Following an extended warm-up, riders find anaerobic Threshold, then take on three core challenges. Interval 1 – hit and hold Threshold then accelerate over Threshold for 30-45 seconds at the end; Interval 2 – accelerate in the middle; Interval 3 – accelerate in the beginning then come back to Threshold.
The point of this profile? Not only do riders get to train Threshold, but they’re reminded what it takes to return to Threshold after accelerating. We tend to be good at building up to a really hard effort, nailing it, and then dropping back for a recovery (as in the first interval). Exploring what it takes to ride hard, then really hard, then back to hard is a different adventure!
You can repeat the core “end, middle, beginning” challenges, or do what I did and mix it up by adding a Sprint and other variations. I liked the idea of adding a Sprint to highlight the difference between accelerating into anaerobic zones vs. max effort. Also notice that following the Sprint there’s a recovery vs. a refuel. I use the word refuel so that riders who don’t need a full recovery after a sub-max effort can take only what they need to prepare for the next challenge.
If you’d like more information on Threshold and coaching tips, explore Five Spokes articles and videos located on our site.
Have fun, make it your own and let us know how it goes!
