FOREWORD This annual manual is simply a full year of training, month-by-month, under my personal guidance. Although the intention is to start in November, obviously, if you acquire your copy at any other time, you must start using it then. For the price of a decent quality tyre, you will definitely improve your performances by following the teachings of this manual. Many of you have had success using my previous training manuals and videos, but this one is something completely different! You don’t even have to think about what you are going to do on a day-to-day basis; just pick up the manual and it will tell you. Easy, isn’t it? As in all my previous manuals, I have left all of the opposite pages blank for your own notes, so make sure you use them. I know that it takes up a bit more time, but you will find that ongoing notes, a training diary, are invaluable. You always think you will remember, but you don’t, so get on with it and make those notes! You’ll be pleased you made the effort.

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INDEX

Introduction…………………………………………………………………..3 The Prologue………………………………………………………………….5 Testing for Improvement & Self-Assessment……………………..7 The Maximum Heart Rate Test………………………………………..10 Five Suggested (Lactate) Training Levels…………………..…….13 November…………………………………………………………………….14 Training the Base…………………………………………………………..15 December……………………………………………………………………..19 January………………………………………………………………………...23 February………………………………………………………………….…...26 March…………………………………………………………………………..32 April…………………………………………………………………………….37 May………………………………………………………………………………44 Speed & Power on the Road…………………………………………….46 Speed & Power on the Turbo……………………………………………48 June……………………………………………………………………………..51 July………………………………………………………………………………56 August………………………………………………………………………….61 September…………………………………………………………………….65 October…………………………………………………………………………69

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INTRODUCTION This isn't a 'book' about training, it's a 'manual', and like any other manual such as bricklaying, woodwork etc., you only have to follow the guidelines or instructions and you will be able to do it better than you could before. Simple isn't it? As I say to all the cyclists who train with me, "if you are going to do it at all, you might as well do it properly". Doing something correctly doesn't take up any more time than doing it in a half-hearted, hit 'n' miss fashion. However, you would be surprised at how many cyclists continue to do just that. Every single season! On January 1st, the majority of competitive cyclists in the U.K. begin 'training' for the new racing season and most of them get it hopelessly wrong every time. 'Training', to the average clubman, invariably means riding the bike on a Sunday (club run maybe?), and possibly a couple of nights during the week. The intensity generally depends on who else is out on the ride, or how the cyclist in question feels on the day. There is often no structure and as the winter progresses and the nights become lighter the evening rides develop, (more often than not), into a 'chain gang'. This then means that regardless of ability, everyone on the chain gang attempts to do exactly the same type of training only at varying intensities! Eventually the numbers dwindle as the strong become stronger and the weak become disillusioned by the constant battering they receive, and also by eventually getting shot off the back every week. This happens because contrary to popular belief, chain gang type training only suits a small minority of racing cyclists and is actually counter productive to the rest. Let me ask you a question: do you think "practice makes perfect"? No, of course it doesn't. 'Practice' simply makes you do what you are striving to do either slightly better, or most likely much worse depending on who showed you how to do it in the first place! For instance if someone in your club who wasn't a coach and had never achieved anything better than a fourth cat road licence or a 65 min '25', told you how to train, you probably wouldn't do any better yourself regardless of how much you practiced. This is why most club level cyclists never show sign of improvement although they have been training (practicing wrongly) for years. In other words they constantly practice at being a poor cyclist! Fortunately because of the massive volume of work they have done while practicing, it may only take a subtle change in training before they become a great cyclist. But, being a 'dyed in the wool' club cyclist, I have found that a change in training routine is something that (for some reason) club cyclists in general are reluctant to do, and this is why they always remain average club level cyclists! Now let me tell you something, there is no need to remain 'average'. If you are prepared to apply yourself to a progressive, structured training routine

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your full potential will slowly but surely develop. With some cyclists this can take two or three full seasons, with others only three months or so. It all depends on the individuals’ physical ability to adapt to training, plus of course their level of commitment and dedication. You will now quickly scan through this manual and be instantly motivated by what you read. Whether you improve or become successful depends on how long you remain motivated. The top cyclists I work with are constantly motivated, they can't wait to train and when the training is over they can't wait for the weekend to race. This level of motivation isn't short term, it continues from one season to the next. Success breeds motivation and once you begin to improve then your levels of motivation will rapidly increase. Without improvement, the athlete quickly becomes un-motivated, often losing all interest in the sport. It is vital therefore to conduct some sort of on-going assessment throughout the non-competitive season in order to prove to yourself that the training is actually working. I will detail a simple method of assessment later in the manual.

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THE PROLOGUE Within the pages of this manual I am going to explain in detail how to train more effectively given the time you have available. I will take you through a typical year, month by month, starting with a basic conditioning phase and progressing right through to, power, speed, racing and general maintenance as the season progresses. I will also show you how to avoid both physical and mental mid season staleness, and explain the real benefits of correct fuelling and hydration. You will find nothing copied from other training books or manuals (except my own), and there will be no unnecessary 'padding' or useless information, which in my opinion ruins the majority of 'training' books and manuals. The entire manual is plainly written and easy to follow but if you do have a problem with any part of it then either write to me, listing your queries concisely, and please enclose an S.A.E., otherwise I won't reply. Or alternatively send an e-mail and I will reply to either within 48 hours. The idea behind this manual is to improve your overall cycle specific fitness. It doesn't matter which discipline you are involved with, whether it's road racing, off road/MTB, time trials, track or touring you will benefit immensely from the improvement gained in your cycle specific fitness. I will also outline sessions to address the needs of your' particular weakness, (strength, speed, power etc.). However, regardless of how well you train and how fit you ultimately become, the real discipline specific fitness will only come from regular competition. Whatever level you are currently at, you will definitely improve if you follow the basic guidelines within! You will need to be reasonably familiar with the workings of a heart rate monitor, and it would be beneficial to either own or have use of a turbo trainer. If you don't own a heart rate monitor (H.R.M. from now on) then I suggest you buy one now. Just buy the basic model that gives you nothing but heart rate, they are currently (November 1999) around £35 and exceptional value. The turbo too needs only to be basic but if you can afford it go for one with variable magnetic resistance as you will find it useful when undertaking some of the sessions in this manual. I don't usually name names as I gain nothing for doing so. Anyway, for once I am going to break this silence and recommend the Cateye Cyclosimulator. I have been using the Cateye Cyclosimulators since I started turbo training back in 1985 and to date no one has made a better machine for the money. In fact, my original model is now 14 years old and has done literally thousands of hours, training hundreds of cyclists and although it has rusted somewhat, it still works perfectly. Try to buy one second hand via an advert in one of the cycling magazines and if this isn't possible then treat yourself to a new one, it will last your entire cycling career.

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There is a chart of heart rate training percentages on page 11 along with details of how to achieve your maximum heart rate. I suggest you train on heart rate whenever possible as it eliminates both the guesswork, and the unnecessary 'junk' miles. However, don't become a slave to the H.R.M. as there are many factors that affect the operating heart rate on a day-to-day basis. Simply use it as a training tool by always making a note of your training or racing heart rate along with how you felt on the day, and as the season progresses a pattern will evolve which you will find to be an invaluable reference source. As in all my, manuals I have left the reverse of all the pages blank. This will enable you to make those all-important training notes as they arise without having to search frantically for pen and paper. Always make notes both during and after every session, this will seem a bit of a bind at the time but you will be please you did as you become increasingly aware of the value of structured training! If you are a total novice with absolutely no knowledge whatsoever of any aspect of cycle training either on the road or turbo, then you might like to obtain a copy of my previous manual, "advanced turbo training" (the blue book), which explains virtually all you need to know. Don't be put off by the title "advanced", it's just that it contains some training sessions that are, more advanced than the ones in my previous manual. Just forward me a cheque for £11 and I will send you a copy by return of post. Okay, the training programme that follows will start at the end of a racing season that for most cyclists is some time in October. You would then probably have a few weeks off and start training aerobic fitness base early in November. This would give you approximately 16 weeks before the new season, that is assuming you start racing early in March. However, if you ride cyclo-cross, mountain bike, or indoor track events through the winter then you will have to adjust the entire calendar a few months either way to suit your particular season.

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TESTING FOR IMPROVEMENT & SELF-ASSESSMENT Okay, I know it is obvious that for a cyclist to improve, training has to be progressive. Well, if it is so obvious then why on earth don’t cyclists generally train progressively? Do you know what progressive training means, how to actually do it and how to recognise the improvement it brings? If the answer is yes to these questions then you should skip this chapter as you would be only wasting your time reading it. For those of you who aren’t already involved in progressive training I will outline the basic idea. Heart rate training is a naturally progressive way to train. If you are already using a heart monitor regularly and working to your four levels, then your training is bound be naturally progressive to a degree. The reason for this being, as the heart muscle becomes fitter the actual chamber increases in size causing more blood to be pumped with each beat. Therefore, the heart muscle doesn’t have to beat as rapidly to do the same work, causing both the working, and resting heart rates to reduce. As the working heart rate progressively reduces you will find you then have to lift your effort to maintain the same given heart rate. This is putting progressive fitness training in the smallest nutshell possible! However, speed on the bike is not only down to the fitness of the heart muscle, there are numerous other critical and extremely complex factors to take into account. Luckily it doesn’t really matter whether you know about these or not. If you train progressively you will virtually be guaranteed improvement anyway. What we are looking for is an improvement in speed and power for a given heart rate. After all, at the end of the day it is out and out speed that wins races. Yes, I am quite aware that tactics come into it as well, but invariably it is the fastest rider that eventually carries the trophies home. To enable you to train progressively you must use at least two known factors. I suggest one of them is heart rate and the other should be one of the following: speed, power (in watts) or revs in a certain gear. The easiest way to arrive at a working benchmark is to use the turbo. As I discussed earlier this is the perfect environment in which to monitor improvement. Always use the same bike, with the same back wheel and tyre pumped to the same pressure. These are all constants which you can refer to forever if need be. There are other factors that will affect performance which you have little or no control over such as humidity, barometric pressure, air temperature,

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your own hydration and muscle glycogen levels etc. There is no point in attempting to take these into account although on certain days. They will have a significant affect on the result. First decide which two values you are going to use, as I said one should be heart rate and for arguments sake I will assume the other is speed, as all cycle computers have this as a basic function.

To ensure you are fully recovered don't train or race for at least 24 hours prior to the test.

Ensure your computer is functioning correctly and is actually working

off the rear wheel!

Put your heart rate monitor on.

Pump the rear tyre to a given pressure (100 PSI?). It doesn't really matter what pressure you use as long as it is always the same each time you test for improvement.

This is the simplest of tests to evaluate your own progression.

Warm up steadily for 10 minutes.

Engage a gear that you can pedal comfortably without over stressing

yourself, and-pedal at a constant speed (20 MPH?) Until your heart rate settles down. This will take between 2 and 10 minutes depending on your present state of fitness.

When you are absolutely sure your heart rate has settled, then record

it (140 BPM?) and warm down. That is it! No more than that. You now have a benchmark to judge the progression of your training by. 140 beats per minute at 20 miles per hour, or whatever it happened to be. This test is only for comparison! It is not a heart rate test as such and shouldn't be particularly stressful. You must use speed/heart rate to suit yourself, and your level of fitness! Don't necessarily use the figures I have quoted. So you now have two figures 140 beats per minute and 20 miles per hour. The next time you do this simple test to evaluate your progression you can either use the speed or the heart rate as your constant value.

