Do 3 to 8 intervals of 2 to 4 minutes each in power zone 5. It’s common to do 8 to 20 minutes of total interval time within such a workout.
    Recover in zone 1 for the same amount of time as the previous interval.
    This is a high-risk workout. Be aware of joint discomfort, especially the knees. Safety must also be a concern