Time for speed drills! Warm up, then have riders add resistance and push a few accelerations to get their legs ready for speed.
Four drills: 1st one is a total of 8:00: Speed ladders – take riders from low 90s RPM for :20, then high 90s :20 to low 100s for :20 followed by :30 recover (1:30 total) 4 times, then have them choose an RPM 90-110 and hold for 2:00. These are hard efforts and riders should need the 3:00 refuels – if not, they probably are riding fast and light vs. fast and strong!
I coach not to exceed 110 RPM. Resistance is key for safe, effective speed – speed without enough resistance won’t optimize their time in the saddle. If you see riders bouncing, coach them to add resistance! After class you can also point them to our site to explore the video “Finding the Right Resistance” and the “Resistance: Tackling the Why” article in the Participants section. You can also check these out before class and use some of our coaching tips
Drill 2 – 6:00: Use 1:00 to gradually add enough resistance to do jumps in hand position 2 for :30 then saddle down and push as much speed as possible while holding the resistance. I do hand position 2 jumps at 4 counts with less resistance than jumping in hand position 3. Do this 4 times, then have them add more resistance for :15 and jump in hand position 3, 8 counts for :45 to finish.
Drill 3 – 6:00: Repeat the 1st drill but drop the 2:00 rider’s choice.
Drill 4 – 7:00: Repeat the 2nd drill but with slightly longer durations.
Finish with a 1:00 refuel, then hard and fast for 2:00, rider’s RPM choice!
Have fun, let us know if you have any questions, and, as always – STAY AWESOME!