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If you decide to use the 'speed' 20 mph or whatever speed you decided on, this means you will always pedal at 20 mph every time you do the test! And if your training is working progressively as it should be! Your heart rate should actually drop a couple of beats each time you test yourself (once a month). Until finally you eventually reach your optimum fitness when you will no longer see a reduction in heart rate. This will mean your entire system has become extremely efficient and you are progressing in the right direction. However if your heart rate has increased at 20 mph rather than decreased, then for some reason your training has not been progressive or some aspect of it isn’t suiting you in which case stop what you are doing and go back to the drawing board (or contact me). On the other hand you may have decided to adopt heart rate as the constant factor, in which case you will always use 140 BPM or whatever figure you decided on. At the end of the second test you should have improved on 20 mph while using a heart rate of 140bpm. However, this is a far more taxing way to self-test as even the test is progressive. That is to say the more efficient the heart muscle becomes, the higher the speed you will need to attain 140 BPM. This self test isn’t anything like as demanding as the max test and therefore can be carried out on a regular basis. It won’t, however, indicate your potential racing fitness as a max or sub maximal (threshold) test would, just whether or not you are moving in the right direction. This type of regular self-assessment can be carried out throughout the entire season. It enables you to detect whether or not you have recovered after racing as well as general ongoing trends in your levels of fitness.

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THE MAXIMUM HEART RATE TEST First a serious warning. . . If you are in any doubt whatsoever about any aspect of your general health, particularly your heart muscle and other major organs then do not attempt to undertake this test. Please don’t take this warning lightly. If there is a niggling doubt at the back of your mind then at the very least consult your doctor or even ask for a full medical. Without first undertaking a maximum heart rate test it is difficult, if not impossible, to train accurately in the heart rate zones, levels or windows that I suggest. There are a number of ways to attain max heart rate but the one that has stood the test of time is the progressive ramp test that is also known as the Conconi test. This being named after the Italian sports scientist who initially developed it some twenty years ago The ramp test can be conducted in a number of ways but however you decide to do it the effort must be both progressive and constant.

METHOD ONE: ON THE ROAD If you don't have a turbo, the max test can be undertaken on a long constant gradient. You will need a speedometer and timing device of some description on your bike. First, warm up for ten minutes or so. Then engage a gear that you find slightly too big and ride to a point where you are becoming very slightly breathless. Increase your effort by two miles per hour every 30 seconds while remaining in the same gear. When you feel 100% exhausted do one final sprint until your legs go completely. Note your heart rate at this point. You must ride to total exhaustion, if you don’t then it is highly unlikely you will have achieved your accurate max. If you aren't happy with the result please do not be tempted to try again immediately. The test is extremely demanding so leave it about a week before having a second attempt. Do not be tempted to do just one sprint from cold as a short cut to a max result. It doesn't work because the instant build up of lactic acid will inhibit your effort before you reach max. For obvious reasons this test done on the open road cannot be as accurate as when done in a controlled environment. However, some cyclists are actually able to attain a higher heart hate on the road than on the turbo. So by all means try both methods if you want but allow a week between tests to ensure complete recovery.

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METHOD TWO: ON THE TURBO TRAINER

You will need a turbo trainer, training bike, ideally fitted with a block in one tooth increments. Reliable heart rate monitor, paper and pen, someone to help you. Ensure the bike is well fixed to the turbo and that all the gears are working perfectly. Check that the tyre is inflated to the pressure you will always use when testing, I use 100 PSI or 7 Bar. Test that the monitor is working well, and that the signal from the transmitter belt is showing strongly on the receiver. Have your helper standing by with pen and paper, and make sure he knows exactly what to do before you start. It is impossible for you to issue any instructions once you are well into the test. Your helper will need to do the following:

Keep an accurate record of your heart rate every minute.

Remind you to change gear every two minutes.

Ensure you are maintaining the correct cadence at all times.

Encourage you verbally toward the end of the test.

Instruct you to stop immediately if he can see any problem arising during the test.

The Test: Warm up briskly in a small gear for approx 10 minutes. Engage the big ring and the lowest of your top six gears (52x18?) And pedal at a consistent cadence of 95 RPM for 2 minutes Then change up one sprocket while maintaining the same revs. Continue by changing up one sprocket every two minutes until you cannot continue because of total exhaustion. This must be a 100% plus, all out effort. Change onto a small gear and keep your legs moving. Do not stop immediately the test finishes, it is extremely dangerous to do so.

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Instead of using revs in certain gears, you can use miles per hour or watts if you have the facility on your turbo. This would mean increasing your effort by 1 mph or 20 watts instead of changing onto a higher sprocket. Anyway, once you have completed the test you will have a result showing heart rate in given gears/speed or watts or whatever method of resistance you have used. You can then make up a simple graph like the one on page 65. To keep a check on further development in your fitness levels it is then simply a matter of adding each subsequent test result in a different colour. Before actually reaching your true max you will have passed through a stage which is known by a number of names such as . . . The anaerobic, lactate or ventilatory threshold, or more commonly as the point at which we go into oxygen debt. In most cases this will show up as a “leveling out” of the graph two or three minutes before you have reached max. Conconi called this the pulse deflection and it generally coincides with the heart rate at which the majority of cyclists are able to race for approx 30 minutes. Always remember, your personal maximum heart rate could be anywhere between 160-220 beats per minute with a pulse deflection point of around 15 beats below your max. Do not use the hopeless but popular equation of 220 minus your age to arrive at your max heart rate. It is invariably inaccurate in about 95% of all athletes. In short it doesn’t work. Once you have arrived at your true max, use the training levels chart to personalize your own individual sessions or in fact your entire programme. The more accurately you are able to work in conjunction with your personal heart rate levels, the less training you need to do. There is a possibility that you cannot create enough resistance on your turbo to even reach max heart rate. If this is the case you will either have to do the test on the road as in 'Test 1" or increase the resistance on your existing turbo by simply adjusting the roller so it presses harder on the tyre. If you have a turbo with a variable magnetic resistance then the problem will not arise.

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FIVE SUGGESTED (LACTATE) TRAINING LEVELS Based on Maximum Heart Rate (Peter Read 1999)

MHR Level 0 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4

55-65% 65-75% 75-85% 85-95% 95%

210 136 157 178 199 + 200 130 150 170 190 + 190 123 142 161 180 + 180 117 135 153 171 + 170 110 127 144 161 + 160 104 120 136 152 +

Unlike some heart rate training levels these are realistic, attainable and, most importantly of all extremely effective. Below lactate Level 0 = long easy recovery rides after very high intensity racing, training or illness. Sessions of extremely light effort are more recuperative than total rest. Effort at this level will always feel too easy! Lactate Level 0-1 = long endurance training rides of 4 hours or more. This type of effort is used to build an aerobic base on which to train speed and power. Ensure you include one session each week in your programme. Lactate Level 1-2 = hard controlled rides of 2.5 to 4 hours, builds power and stamina in readiness for long races. Might feel too easy to start with but this level of riding will take its toll if you haven't already trained a decent aerobic base. One session a week, as with Level 1. Lactate Level 2-3 = short hard training rides of 30 - 90minutes, long intervals of 0.5 – 2.5 miles, fast bit and bit with riders of equal ability. This is true speed work, ensure you rest well after training at this level. Again just one session each week is all you need if you adhere to suggested heart rate. Lactate Level 3-4 = can be counter productive in big doses. Use no more than once a week for short intervals of approximately 1 minute in duration. This type of training is extremely demanding, ensure plenty of recovery before training again. To be attempted no later than Wednesday if racing at the weekend.

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NOVEMBER

Building the Aerobic Fitness Base November is typically the month when most cyclists begin their winter hibernation. The current season has generally finished several weeks ago, depending on how long into the season you race, and the beginning of the "new season seems to be years away. So, what do we do now? Well there are actually endless options including the most popular such as swimming, weight training, running, circuit training etc., all being a complete change to cycling. Unfortunately cycling now tends to take a back seat as the new winter pastimes take priority. Ok, become involved in other sports (cross training) during the off season but make sure you only do it to keep fit because what usually happens is at this point things sometimes go wrong. The cyclist often forgets where his priorities lie and becomes a body builder or runner instead! I have seen this happen on many occasions although I suppose the cyclist in question would have been lost to the sport anyway if he had been sidetracked so easily! So if you decide to undertake some cross training, just remember that you are a cyclist and that the other sports are simply to help you to maintain a decent level of all round fitness throughout the winter months. You must also remember that although the act of swimming running, or weight training etc. will help you to maintain core fitness, it will not in itself make you into a better cyclist. I have done all these things and I can tell you now, there is definitely no substitute for actually riding the bike! You will have most likely finished racing toward the end of September or early into October and will, therefore, have had three or four weeks rest by now hopefully just taking things easy. You may have continued to ride the bike at a very low intensity or you may have done nothing whatsoever. Either way it doesn't really matter as long as you have allowed your body to recover from the weekly, or twice weekly battering it has endured throughout the season. Having a break from the bike is vital, no matter how much you are in love with the sport you cannot continue to train hard 52 weeks a year. Anyway, it's now early November and it could be the beginning of your comeback, or possibly your first season ever. It may even be that you have raced for years, but never trained through the winter. There again you could have always trained through the winter but never felt any real benefit. Well, whatever you have done in the past makes very little difference as you are now going to start training properly on the first Sunday in November!

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Traditionally, winter training is all about 'getting in the miles'. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, as it is a very necessary part of improving your aerobic base. However, to the average club cyclist, 'getting in the miles' generally means wasting hundred of hours, many of these in unpleasant hostile weather conditions alternated with sitting in warm, damp cafes neither of which is conducive to building a good level of aerobic fitness base for me racing season ahead. O.K., I know just what you are thinking so before I go any further, I must say that I do realise that these Sunday rides (club runs) are what true club level cycling is all about! But, I’m not writing a manual on club runs, or how to maintain the spirit of social cycling at club level, this manual is simply about how to go faster in competition and nothing more! If you are totally passionate about Sunday club runs then I will go along with that, but this manual isn't what you need!

