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

when doing this workout on the open road. Find a stretch of road where there are no intersections and the traffic is light. The purpose of this workout is to boost aerobic capacity or prepare for the stresses of a road race or criterium.
    Match-burning intervals. Complete several sets of short intervals with brief and incomplete recoveries (in zone 1) between them. Group the intervals by sets with longer recoveries (on the order of 2 to 5 minutes) between sets. How long each interval lasts, how great the power is, and how many such intervals you do in a session depend on your definition of a “match” (see Chapter 5 for details) and what you anticipate the demands of your race will be.
    A typical road race workout is 3 sets of 5 intervals with each interval in zone 6 and lasting 20 to 30 seconds. The recoveries may be 40 to 50 seconds between intervals and 3 minutes between sets. Your purpose in doing this workout is to prepare for the high-intensity matches that determine the outcomes of criteriums and road races.
Sprint Power Workouts
    Jumps. During an otherwise moderate-to low-intensity ride, include several very brief all-out sprints lasting perhaps 6 to 8 pedal strokes each.
    Do these on varied terrain: flat, uphill, and downhill. Also do them both in and out of the saddle. Include some sprints holding on to the brake hoods and others while in the drops. Cadence should be high.
    Between sprints, return to the workout’s general intensity (such as zone 2), taking a long time to recover between sprints.
    This workout is often best done with a training partner for head-to-head competition. The purpose is to achieve as high a wattage as possible in the shortest amount of time.
    Hill sprints. On to a hill with a 4 to 6 percent grade, do 6 to 9 sprints. Use a flying start for each sprint, taking several seconds to build speed on the approach to the hill. Sprint up the hill for 10 to 15 pedal strokes at maximal effort with a high cadence.
    Recover for 3 to 6 minutes after each sprint. The purpose of this workout is to increase sprint power.

APPENDIX B
SETTING HEART RATE ZONES FOR CYCLING
    This quick guide will help you get the intensity of your workouts dialed in for your heart rate monitor. Note that the lactate threshold heart rate test is best done early in the base and build periods.
    Step 1. Determine your lactate threshold heart rate (LTHR) with the following short test. (Do not use 220 minus your age to find max heart rate, as this is as likely to be wrong as right. For a deeper explanation, see my book Total Heart Rate Training.)
    To find your LTHR, do a 30-minute time trial all by yourself (no training partners and not in a race). This time trial should be ridden as if it were a race for the entire 30 minutes. At 10 minutes into the test, click the lap button on your heart rate monitor. When done, check the monitor display for your average heart rate for the last 20 minutes. That number is an approximation of your LTHR.
    Note: I am frequently asked if you should go hard for the first 10 minutes. The answer is yes. Go hard for the entire 30 minutes. But be aware that most people doing this test go too hard the first few minutes and then gradually slow down for the remainder. Doing so will give you inaccurate results. The more times you do this test, the more accurate your LTHR is likely to become, as you will learn to pace yourself better at the start.
    Step 2 . Establish your training zones using the following guide:

GLOSSARY
    5 Percent Rule. A rule according to which, when the duration of the session or a segment thereof doubles, the power to ride at a maximal effort for the longer duration decreases by 5 percent.
    50-40-30-20-10 Rule. A rule that assists with pacing based on a combination of speed and effort.
    Acute Training Load (ATL). The recent workload of training (such as past 7 days) as defined by frequency, intensity, and duration. Expressed as Training Stress Score per day.
    Aerobic threshold. A zone 2 workout aimed at boosting aerobic endurance.
    Average power. The total amount of power data collected during a ride divided by the number of time units (minutes, for example) during which it was collected.
    Bottom bracket. A housing or support for the ball bearing races for the cranks through which the cranks are connected, found at the intersection of the seat tube, down tube, and chainstays on a bicycle.
    Cadence. The rate at which pedals are turned on a bicycle. See “Revolutions per