TRAINING THE BASE So, on to the bit that matters: the efficient training of the aerobic base. I know this is possibly the most tedious phase of training but it simply has to be done so don't neglect it. I cannot over emphasise the importance of the need to train a good depth of aerobic base. Without a decent 'base' you will '-ever reach your optimum potential as a competitive cyclist. The greater the base, the better, faster and longer you will compete. A massive base makes you bombproof, meaning you won't 'blow' in events, and you will be able to race an entire season without becoming stale. It will also enable you to race at more consistent level than you have in the past. However, although base is generally created in the winter, (non-competitive period), it must also be maintained throughout the season as well, and this is where most club cyclists go wrong! More later. The classic heart rate zone in which to train aerobic base is in the Level 2 zone. It is loosely 75-85% of your maximum heart rate. I say 'loosely' because everyone’s training levels vary a few beats. In fact what is an easy Level 2 ride for one may be feel like racing to another so use the chart as a rough guide and adjust your Level 2 heart rate accordingly. It's quite likely that your Level 2 is in exactly the same zone as on my chart as most cyclists are. However, if you feel you are one of the minority then start at the point on the chart and if it feels too hard then ease back by 5 beats and see how that feels. On the other hand, if it's far too easy then pick it up by 5 beats and you should be around there somewhere. To help you to decide where Level 2 is for you, ride at mid Level 2, or 80% of your heart rate on the chart and you should be just very slightly breathless and a hint taxed. If you can ride constantly at this level for more than 1½ to 2 hours then it is too easy. Level 2 training is not easy, and long rides in excess of 2hours generally can't be completed at this level. If the duration of a ride in winter, or summer for

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that matter exceeds 2 hours then I suggest you drop down into upper Level 1 or low Level 2. Anything higher than that will leave you over-fatigued, which will negate the productive training effect of the ride. So, to summarise the above points, aerobic base rides in excess of 2 hours should really be done at mid-upper Level 1, and rides below 2 hours at low-mid Level 2. The key to these rides, or training sessions as they really are, is to maintain constant effort throughout wherever possible, plus or minus 5 beats or so. For instance, if your maximum heart rate is 200 BPM and you intend to ride for 2 hours at mid Level 2, you should be riding in a heart rate zone of 155-165 BPM and never allowing your heart rate to drift outside these values. You might find it difficult to control you effort, or in fact to concentrate for a long enough period of time when working within this 10 beat window. But please practice until you are able to do it as we discussed earlier, you are now practicing to be perfect and accurate H.R. Training is definitely the way forward. As a matter of interest I have found that 2 hours at accurate Level 2 can easily equate to 6 hours or more of aimless hit'n'miss type training. Always bear in mind that the more base work you are able to fit into your life, the better cyclist you will eventually be! So, how do we go about creating this base? Well, I will detail sessions for you, either on the road or turbo and I suggest you do a combination of these amounting to a total of between 6-12 hours per week depending on how much time you are prepared to put into your quest for improvement. Try to split your available time between the road and turbo and if for instance you can spare 8 hours per week in total then attempt to do say 5hours on the road split into 2 hours on a Saturday @ Level 2 and 3hours on Sunday @ Level 1 plus 3 x 1 hour sessions on the turbo during the week @ Level 2. Please read this next paragraph carefully: While you are creating this all-important base it is essential that you do not become involved in any high intensity effort whatsoever. This means no sprinting, no racing with club mates and no hard circuit training in the gym. In fact don't to see your heart rate exceed the top of Level 2 even when climbing. To ensure this doesn't happen, I suggest you stay on flat or slightly undulating terrain for the time being. Any high heart rate training before the aerobic base is fully developed will simply cancel out the benefits so don't do it! The time will eventually come when I will want you to raise your effort but it isn't now) As I said earlier, if you ride a discipline that doesn't generally start in March as road races and time trials generally do, then you will move the starting

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month accordingly. For instance, if your racing season starts in October then you would start the base conditioning phase in June, allowing approx 16 weeks before the start of your particular racing season. So, a typical week in November should look like this: Sunday: 3 to 3.5 hours on the road nonstop working in a constant heart rate zone of mid-upper Level 1 to possibly low Level 2. You will find this easy going initially but as the winter progresses and the base builds you will naturally go faster at the same heart rate. Keep the gears sensibly low for the time being (42 x 16 or 17) to ensure a reasonably brisk cadence at all times. Eat sparingly but keep well hydrated. If you ride at the Levels suggested you will be using predominately stored body fat as fuel negating the need to take much on board in the way of solid food. The key to these rides is to keep within the suggested H.R. zone at all times and to keep eating to a minimum. Controlled effort can be difficult but it is vital that you do so otherwise the session will be wasted. Into a head wind you may be down to 8 or 10mph or with a strong wind on your back you could be doing 25-28mph even at these relatively low heart rates. You must make a real effort to adhere to the suggested heart rates regardless of wind, or terrain! Monday: have today completely off the bike or use today to cross train (swim, run, weights etc). It's a long time to the beginning of next season so afford yourself the luxury of a couple of days either easy or completely off each week and don't feel guilty! Tues, Wed and Thurs: do an hour on the road or turbo using the entire Level 2 zone. If you decide to cross train then it could be Wednesday but try to fit some turbo work in as well. Yo-yo your heart rate between the top and bottom of your personal Level 2 zone in a gear that gives you an average cadence of approx 95-100rpm. By 'yo-yo' I mean slowly increase your effort until H.R. Just touches the top of

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Level 2 and then ease back a hint until it gradually drops to the low end of Level 2. This entire process should not be hurried and ideally will take anything from 12 minutes. Continue to repeat this for up to an hour. If you don't already have one, then treat yourself to an electric fan to keep cool and sip plain water throughout these sessions to ensure complete re-hydration. Friday: either have today completely off or use it for cross training. Saturday: 2 hours on the road @ Level 2. This is a basic November training week. If you feel it is too much initially then start with half the above times and add 10-15minutes or so each week until you can complete the full times by the end of the month. Structured training will make its demands resulting in a feeling of slight fatigue. However, it is vital at this time of year you continue to train through this fatigue otherwise your body will not adapt to the next Level. It would be a completely different matter in the racing season when fatigue would mean rest!

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DECEMBER

The Gradual Introduction of Power You are now about 12 weeks away from the beginning of the new season and the base work will continue more or less as in November but there are already some slight changes required. Constant use of the small chain ring will make you aerobically fit but any improvement in muscle strength will be minimal. It is therefore important to gradually increase the gearing as the winter progresses. This should be done during the long weekend rides and I will also introduce a progressive power session on the turbo. A gradually progressive increase in gearing will create an improvement in muscle strength, and combined with your new Levels of aerobic fitness will eventually result in greater 'aerobic power', and this is what fast, successful cycling is all about. So, Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday will remain the same but you will use a gear approximately one tooth bigger this month. This is not a licence to use race size gears as it would be counter productive at this stage of the game so don't do it. An increase of one tooth is enough! You can gradually increase the length of the weekend road rides if you wish but I would advise you stick with 1 hour for each of the midweek turbo sessions. I am now going to outline a midweek turbo session designed to progressively increase your power. This session will last 12 weeks in total and should finish as you start racing. It doesn't matter if the two overlap for a couple of weeks as the power session is actually more important than racing early in the season. This can be done any day during the week but a Wednesday looks ideal at the moment.

The Progressive Power Session Wednesday: perhaps! Warm up as always and then engage the big ring and the lowest of your top seven gears. This will probably be the 19 sprocket on a close ratio block but it doesn't really matter as the true training effect doesn't begin to take place until the resistance increases as you change into the smaller sprockets bigger gears).

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If you are using a variable resistance turbo, select a resistance that feels like riding on the road, when in the gear suggested above. If it's a simple fan/flywheel affair then adjust the resistance accordingly if possible. If there is no adjustment whatsoever on your rig, then you might consider buying something else. So, you are warmed-up and have engaged the big ring and the lowest of your top seven sprockets. Pedal hard but controlled (do not sprint) to drive your heart rate up into the bottom 5 beats of your Level 3 zone and continue for 1 min in total. For instance if your M.H.R. is 200bpm then you will drive up to 175bpm and if max is 180bpm then your H.R. limit will be 158bpm. Ease right back for 1 min then change up one gear (to the 18 sprocket) and repeat. Continue this way right down to the 12 sprocket then cool down, end of session. You might think you haven't done enough but don't do any more today. This session is progressive, consequently there is more to do each week. This is simply an interval session of progressive 7 x 1 min efforts each followed by 1 min easy. However, they aren't the usual type of intensive flat out intervals you are probably familiar with as in this case the effort is controlled by your heart rate reaching the bottom 5 beats of your Level 3 zone. Do not exceed this heart rate. As you work down to the smaller sprockets (higher gears) you should find the final 2 or 3 minute efforts demanding even though your heart rate is relatively low. If you find difficulty in reaching low Level 3 then the resistance probably isn't great enough so you must either increase the tension or the resistance. Each week add 1 min to each interval and to each rest period until by the fourth week you are doing 4minutes on followed by 4minutes easy in each gear (seven times). Ensure you take the full rest period otherwise you may find difficulty completing the session. Never exceed the suggested heart rate of 5 beats into the bottom of your Level 3 heart rate zone. It doesn't matter how low your cadence drops, this is a power session so liken it to weight training in the gym.

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Maintain your style and position throughout each interval and don't stand up on the pedals to use your body weight. Eventually this session will now last well in excess of an hour when the warm up and cool down are included. In that time you could lose up to 2 litres of fluid if the atmosphere is warm. It therefore becomes increasingly important that you pay attention to re-hydration with plain water. After the 4th week of 7 x 4 min efforts with 4 minutes rest between you will now begin to reduce the rest period by 30 seconds each week until on the 12th week you will do 7 x 4 min as one 28 min long progressive effort with no rests between. This is a hard but manageable session and the effect it creates makes it all worthwhile. When simplified the above will look like this:

Week 1 - 7 x 1 min. efforts with 1 min. rest between Week 2 - 7 x 2 min. efforts with 2 min. rest between Week 3 - 7 x 3 min. efforts with 3 min. rest between Week 4 - 7 x 4 min. efforts with 4 min. rest between Week 5 - 7 x 4 min. efforts with 3½ min. rest between Week 6 - 7 x 4 min. efforts with 3 min. rest between Week 7 - 7 x 4 min. efforts with 2½ min. rest between Week 8 - 7 x 4 min. efforts with 2 min. rest between Week 9 - 7 x 4 min. efforts with 1½ min. rest between Week 10- 7 x 4 min. efforts with 1 min. rest between Week 11 - 7 x 4 min. efforts with ½ min. rest between Week 12 - 7 x 4 min. efforts with zero rest between

Only the work/rest periods change the gearing and heart rate always retains the same simple isn’t it! Don't try to do the complete session in your first attempt as some do, it is the gradual progression that creates the training effect there is no point in reaching your optimum Level of fitness at Christmas even if you do want to win the club new years day ‘10’! This is the time of year when the season still seems years away when in reality once Christmas is out of the way its only eight weeks. Please don’t fall into the trap of de-training during the Xmas and New Year period. It may only seem like a few days but it’s so easy to lose a couple of weeks at this time of year in undoing all the work that has been put in since the first week in November.

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I suggest you don’t miss any of the sessions regardless of where they fall. If Christmas day is on a Wednesday and you need to do the progressive power session then make sure it’s done. You will feel much better about it knowing you have made a real effort to increase your fitness levels while your opposition are over indulging and losing theirs! The next period takes us into January and the same applies to the New Year as – it did to Christmas. You are an athlete so everything in moderation!

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JANUARY

So You've Survived Christmas! Eight weeks to go now before the season start properly in March. You might have ridden a 'festive' event over the holidays, either just for fun or you may have taken it seriously as many do. Anyway, the holidays are now thankfully out of the way so there should be no more excuses for a while! Historically January brings the worst of the winter weather often limiting, or making the weekend road rides impossible. Well, this is exactly what the turbo was intended for, so there is no need to miss a session as it can so easily be done in the garage or shed. If the weather is so bad that you can't possibly get out on the road then I suggest you do a 'back to back' session. This is a split turbo session, doing 40-60 minutes in your Level 2 zone followed by 2-3 hours rest then by another 40-60min session. This is possibly one of the most productive ways of training but it's sometimes difficult to motivate ones self for the second session. Just look upon these back-to-back sessions as a means to an end and remember again, that you have a distinct advantage over the opposition when you train on the turbo and they simply sit at home because the weather is too bad! Don't look for excuses not to do it, this is where the 'edge' is created. Every single session adds to the superb aerobic base you are building so don't let yourself down at this point. Look upon the long road rides as having priority just now and if the weather is foul and you have to resort to a back to back on the 'rack' then treat this session as a second option. Another important point to watch is the ease at which athletes tend to pick up infection at this time of year. One of the main reasons for this is that for some time after training, your immune system is depressed making you extremely susceptible to picking up bacterial infections and viruses. The first hour after training is when the immune system is hardly working at all, so you must make a real effort to avoid all contact with anyone who is infected in any way. It is not worth taking the risk, as all the fitness you have created can be lost in the space of a week of illness. Please take what I say in this next paragraph seriously. I wouldn't waste time and paper typing it if it wasn't very relevant!

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If you develop typical cold or flu-like symptoms do not train. There are however some exceptions to this but you must ensure you have diagnosed the problem correctly first. Here are a few points to follow: If you have a sore throat, don’t touch the bike at all until the soreness has completely gone. Then, regardless of how well you feel, only train lightly for the next few days. A sore throat is often the first sign of infection and can develop into either sore lungs (a chest cold), or it can move up into the head. If it goes down onto the chest, again, don’t train until all the symptoms have completely gone, and then train only lightly for a few days. However, if it becomes a head cold, with the classic symptoms of a runny nose etc., then continue to train as normal if you feel okay to do so, but keep the intensity reasonably low until it has completely cleared up. These are only loose guidelines but, if you do as I suggest, you should be able to train throughout the Winter with no serious breaks. The most important point to remember is to never ever train with a sore throat, as there is a real danger that the infection could migrate to the major organs, so be warned! Okay, back to training. As I said earlier in the manual, the base work will continue throughout the entire year, so if you are ever in any doubt about which session you need to do, then do some base training. You cannot do TOO much, if the intensity is low enough, as there is always a positive training effect, without creating fatigue, if you keep your H.R. around upper Level 1 to low Level 2. So, a typical week’s training in January should be as follows. However, I would like to say that none of the sessions in the manual are carved in stone, so if you either miss or change the odd one, then don’t feel guilty! Sunday: the long ride continues, whenever the weather allows, although you know there is always the ‘back-to-back’ to resort to if snow is drifting up to the bedroom windows! Try to increase your gearing, again by one sprocket, if you feel able, but beware of over-gearing. As a rule of thumb, always feel comfortable with the gear you are using at any time, but avoid twiddling micro gears!

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Stay out on the road for as long as you are able and don’t stop unless it’s absolutely necessary. Dress warmly and carry enough fluids and solids, as the last thing you want to do is swap infections with other cyclists in a warm, damp, germ-infested café! Monday: as in earlier months, either have a day off or do some sort of cross training. Always remember that the bike has priority so, regardless of what you do, ensure you are fresh enough to train tomorrow night! Tuesday: the usual hour at Level 2. You may already be using the yo-yo type training I suggested earlier but to break the tedium further try the breaking the yo-yo efforts down into smaller increments of time. For instance try doing 60, 30 or even 15 seconds intervals with equal time off while keeping your heart rate within the Level 2 window. This could mean doing 60seconds on 60seconds off for an hour, which would equate to 30 efforts in total. Or you might use the 30 on, 30 off option or even 15 on, 15 off which would double or quadruple the amount of intervals you do. It doesn't really matter as long as you continue to work within the suggested heart rate parameters. I would suggest you try using them all in rotation. Wednesday: continue with the power session; it will begin to get interesting this month as the intervals become longer and slightly more taxing. Thursday: can only be a repeat of the Tuesday session but as you now have a couple of options to play with it won't seem so tedious. Friday: I would suggest you have today completely off now. The Wednesday session is becoming more demanding and you might have also extended the weekend road rides. It is becoming more important that you are recovering well enough to be able to complete all sessions. Saturday: just 1 hour on the road, working constantly in the top half of your Level 2 zone. This should be a fairly demanding session but one that leaves you feeling fresh and keen for the long Sunday ride. Right, that's it for January you should be noticing some sort of improvement to your general aerobic fitness. You may feel much stronger on the road or your mini tests might be showing a slight reduction in heart rate. Whatever it is, you have will have noticed it happening slowly and subtly as there shouldn't have been any real high heart rate training as yet!

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FEBRUARY

“Proper” Training Starts Here! Not that you haven't already been training properly! Anyway, for most of you, the competitive season is now only four weeks away, more or less, and over the past 12 weeks you have built what is probably the best aerobic fitness base you have ever had. This doesn't mean to say you will immediat- ely go faster the minute you start racing; there is actually more to it than that! It is the month when you make the painful transition from creating a base to raising your effort to race pace. This can be done in a couple of ways. The first is to continue with base work and simply start racing. This way you will race yourself fit' as many cyclists do. The other option, which I prefer, is to progressively introduce higher intensity intervals during this month, then, the 'threshold' of effort required to race doesn't come as such a shock to the system. It's up to you as to which option you decide to use, both work equally well in the long run. I suppose short term the intervals work better as they will enable you will start the season faster than you will have previously done. I would like you to bear in mind that a 'faster start' is just that, and it doesn't necessarily mean you will continue to go progressively faster throughout the season. By doing pre-season interval work some cyclists experience a much faster start but never actually go much faster as the season progresses. In fact their first race is often their best so be careful! So, if you want to open your season with more of a 'bang' than usual then introduce the interval work now. On the other hand, if you prefer to start gradually and improve your performances as the season progresses then continue with aerobic base work and just start racing as you would usually do. This way it may take half a dozen events before you begin to feel the real benefit of your winter’s toils but the season is long so does it really matter? Whatever type of training you decide to do this month don't be tempted to race' during your training sessions. If I suggest you ride at a higher heart rate than you have been doing during some of the winter sessions, remember it is still specific training, and real racing actually starts with your first competitive event! Don't be in too much of a hurry to see personal bests develop. If you have really done the training as I have suggested since early November, I promise you will eventually go faster. Unfortunately at this point many cyclists tool themselves into thinking they have trained correctly, never missing a session, where in reality they may have missed a session or two every week. It's so easy to tell yourself that; "an odd session missed can't matter much"

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but, unfortunately, without realising it, the "odd session" can develop into much more than that. Just one or two missed each week means could easily have missed 15 or 20 sessions between last November and now without realising it. So, as you can see, missing the "odd session" does matter quite a lot and if you haven't followed my suggestions to the letter then don't complain to me, just expect to perform accordingly. So, a week in February will be as follows: Sunday: if you specialise in road racing, or any branch of the sport that requires a constant change of pace, then this ride now takes place in reasonably hilly terrain. If you are a pure time trialist, then stick to flat or undulating terrain for the time being unless you intend to start your season with some hilly time trials or the odd road race. The length of the ride will remain the same but if you are a time trialist, the big ring is now introduced on the odd occasion. Don't use it for the entire ride, just as you feel you are able for periods ranging from a few seconds to 2 or 3 minutes. The heart rate can be pushed up to mid Level 3, but only in the periods when you are using the big ring. You must not be tempted to 'race' during these road rides as there is a lot to do yet and the approaching season is long! 'Control' is the key to all time trial training sessions. From now on the road man will do the majority of his road work in the hills or on undulating terrain while riding to a heart rate ceiling of mid Level 3 but only when climbing. Do not be tempted to 'hammer' up the climbs, there will be plenty of time to do that once you start racing proper. Ensure you allow your HR. to drop back to upper Level 1 to low Level 2 as soon as you get back on the flat. Attempt to ride the climbs on a gear that is a sprocket or two higher than you would normally do. This will mean a very low cadence initially but by over gearing on climbs you will rapidly become stronger. Whatever happens do not resort to 'micro gears' when climbing! These tiny gears offer no real training benefit other than to get you up the hills in the easiest (but often slowest) possible way You will notice that these rides are now effectively long interval sessions so as the month progresses increase the time you spend either in the big ring or climbing. If you ride both road and time trials then aim for a good mix of both types of terrain. Monday: if you are still cross training then I suggest you either finish with it or begin to taper down toward the end of the month. You cannot train hard

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on the bike four or five days a week and cross train on Monday as well. Something will eventually have to give! A light 20-30 minute recovery turbo session in a tiny gear, possibly 42 x 18 or 19 at Level 0 to 1 would be beneficial if yesterday’s ride has left you with heavy legs. Keep the cadence in excess of 100rpm. This type of recovery session is as good as, if not better than, a massage. Do not lift the heart rate regardless of how well you are feeling. This is pure recovery and anything higher than low Level 1 will create yet another training effect which we don't want today! Tuesday: the progressive interval session continues, and is moved to today. You will be feeling far stronger by now, using gears or resistances you wouldn't have thought possible back in November. Pay particular attention to re-hydration as the session becomes progressively harder. Wednesday: ideally you should now take the opportunity to do some additional road work. The nights are drawing out now, so possibly an hour or so after work could be fitted in somehow. If you are able to do this then I suggest you do just 1 hour at accurate mid Level 2 plus warm up and cool down, and keep your heart rate within 5 beats either way. A solid hour at mid Level 2 is extremely productive but you have to see mid Level 2 HR for the entire duration of the ride and not just now and again. You may find this difficult to do initially because you have various hazards to overcome. A similar session on the turbo will be relatively easy for the simple reason there are no road junctions, traffic lights or traffic, hills or wind to contend with. But, races aren't ridden on the turbo, and while ever it is an incredible training tool it is now time you left the relative safety of mid week turbo in your garage and ventured into the wide world of real road! Use the big ring for the entire ride but keep your cadence reasonably brisk. This means no race size gears yet! If you are able to have time off work, or can fit in a longer ride on Wednes-days (or any mid week day) then keep the heart rate generally in the Level 1 to Level 2 heart rate range. This ride can be extended to 2-4 hours or more if time allows but keep the heart rate reasonably controlled as suggested and don't 'race' within these rides yet. You should finish the longer road rides pleasantly tired but by no means shattered. Thursday: an “interesting” turbo session; 5 on 5 off x 5! This session is designed to help you change pace among other things, and is also a short sharp shock into real interval work. It is invaluable at this time of the year when most of your training has been steady state. It consists of

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'blocks' of 5 x 5 second intervals with just 5 seconds off between. Sounds complicated? It isn't! Warm up then engage bottom gear and big ring (maybe 52x21 or similar) and if you are using a variable resistance turbo, then use a resistance that relates approximately to the road. Stop pedaling completely and then hit the interval flat out for just 5 seconds, ease back to almost stopped for 5 seconds and repeat 5 times. This is one block of intervals and will take 45 seconds in total. Have 2 minutes easy to allow for complete recovery and repeat in each gear right down the bock finishing on the 13 or 12 sprocket. This could be between 6-9 blocks of intervals depending on how many sprockets you have. Don't be misled into thinking this session will be easy just because the intervals are only 5 seconds long. Done correctly it will be the hardest thing you have done all winter, almost a baptism of fire I’m afraid! As the weeks progress begin to come back down your gears by one sprocket each week until you are using all the gears from say 21 down to 13 and eventually back to the 21 over a few weeks; a training pyramid. You must take the full 2 minutes rest between sets otherwise you will be unable to complete the session. This is a very demanding session so do not underestimate the effect it will have on you. If you find you are unable to complete it initially, then do just what you are able to do, probably 3 or 4 sets of intervals initially, and add 1 set each week. There are no heart rate restrictions but it is unlikely you will exceed mid Level 3 because of the length of each set which is only 45 seconds. Take a carbohydrate drink while cooling down after this session. Because of the new high level of intensity you may have sore legs for the next two days or so but that will go as your body becomes accustomed to the session. Friday: make sure you have today off completely from now on. Saturday (first week in February): a road session which most of you may already be familiar with. This has to be done in the company of another

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cyclist of similar ability. There may be three of you but that is as many as I suggest otherwise there is a real danger of this developing into chain gang type training. Ensure you are all of a similar ability because if the ability difference is too great then it is likely the session will eventually become a 'race' as the weaker rider struggles to do his turn. Whether you call it 'bit 'n' bit', 'through and off' or whatever, it amounts to one of the same, sharing the work as you would in a road race break or team time trial. However, for the moment this is not done at race pace. After a reasonable warm up a rider goes to the front and does perhaps 30 or -1-0 revs in a gear that is easily manageable, keeping the cadence reasonably high, (not a race size gear yet) before pulling over and allowing the second rider to do a turn at the front. This is continued for 30-40 minutes depending on how you cope with it but the pace is restricted so that the heart rate of each rider is roughly in the Level 2 zone for the entire session. I know this will feel far too easy but the idea is to practice doing bit 'n' bit until you can do it smoothly without being tempted to sprint through to the front when it's your turn. Keep everything smooth and controlled throughout the session. Do not allow this session to develop into a race, the intensity will increase over the next four weeks so your time will come! Explain to your training partner just what you intend to do so he or she also knows you are not going to simulate a race, not this week at least! I will emphasise once again that controlling your heart rate, and keeping the effort smooth is the key to this session at the moment. There must be no changes in pace as one rider takes over from the other. You shouldn't have to sprint to catch up! This can be a true case of practice making perfect, so work at it! Saturday (second week): exactly as week 1 but increase the effort to upper Level 2. Saturday (third week): again as week 1 but increase heart rate yet again to low Level 3. This will almost feel like racing now and the gears you use should be only slightly smaller than you would use in a race situation. However, it is not a race, you are working with your training partner not against him!

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Saturday (fourth week): this is still bit 'n' bit but things now change quite dramatically! Is now vital that you are both of a similar ability otherwise this session can't really work now. There is no point if the stronger rider goes on the front and dropping everyone else as soon as the session starts. Warm up as usual and start doing bit 'n' bit as you have on previous Saturd-ays but once you have got into your stride instead of waiting until your partner has done his turn on the front sprint straight past him and as soon as you hit the front your partner then sprints past you. Continue this way until one of you can't go through and then ease back and recover by riding at a very low intensity for a couple of miles. Repeat this exercise as many times as you are able but ensure you are both recovered before starting another set of sprints. Initially you may only manage 2 or 3 sets before you can’t do any morel there again you might manage 10 or more. Anyway, no matter how many you do be honest with yourself and don’t back off just because it’s painful. I did warn you earlier that real training starts here! This session might leave you with sore legs and maybe sore lungs if you have worked hard enough. Ensure you take your carbohydrate/recovery drink while cooling down as you ride home. Use a race size gear during this session but change down to the small ring between sets while you are recovering. This will be the most demanding session you have done since you started in November. By this time next week you might be racing but if not continue this session until you are. There is no point in doing more than 10 sets of sprints in total. In fact if you are doing them properly you won’t be able to do more than 10 sets! Okay, you are feeling fit keen and ready to go but this isn’t the end of it. You must continue training at varying levels of intensity throughout the season otherwise your fitness will eventually suffer as will your performances. More about this later.

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MARCH

Let it begin!

So here we are. It's been a long winter and this, I hope, is what you have all been waiting for. I realise you might not be racing yet, in fact you could be a cyclo-cross rider and in which case you have just finished and it will be October before you turn a pedal in anger again! Anyway, as I said in the introduction, you will have moved the start of your aerobic training phase to fit in with your particular needs but for the majority of you, March is generally the start of the new season. There will have been the odd event for a couple of weekends already, but for most of us these are only used for getting the rough off. Please don't get too serious about these very early races, because regardless of how well you have trained, and how fit you feel, you won't have any real 'form' and 'form' is something else! Many riders set their sights too high initially, and finish up being disillusioned, so remember where you started last year and be happy with a similar start to this season. Structured training enables you to raise your eventual level of competitive effort as the season progresses but during the first few events you could still be racing in last season's mode. It is highly unlikely you will achieve 'superstar' status in the first few races so don't expect too much initially, the results will come, I promise you. Each year countless riders contact me after a winter of structured training to say they haven't improved in their first race. Well, I don't really expect you to. In fact it may take up to half a dozen events before you have the confidence to be able to ride to your new level of fitness. This also means a new level of self belief, knowing you really can ride faster, and this will only come via racing hard and proving it to yourself. So, I suggest you get on with it and stop striving for early, rapid improvement. If you have genuinely trained as I suggested it will definitely happen for you so be patient. Anyway, you may have one or two of the very early events under your belt by now and should be able to compare yourself with a similar period last year. Unless of course you are a newcomer to the sport and it's your first ever season. Do you feel stronger or fitter? Are you riding into the wind or climbing better than you were then? Although it's still very early you need to start assessing these points. No matter how perfectly you have trained, and how much better you feel overall, the first few events will still come as a shock to the system. Even the very hardest training can't begin to compare with the first couple of miles in an early season race. If it's a road race there is always someone who feels better than anyone else and wants to start flat out even in early march. Unfortunately the rider that starts this fast this early is rarely still there in June so don't be intimidated by them! If it's the first

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time trial of the season, then within the first half mile your legs will have gone to jelly and your lungs might be on fire, you will possibly feel sick as well, with the thought going through your head, "what the hell am I doing here?" This is known descriptively as "getting the rough off" and it doesn't matter whether you are a pure novice or a pro cyclist in Europe you will always feel the same during the first few events. There is no way round it’ so go and suffer, it has to be done. No matter how well trained you are it is never easy, so please don't think you are on your own!

IMPORTANT

Read this part carefully and understand what I am saying. Now that racing has started proper, the natural progression for the majority of cyclists is to begin training harder but for the time being this is not what you should do! If you think it through carefully you will soon realise why you shouldn't continue to train hard when you begin to race regularly. I don't want to introduce any sports science type terminology into this manual, as I said earlier, it's simply a training programme, so I will explain the above in the most basic of terms. Each time you race hard, there is a certain amount of damage takes place to the extent that it is similar to undergoing a minor operation! This damage to muscle and other living tissue has to be allowed the time to repair. If you don't allow the time for repair to take place then your performances will gradually deteriorate as your body struggles to heal itself. I know this all sounds very dramatic but it's absolutely true. We all know someone who starts the season with a bang and continues to train like a dog every day yet only survives about eight weeks into the season before packing in for the year! Once you start to race every week you must cut back on training for a while otherwise your body will never have the chance to repair and adaptation to the next level won't take place. Another reason for cutting back is that racing will use up all your carbohydrate fuel stores (muscle and liver glycogen). While ever you will replenish some of this before you race again, the intensive training you do between races will also play it's part in mopping up this vital fuel. The following describes the scenario you are likely to encounter unless you fuel well and allow enough time for recovery. You have started racing early and have also increased your level of training at the same time. You arrive at an early season race not only with sore legs

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because you haven't allowed repair to take place, but also with low fuel stores for the same reason. This results in a race performance far below what you had expected causing you to immediately think you are under-trained. Is this you? So, you then go out and batter yourself into the ground the next time you train in a futile attempt to address the problem. This of course results in progressively worsening race performances! You are now caught in the classic spiral of overtraining and no matter what anyone says you are convinced you haven't trained hard enough! (Recognise anyone here?) You continue along these lines for a few more weeks becoming increasingly frustrated by your lack of performance. You persevere for a little longer until you eventually become totally disillusioned and decide you are not cut out to be a cyclist, the sport isn't for you after all. The next step is then to advertise your bike in cycling weekly and go back to whatever you were doing before! Yes I know, this is probably over-dramatised slightly, but I am making a point which all too real, so heed what I say and don't let it happen to you. If you ride the odd early event in February then just continue training to the programme but leave out the Sunday training ride and race instead and don't put any emphasis on the result. You may have already ridden, or are considering riding, a reliability trial or two. This is a great way to make the transition between training and racing and, whilst reliability trials are definitely not races, there is always an obvious element of competitive spirit. Reliability trials generally take place on Sundays so they can be ridden instead of your usual Sunday training ride. If you are a pure novice then choose a shorter one of 50km or so but if you already know what's happening, then there are plenty about at double this distance or even more. Right, what should you do now? Well, once you are definitely racing every weekend with virtually no breaks, continue training at exactly the same intensity as you have been doing in February but cut the volume of all sessions by one third (33%). For example, if you were doing 12 intervals the last week in February you will now be doing 8, and 3hours on the road will become 2 hours. Continue this way for the first two weeks of your racing season then cut back again to half (50%) of the original pre-race programme for the second two weeks. So, your 12 intervals are now 6, and your 3 hours are 1½ hours. Please don't think, as many do, that you are not now doing enough training. The season can be ten months long if you want it to be, and you haven't completed four weeks yet, so curb your enthusiasm and do as I say!

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This type of 'taper' over the first four weeks will ensure that you lower yourself gradually into the racing season rather than jumping straight in at the deep end as most do! This is early season training (march for most), exactly the same as the last week in February but less. I haven't specified any new sessions because it isn't necessary yet. For the time being the new sessions are effectively your races, and once your body has adapted to the new stress levels brought about by competition we will adjust your programme, but that will be next month. Bet you can't wait! This is also the month that the race bike is dusted off or a new one is born! Either way, you must now begin to use your race bike in training. No matter how close the geometry is to the training bike you have used all winter, it is bound to feel different as minor muscle groups come into play that haven't been used for the past 16 weeks or so. If you are a time triallist then it is absolutely vital that you become used to the radical position of your lo-pro before the first serious event. There will be the inevitable neck ache and possibly sore hips until your body adapts to the extreme shape. I suggest you do at least a brisk hour on your race bike a couple of times during the week prior to your first event, with possibly half a dozen efforts, at slightly above race pace included. Do not try to simulate a race by riding for an hour at race pace, it doesn't quite work like that. If you ride purely road races then use your race bike for all your training if the weather permits. But regardless of your discipline or of weather conditions, use the race bike, even if you only put it on the rack (turbo) a couple of times a week. Never start a new season not having trained on your race bike! So, a typical week in early March should look something like this. Remember you are cutting back by a third now, if you are racing. Sunday: probably a race now or, if you raced yesterday then 2,hours on the road, at the same intensity as last month. Monday: always a recovery session but there is no need to cut this back as it isn't training, it's recovery! Tuesday: the power session, which will now be cut by a third. Simply use the bigger gears and eliminate the lower ones. Wednesday: this is either 60 minutes at Level 2 on the rack cut to 40 minutes, or the long road ride that will be cut by approximately a third.

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Thursday: the 5 on 5 off interval session cut by a third. Friday: off completely. Saturday: race or bit 'n' bit on the road. Don't do this session at all if you are racing tomorrow (Sunday). Just go out for an hour at Level 1 in small gear to ease-in the legs, in readiness for the race. You might have raced today in which case you will do the reduced road ride tomorrow. The majority of these sessions have been reduced by one third of the late February sessions. For the second two weeks in march do exactly the same but reduce them further to a half of what you were doing late February. I'm sure you can work this one out yourself! So you are now racing regularly and April will bring better weather (maybe), and lighter nights, but neither of these things should be used as an excuse to train yourself into the ground. Training will change again though, and more will be done on the road if weather allows. So, on to April.

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APRIL

The Month of Truth You should be racing on a fairly regular basis by now, if not then you're not taking the sport seriously. Evening club events will start some time this month so you now have the chance to race as often as you wish. Unfortunately, racing more than twice a week is often a mistake, and one that the large majority of club level cyclists make regularly. As discussed earlier, hard training and racing creates tissue damage and a reduction in fuel stores. If you race Saturday, Sunday and maybe one or two mid week events, then there isn't a hope in hell of your body recovering between events. Contrary to popular belief, this high-volume of racing does not make you go faster, it progressively wears you out so don't do it! If you race more than once at the weekend plus a mid week event then it is h1ghly unlikely you will be performing at your best. There are of course the odd exceptions to this and the cyclist who can race successfully at a: high level more than 2 or 3 times a week would potentially make a good stage race rider. I'll probably upset a few people with the following statement, but riding time trials regularly is far more demanding than riding road races. For those of you who disagree with me I’ll explain briefly why this is. Time trials are generally ridden at the highest heart rate sustainable for the period of time it takes to complete the event. Whereas in a road race it is possible to 'hide' in the bunch, riding somewhere down at Level 2 heart rate or even lower. Because of the nature of a road race, your heart rate, therefore, your effort will peak and trough, on average will be lower than it would be in a time trial. If you don't believe me then wear a recording heart rate monitor during both types of event and prove to yourself which is most demanding! The professionals in Europe can ride road stages all day every day but just ask them to ride a time trial more than two or three times a year! Okay, so I am aware that some cyclists do actually perform better on their second day of racing. For example they might ride a short event on a Saturday and feel a bit rough, followed by a longer event on Sunday and feel absolutely bomb proof! If this is you, and you know it works then by all means carry on. However, it generally applies to those of you who have ridden at a reasonably high level for several years as your powers of recovery are far greater than those of a relative novice.

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If you ride time trials more than twice a week it is more than likely that the following symptoms will develop as the season progresses:

You will develop progressive lethargy and general tiredness.

You will lose the wish to train or even ride the bike at all.

Your performances will gradually deteriorate as your fuel stores are progressively depleted.

As the weather becomes warmer you will suffer from progressive

dehydration which you won't recognise as you will think you are drinking enough.

You will gradually de-train because you are spending all of your

available time racing.

Your sleep pattern will begin to suffer, particularly after the mid week evening events as your heart rate will be too elevated to allow you to relax after the event.

You will develop long term (chronic) muscle tenderness, particularly in

the quadriceps, just above the knee. These are just a few of the down sides of racing too often. There are literally dozens more that are difficult to recognise as they are so subtle. For instance, I know a good cyclist who cannot tolerate the taste of coffee (which he normally enjoys) when he becomes over trained, and this is one of the first signs that he needs a complete rest or at least to back off! In fact you may develop your own pet symptom that you recognise as the first sign of overtraining. Possibly the strangest symptom I encounter, but one that I see regularly is the ‘new equipment’ syndrome! This is the one where the cyclist constantly blames his old equipment, and completely overlooks the fact that he is permanently over trained. Another bad ride then results in a new disc wheel and ultra light tubs etc in an attempt to redress the situation but of course it doesn't! More new tackle and yet more bad rides eventually means another cyclist lost to the sport, and a shed full of almost new gear for sale. Do not fall into this trap! I haven't over dramatised these symptoms for the benefit of this manual, it is complete reality and I see this happening all the time once the season is in full swing. I must point out that training doesn't cause the same problems as over racing for the simple reason that you don't (or at least shouldn't) train at race pace for long periods of time.

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To summarise: the symptoms of over training can often be caused by under fuelling and/or de-hydration so if you feel you have over stepped the mark, ease back on training for a couple of days and take more fuel and water on board than you would normally think you need. You will be surprised when you pick it up again, fully motivated and much stronger. Another point to watch early season is that many riders confuse cold and flu symptoms with a build up of post race metabolic waste. When you race, or train at a high intensity there are many waste products to be eliminated. These are actually poisonous to the body and therefore affect cyclists and athletes, in general, the symptoms being exactly the same as cold or flu. So, you wake one morning after a race or particularly hard training session and think you have a cold or flu. Instead of raiding the medicine cupboard or wasting your G.P.’s precious time, just spend 30-40 minutes on the turbo at a very low heart rate (Level 0 to low Level 1) in a micro-sized gear and see how you feel after that. Sip at least a litre of plain water during this session to flush the toxins out and more often than not by lunchtime you will find that the symptoms have gone and you didn't have flu after all! Basically, the message here is to be careful, but don't wrap yourself in cotton wool. You have trained hard all winter and adhered to my suggestions so don't ruin it all now. The major mistake that virtually all cyclists make is to race rather than train, at this point in the season. If you are one of the many that does this, your race performances will soon plateau or even begin to deteriorate. I cannot over emphasise at this point just how important it is to find the time to train. If you don't continue, training, you will rapidly peak early in the season and possibly become disillusioned because of lack of improvement after a couple of months. Be warned! Training is a season long commitment and if you haven't the time or aren't prepared to do it then you are in the wrong sport. So, you have tapered as I suggested as you entered the season. Your body will now have become used to operating at race intensity and you should still be fresh and keen, and the results will be showing some improvement on last season. April can be a difficult month. You will be expecting big things now but may be constantly frustrated buy the typical April weather which often creates weather windows' within a race. This can mean that some riders (in a time trial) can have either back or head winds both ways as the unpredictable April weather makes itself felt. We have all known this happen, especially during a 10 mile time trial. I call these "days of mixed fortunes" as it is often possible for a top rider to have a change of wind direction half way through his ride resulting in a head wind both ways and a performance well below the

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norm. On the other hand, an average rider on the same day could have exactly the opposite conditions and win the event! Right, for the month of April I will take you back to base work. This isn't quite the same as the winter base training, it is slightly more varied but it is still base; and I don't want you to train hard this month. Training will still be relatively easy but the volume will increase again now. On the other hand, racing will be at the other end of the scale and I want you to try harder during events than you would normally do. For instance, if you ride road races then try continually to instigate breaks. Attack on the climbs, even if you know it's futile. In fact, make a general nuisance of yourself throughout the event. Whatever you do, don't sit in the bunch for a free ride round. This is not the way forward! It really doesn't matter what ability you are, you must ride aggressively in these early events. Aggressive riding will eventually make you 'race strong' which is something that won't develop from sitting in! It doesn't matter if you don't survive the full distance at this time of year, just 'keep testing the water' and eventually you will bubble through! The rewards will eventually be reaped when one day later in the year you attack and no one will be able to go with you resulting in your first win! If time trials are your specialty or you ride them as well as the road then adopt a similar strategy to above. Once you have settled into the time trial have the conviction to ride that bit harder than you would ever have dared done previously. Use bigger gears, trying slightly harder for short periods of 1-1½ mile and then change back down to your usual ratio to compose yourself. These short periods of slightly harder effort in bigger gears will eventually make you much stronger. As in road racing, you must have the conviction to put these bursts of harder effort in, as the work you have done throughout the winter will support you. The key to your success now depends on your self-belief. You are now much fitter than you have ever been, and while ever these slightly raised efforts in competition will feel rather none productive initially, they will help you build on your massive depth of winter base. This is 'the' reason you have been training since early November. The depth of, aerobic base you have developed now means you can try harder than you have ever tried before without the usual re-percussions. You have deep foundations like a well-built house and therefore you won't crack when the going gets tough. You are no longer fragile as you have been in the past, in fact you may already have that feeling of being almost invincible when under effort, something you have probably never felt before! Anyway, on to April training.

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As I said earlier in the manual, the long road ride must be done throughout the year. Never neglect this ride otherwise your superb level of base fitness will gradually erode, and your performances deteriorate accordingly. There will be no intervals as such during this month, these will be done within the race as described above. So a typical April’s training should look something like this: Sunday: either race, or do the long road ride today. If you race early morning then there is no reason why you shouldn't do the long ride p.m. This type of 'back to back' training is invaluable. You have reduced the volume of the long ride during March so now begin to increase it again by 20 or 30 minutes each week until you are eventually doing 3 or 4 hours. The intensity must be kept low at Level 1 to low Level 2 throughout and keep the gears low as well. Never allow this ride to develop into a 'bash' otherwise your fitness will be 'left on the road' as the saying goes, and you will consequently start events already tired. The long ride can be done any day but if not Sunday then make it early in the week, never later than Wednesday. And regardless of how well you feel, and whose company you are in do not lift your effort above low Level 2. Save it for the races! The long ride should always feel a hint too easy now! Monday: I suggest you always do a very light recovery session today either on the rack or road. Whatever you decide to do keep the gears small (42xl8?) and the heart rate at Level zero to Level 1. Tuesday: 1 hr @ Level 2-low Level3 on the road. After your warm up engage a gear that feels 'sensible', try the big ring and 16 sprocket and ride for 5minutes constant pace @ low-mid Level 2. Change up to a gear that feels too big, maybe 52 x 13 or 14 and 'roll' this gear for the next 5minutes @ low Level 3. This effort should not feel like race pace, you must be in complete control but because of the over high gearing your cadence will be low and it may feel taxing. Maintain race position and don't be tempted to get out of the saddle in order to use your body weight. If this situation arises then the gear is far too big.

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If you are riding on undulating terrain then keep the heart rate constant by easing back on cadence, not by changing gear! Continue for one hour doing 5 minutes @ Level 2, alternated with 5 minutes @ low Level 3. Ease right back in a small gear for 10 minutes to cool down before finishing the session. This can be done on the rack if you want but, ideally, it should be done on the road using your race bike. Ensure you take a carbohydrate drink immediately after this session. I know you are probably going to have your meal but still take the drink! Wednesday: it’s now daylight until after 8 p.m. so you can fit your long ride in if you didn't do it Sunday. In fact the sensible thing to do would be to fit a long ride in anyway. So the ride is either done after work or some time during the day if you work shifts or are able to have the day off. Keep the intensity of the ride reasonable and the effort consistent. You should be slightly taxed for the entire duration and arrive home pleasantly tired, not shattered. I suggest you don't wear your HRM. during this session, just go on how you feel. If the evening events have started and you want to ride them then that is of course up to you but remember, the long rides have to be done some time. Do not neglect them otherwise your performances will eventually suffer! If you are able to fit it in, do a long easy ride before your evening club event. 2 hours @ Level 1 is much better than a warm up and you will have trained and raced all in one evening. Never be afraid to do this! The club evening events may be your priority. If this is the case you will always be able to ride them as your long ride will be done on a weekend. Whether you do your long ride today or race, or possibly both then ensure you take plenty of carbs afterwards. Thursday: similar to Tuesday, just 1 hour but at constant mid Level 2. Always use the same route. I suggest you use this session to monitor yourself.

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Warm up then engage a comfortable gear, one that gives you approx 95RPM @ mid Level 2 heart rate and ride for just one hour. Make a mental note of how far you have travelled in that time. Each time you do this session use the same route, starting point, heart rate, tyre pressure, gear etc., and as you become fitter you will find you travel progressively further although the heart rate is always the same. This session will be affected by weather conditions so as with the Tuesday session you can do it on the rack if you wish. However, it is more beneficial when done on the road using your training bike this time. The key to this session is to control your HR. as accurately as possible at mid Level 2 for the entire 60 minutes. The usual carb drink while cooling down. Friday: always take Friday completely off unless you are racing tomorrow and want to do a light leg easer. Saturday: Either a race or light leg easer if racing tomorrow. The graph of improvement cannot be constant so stick to these same sessions for the entire month. There is neither training progression nor are there any intervals to do. It is absolutely vital that you give your fitness and race performances the chance to consolidate now otherwise it is unlikely you will survive the full season.

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May

A merry month for some maybe! Both road and time trial seasons are in full swing, and it's daylight until after 9 p.m. The weather is more settled and you should have no excuses. However, knowing the nature of a racing cyclist, excuses will still abound no doubt! You might have been racing for 8 weeks or more now, and if you have done as I suggested every month since November, your performances will have improved. However, if you have had a few days off here and there, and cut back on training during Christmas and the New Year then you will probably be at the same level you were at this time last year. You cannot have it both ways. 'If you are going to do it at all, you might as well do it properly'! Anyway, this is the month when the training intensity will have to be increased again. If you continue to train at Level 2 all season as you have been doing throughout April, then your performances will be consistent but you won't improve to the new 'magic' level. Contrary to the general method of club level training, this 'new' level is not achieved by doing long hard miles just below race pace. Unfortunately this is how the majority of you tend to train at this time of year resulting in lack-lustre performances and eventually burn out. Long hard miles ridden in training, plus two or more races each week effectively means you are 'racing' every time you go out on the bike, therefore allowing no hope of recovery. So what do we do now? Well we introduce short, intensive intervals to be done harder than race pace, plus the long, aerobic road rides that become easier. Yes, easier! But first take particular notice of the following: I know I keep going on about this but because of the warmer weather, and longer races it is absolutely vital that you pay particular attention to rehydration and carbohydrate intake. It is almost impossible to take too much of either if you are racing or training five days a week as you now should be. Even if you eat carb rich foods such as pasta, rice, cereal and bread at every single meal you must still take at least a quality carb drink immediately after each race and training session. If you are unsure about which product to use or how much to take then let me have your queries by post enclosing an SAE. And I will reply by return. And by the way, don't be fooled into thinking all energy drinks are the same!

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Low carb levels coupled with dehydration simply results in below par performances, it's as simple as that the two always go hand in hand, as carbohydrate attracts water and holds it in the system. Therefore, if you are low on carbs, you will automatically be low on fluid and if you are low on fluid but your carb levels are high then you must be dehydrated! Bit of a Catch 22 I suppose! So, it is in your own interest not to neglect this important point. If you ignore what I have said you will jeopardise your season, it's up to you so please be warned! Okay, back to training. As I was saying, the short intervals must feel harder than racing, and the long steady rides should feel too easy. As usual, I will now outline a typical training week for this month. I don't know if you are actually racing mid week or not, so you will have to fit the sessions in to suit your lifestyle. Sunday: should generally be a race but if not then do a long road ride at a low intensity. Try 4hours @ low Level 1-2 with no stops and keep the gears small. This ride should feel a hint too easy for the entire duration. Just because you would normally be racing today it doesn't mean you need to simulate a race when training so take the opportunity to do one of these long, recuperative rides. In fact they become more invaluable as the season progresses. Eat sparingly and hydrate well, you should arrive home totally unstressed by this ride. Regardless of how well you feel do not lift your effort above the suggested heart rate. Save it for the races! Monday: always a recovery session regardless of the intensity of the Sunday race/ride. Small gears, high cadence, low heart rate and drink plenty of plain water throughout. Make this session a habit! Tuesday: this should be the most intensive session of the week. You should now be recovered from your Sunday race, and a hard session on a Tuesday is early enough to ensure you are fully recovered again for the coming weekend. This isn't to say you don't train again after Tuesday! It must be an interval session today, although you might be riding your evening club event today, in which case this session will have to be done tomorrow.

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For the greatest training effect I suggest you do 1 minute intervals either on the rack or road. The sessions are outlined below so choose the option you think will suit your needs. You might be lacking speed or power or maybe both. If this is the case alternate the speed and power options each week. I suggest you do this session on the road as the half mile interval session, but if you prefer the turbo then it's entirely up to you. The training effect is similar but you won't be able to train bike handling on the rack.

SPEED & POWER ON THE ROAD

Half Mile Road Intervals Yes I know, this is a book about turbo training so what is a road session doing in it? In fact, this particular session was in my previous manual as well. It has proved to be so very productive over the years I couldn’t really leave it out. It is the only road based interval work I have ever included in a training programme. Other than the normal base of aerobic miles, there really isn’t much point in doing any other high intensity roadwork once you have mastered this session. This is the infamous half mile road intervals! However, I have varied it this time to include both speed and strength training. If you have my previous manual you may have already tried this session and come to realise the true value of it. If not, then now is the time to give it a go, probably on a bright late winter’s day just prior to the start of the racing season. A winter of turbo work will be starting to wear a bit thin now. So a proper leg stretcher on the road might be just the thing to put that final ‘top end’ on your training preparation! As with some of the earlier sessions I have changed them slightly. This change is something that has gradually developed over the past five years since I wrote the previous manual. Each of these earlier programmes was extremely successful the first time round. They are even more productive now! Initially, I found this session strengthened the ability to sprint, and to start fast in time trials. Since altering it only very slightly, it has become a total training workout in itself, creating a thorough all round level of high quality fitness.

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You will need to find a straight quiet piece of road at least half a mile long (800 metres). This really needs to be on a very slight gradient, definitely not a hill. Just a piece of road that drops away without you really noticing unless under effort, ideally within 5-7 miles from home. The reason it has to be on a slight gradient is so to increase your power you will do the interval up the gradient! And to improve your speed, down it! Simple, isn’t it? Does this sound too good to be true? Just try it! First measure the stretch as accurately as you can and mark it. This will then be the half mile you always use when doing this session. Warm up briskly for five miles or so, to the top of Level 2. Finish the warm up at the beginning of your measured mile. If you are training for power you will be at the bottom of the slope, if for speed, at the top. In either case engage the big ring and the lowest of your top five gears. From a gently rolling start, ride over the course at a controlled, hard race pace (but not flat out). You should be breathless but not shattered at this point. Ride steadily back to the start and then repeat in the next gear. Do a total of three intervals the first time you attempt the session, the last one being flat out for the entire half mile. Increase by one interval at a time when you know you can handle it There is never need to do more than five intervals. If you feel you can, then you simply haven1t tried hard enough. Expect to see your heart rate threshold at the end of each interval. Don’t try to go both sessions together, it would be counter-productive. The strength and speed should be trained separately with at least couple of days between them. Keep both your heart rate and cadence high on the down gradient. This should still be a flat out effort to finish. The up gradient session will eventually develop into a igrovel1 if you are a time trialist remain seated. If from any other branch of the sport then keep you effort going with out of the saddle efforts.

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SPEED & POWER ON THE TURBO

One Minute Intervals I don’t need an excuse to include this session as this is the one that started it all, and therefore will always be included in any training manual I ever produce. I suppose it's because I have a love/hate relationship with it. I love it because it brings results, and hate it because it hurts. But, as with all high intensity training sessions I look on it as a means to an end. This is an out-and-out speed session, and it works extremely well. It is so very simple to do and extremely productive. In fact I know some very successful cyclists who do nothing but this session along with some steady state road work. This is effectively the same as session seven, the half mile road intervals but done on the turbo. However, while five intervals on the road are generally enough, you will find it is possible to manage considerably more on the rack! So if time is precious, you need some speed and 40 minutes is all the time you have, then this session is the one. The one minute interval session cannot be under estimated. I have seen one single interval' make some cyclists ill. This is not a joke, it's a warning! So, warm up particularly well and then ease back for a couple of minutes. Engage a gear that feels slightly too big and ride controlled, but slightly above race pace for 60 seconds. This should be a hard effort similar to starting a race but not absolutely flat out. In fact you should just manage to survive the 60 seconds. If the interval were to last 65 seconds you would blow! Ease right back for 60 seconds, and repeat a maximum of five times the first time you try it. Don't have longer than 60 seconds off between intervals otherwise the training effect will be lost. Increase by one interval each week to a maximum of twelve intervals. This is the most you ever need to do if the intensity is high enough. You should see your threshold heart rate toward the end of each interval. However, this will vary depending on your fitness level at the time. If you are relatively unfit you will find it easier to attain threshold than you would in the racing season.

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The key to this session is to be slightly over-geared, and to kick straight up to speed within the first couple of seconds of the interval. Take it easy with this session but be honest with yourself regarding intensity. It is so easy to fool yourself into thinking you are working hard. Let your heart rate monitor be the judge! Those of you who have bought my previous manual ‘Advanced Turbo Training’ (the “Blue Book”) will immediately recognise these sessions, in fact you may have already benefitted from them. Wednesday: either the club evening event or the interval session from yesterday. I appreciate you probably don't ride mid-week events, in which case you may prefer to do a Level 2 road session tonight. Depending on how much time you have to spare this will be either a long ride of 2½ -4 hours at the very bottom end of Level 2 or a shorter ride of 1½ -2 ½ hours at mid-upper Level 2. Regardless of the available time don't push your effort into Level 3 today unless you are riding a club event. Thursday: I suggest a brisk session today, keeping the gears and heart rate very low and revs high. Ideally this is done on the rack but it can be done on the road if you prefer. Warm up then engage the smallest gear you feel comfortable with. Try small ring and a 19 sprocket. Anyway, keep the gear as low as you possibly can otherwise your heart rate will drive up and this must be done as a low heart rate session. You don't really want to see anything above low-mid Level 2 toward the end of 30 sees. Pedal for 30seconds just short of flat out followed by 1 minute rest. Aim to pedal well in excess of 50 revs in the 30 sees. Some cyclists I work with can easily exceed 70 revs within the 30 sec period so there are no limits. Simply rev as fast as you can. However, do not start absolutely flat out otherwise you won't last the full 30 seconds. Fast but controlled is the key! Do as many of these brisk efforts as you feel able. An absolute minimum of 20 initially, which will take ½ an hour plus warm up and cool down, working up to 40 over a few weeks that will take an hour. This is an incredible, underrated session. It will renew tired legs, improve suppleness and is as beneficial as a good massage.

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Friday: have today completely off unless you are racing tomorrow, in which case just do a short brisk ride as a leg easer. Make sure you always do a leg easing session the day before an event. Saturday: either race, or a leg easer if the race is tomorrow. If you are racing today and tomorrow, make sure you do a long cool down today while sipping a carbohydrate drink and then a longer than normal warm up tomorrow. If you omit these you risk starting the second day with heavy, tired legs. Continue with the above for the entire month, and ensure you pay particular attention to all the points I have made. There will be slight changes again next month depending mostly on the distance you intend racing later in the year.

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JUNE

The Longest Day Here we are, about half way through the season, and the longer distance events will soon be in full swing. We have daylight until 10 p.m. and on the odd occasion the weather is reasonable! Those of you who intend riding 100 mile time trials and long road races should continue with the long steady rides every week. Do not neglect these rides, they will guarantee you success. If you are restricting your competition to 50 mile events or less then reduce the longer rides to 2- 2½ hours but increase the intensity slightly to a constant low Level 2. If 50-100 miles is as far as you want to race then you are doing enough if you continue with the endurance training you were doing in May. However, if you are looking to do a good ride in a 12 hour time trial, then now is the time to begin to increase your mileage. I realise there is sometimes a 24hr time trial in June but this is an extremely specialised distance which I haven't covered in this manual. Anyway, if you are riding a '24' then your training should have started some time ago. The first 12 hour events start to appear toward the end of July so you have almost 2 months in which to prepare. If you are going to ride a '12', then train specifically for it or it will be the worst experience of your life! I'm not going to tell you exactly how to train for a 12 hour as training for specific events isn't the idea behind this manual. However, I will touch on the basic idea of training for a '12' and you can make the rest of it up as you go along. You should already be doing one long ride each week at a very low intensity in order to maintain your aerobic base. So, for a 12 hour you should now begin to increase the time you spend in the saddle by 30minutes each week until you are eventually doing 6-shours. Also increase the intensity of the last hour of your long easy rides by approximately 10 beats or to the point where you begin to feel slightly uncomfortable. Eat and drink on the move, and don't cafe stop during these rides. Continue to increase the distance until 2 weeks before the event and then taper down by cutting the volume of the long ride back to 4 hours the week prior. For instance, this could be a hundred mile time trial or a 4 hour training ride the Sunday before the ‘12’.

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In the final week before the event train very lightly at Level 1 or below every day. Use a small gear, and reduce the volume from 4hours on the Sunday to just 1 hr or so the day before the race. I must emphasise that the training rides done this week should be no more than long recovery sessions. Take a carbohydrate drink every ride during the last week, and drink another bottle when you finish. Do not risk starting a 12hr with low fuel stores or being dehydrated. If in doubt, simply take more on board than you think you need! O.K. That's basic 12 hr training in a nutshell, but if you do as I suggest above you will probably ride your best ever '12'. You don't need to do mega miles every day as they will eventually wear you out and you will start the event already jaded and stale as many do. The one long ride each week, plus your usual training and racing is enough. And back to normality! By now you will have begun to notice which sessions you benefit from the most. For some it could be the long rides and others will feel the short hard stuff is responsible for their improved performances. Actually it is most likely to be a combination of both. The point is, you will actually prefer doing one type of training more than the other so you will automatically think that's the one that is working for you! We will continue to work on speed and power this month but you must also keep the base work going at all costs. Monitor the way you feel and if you think slight fatigue is setting in then cut back on the intensity of your long ride by a few more beats. While ever the short hard interval work makes its demands at the time, you will have recovered fully by the following day. There is absolutely no point in doing these short high intensity efforts unless they are done far harder than race pace. By comparison, this level of effort should make racing feel easy! Right, now for June’s training. The re-hydration and attention to the intake of carbs obviously still applies although as the weather becomes increasingly warmer re-hydration becomes top priority. A typical week in June should look something like this: Sunday: more often than not you will be racing, that is if you are serious about your sport. If the races are short and early in the day, then have an hour or two easy as a recovery ride in the afternoon. Sip a dilute energy drink, making sure you

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are fully re-hydrated before you race or train again. In fact a long low-level recovery ride a few hours after a race is possibly the most beneficial thing you could do. If not racing then it must be the usual long aerobic base ride at steady state. As i said earlier, if you intend to ride a 12 hr then this ride must now begin to increase weekly but if your racing is limited to 50 miles or less then reduce the volume and increase the intensity, but only slightly. Monday: always a very light recovery if you didn't manage one yesterday. Don't skip this session otherwise you will feel the effect later in the week. Tuesday: either the speed or power session as detailed in may, or for a change you might like to try the following. This will probably be the most demanding session you will have ever attempted, but the result is well worth the suffering. I have genuinely seen riders improve by more than a minute over 10 miles after doing this a couple of times. However, don't try it unless you have done everything else I have suggested up to now. If you undertake this session with no base work to support it, you could risk damaging yourself. This is a serious warning! On paper this session looks easy, but in reality it is hell! 60 seconds reverse efforts on the turbo: Warm up well then engage top gear (52 x 12 maybe!) In a resistance that feels approximately like riding on the road. Hit the interval hard, in fact harder than you would dare start a race (but not absolutely flat out) and every 10sees change down one gear (yes down!). Ideally this should be done on a close ratio block with one tooth increments, probably 12-19 or similar. This will mean if you start the interval using the 12 sprocket you will finish on the 17 after 1 min (6 x 10sec). Each time you change down a gear kick up the revs to keep the speed as high as possible. You might find at around 40sees you start to lose power as your muscles fatigue and lactic acid builds up. Do not ease off, as this is the point where the training effect really begins to take place. Make an all out effort to keep the intensity as high as possible to the end of the interval.

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Ease back for 2-3minutes between efforts to ensure full recovery and repeat 4 or 5 times the first time you try it. Add one effort a week to a maximum of 10 efforts. The key to this session is to keep the intensity as high as possible even though you may feel all power has gone, and then take the full 2-3minutes to recover. This is incredibly demanding so you might like to ask someone to change gear for you. Something as simple as a gear change can feel almost impossible towards the end of each interval during this session! There is no alternative road session so either do it exactly as above or continue with one of the sessions I suggested last month. Wednesday: if you intend to race the longer distances I would suggest you do another ride today of 2-3 hours today. If you also intend to contest the evening club events or even ride an open event then feel free, but keep your priorities in order. It is very rare to see top riders riding midweek races! Anyway, there is no reason why you shouldn't do a long ride earlier in the day and compete in the evening as well. Anyway the long ride will now be 'different' so listen to what I have to say! We did the following session earlier in the year but the first time you try this session you will probably think it doesn't suit you. It isn't the fact that it is hard, just tends to feel wrong initially. However, persevere and you will soon adapt. In April you were doing this for 1 hr but ideally the ride should now last around 2 hours and be done over an undulating circuit with long gradients or 'drags' but no real hills. This is effectively a long controlled interval session using the slight gradients on which to put your effort in. It can be done equally as well on the flat if you prefer, using big gears in place of gradients. Begin with a warm up and then engage a gear that you would normally use on a Level 2 training ride. You will stay in this gear for the duration of the ride if riding in undulating terrain. Ride at low-mid Level 2 on the flat bits and when you hit a gradient allow your heart rate to go a few beats, just into the bottom of Level 3 (never higher) but stay seated and in the same gear. Never power up the gradients at race pace as the training effect will be lost. Control is the key!

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You will immediately notice that this is a power session but done at relatively low heart rates. Once over the gradient allow your heart rate to drop back to low Level 2 allowing complete recovery before the next effort. Try to do around 10-12 intervals such as these within the 2hr ride. If you do this session on the flat simply substitute a gear that feels far too big instead of the gradients. This would then be done as 5 minutes easy in a normal gear followed by 5 minutes in a big gear at low Level 3. The key is to remain seated throughout, and make a real effort to maintain your style. If you are forced out of the saddle to keep the gear going over then the gear is far too big. This session will improve your power when racing over longer distances on both flat and undulating courses, and is equally beneficial for all disciplines. Thursday: possibly a race of some sort but if you raced yesterday then suggest you do the power session on the road today instead. If you did the power session yesterday as suggested, then it has to be the high cadence/low heart rate session you were doing last month. This will ease the legs and re-new suppleness after using the big gears. It would be truly beneficial to keep this session going until the end of the season. As I mentioned last month, it is as good as a massage and has many other benefits as well. Friday: as always, a day off or a very light leg easer if racing tomorrow. If you socialise today then keep alcohol to an absolute minimum if any. Saturday: could be one of many things now. Either racing, the long ride today, if you have a free weekend, or a leg easer if you are racing tomorrow. Okay, that's June. You might be slightly jaded now and feel like a rest. Well before you get to this stage let me suggest the following: - have a complete rest from racing every fourth weekend and every fourth week cut all your training back by 50%. This will ensure you survive the season fresh and motivated. It will take a lot of will power not to enter any races one week out of every month. But, if you choose the weekends when the race calendar is quiet you won't miss much and the break will re-motivate you. Try it; you will be pleased you did!

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JULY

The Month of Truth Why the month of truth? Because we are over half way through the season now and you are either still going strong, or you might have burnt out! It is far better to be still slightly undertrained than stale and over-trained. The cyclists I work with on a one-to-one basis are always a hint undertrained. Once they reach what I know to be their potential optimum fitness level I hold them there for the entire season rather than attempt to 'peak' them for specific events. Those of you who know me, and know the athletes I work closely with, will realise that the incredible consistency at which they race means they have never been allowed to become stale or over-trained. If you train, race and rest sensibly, then there is no real reason why you shouldn't start the season in March and hold your form, improving gradually but progressively until the end of September. However, this cannot happen if you train too hard, race too often and neglect your nutritional needs. If you want to survive a full season then you must have followed my suggestions throughout this manual. In fact if you have reached July and are still feeling keen and well motivated then the chances are you have done as I have said and you will see the end of September in one piece. But, if you have got thus far and motivation is already lacking and your performances are taking a dive, then the next three months will feel like a lifetime. So where do we go from here? If you have followed the teachings of this manual more or less to the letter since last November, then the chances are you will be absolutely fine. Only you will know the truth, so don't fool yourself into thinking you have stuck to the plan when in reality you have only followed it if and when it suited you! Trying to peak for specific events is always a risk. It is so easy to get it completely wrong and finish up 'flying' either the week before, or the week after the targeted event. I have seen other coaches, even at world level, get it hopelessly wrong on many occasions so don't try to peak, it isn't worth the risk! Consistency is the key to successful athletic performance at this level. Surely it is better to know you are going to do good rides every time you race, rather than the odd outstanding ride a couple of times during the season! Okay, it feels good to be able to say you were placed top three in a road race, or did a PB. in a certain time trial, but one decent ride in a full season eventually loses its impact if you are never able to repeat or improve on it

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I'm sure you will have realised by now that the last few paragraphs have been nothing more than a warning against overtraining, so take heed! July is often a hard month with races coming thick and fast therefore the temptation is always there to over race. The distances have generally increased, so as well as your ongoing quest to race faster, you are also racing progressively further and something will eventually have to give. If this is the case, and the long events are stacking up in front o you, then you must cut right back on the intensity of your training sessions now! You should now be fit enough to ride a short event on a Saturday, a longer one on Sunday and a midweek '10' if you wish, but this doesn't leave time for anything else other than recovering. This is the time of year when recovery is more important than training, so if you see yourself as a 'three event per week' cyclist, then don't do any 'training' whatsoever, just do all your training rides between races at recovery level. This means low Level 1, definitely no higher, small gears, no stress. You can still do the distance if you feel so inclined as distance isn't an issue, it's the intensity that will potentially do the damage. If you are racing three times a week then your weekly schedule could look something like this: a ten-mile time trial on Saturday, a road race or longer time trial on Sunday and a club time trial or road race league mid week! Your body must have the opportunity to repair itself after such an onslaught so recovery level rides are all you must do. Doing nothing but recovery sessions between races will mean you start fresh and strong, without a hint of staleness. I must emphasise that 'recovery' means 'active' recovery, gentle riding, and not sitting on your backside watching telly! If you have got to the point where you don't care if you never see another bike again, then throw it in the shed and don't touch or even look at it for a week, and see how you feel about it then! If after a week you feel exactly the same then forget about it until next season, there is no point whatsoever in attempting to drag the season out when motivation has completely gone. Right, training in July: Sunday: this should be either a long road race or a time trial. The distance will vary of course but the intensity should have increased as you have become progressively fitter. If the event is 50 miles or less, than then I seriously suggest you do a recovery ride the same day. Even if 20 minutes easy on the turbo is all you can face, then do it.

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Do the recovery in tiny gears, at a fairly high cadence on either the road or turbo while sipping an energy drink. This type of brisk recovery at low heart rate will ensure you won't be able to feel the effects of the race in your legs the next day. If you are serious about cycle racing then don't neglect the recovery, it's as simple as that! If the event was over 50 miles and you can't face another pedal rev today then do it tomorrow instead, but remember it has to be done, so the sooner the better. The longer and harder the race then the longer and easier the recovery should be. Monday: another recovery session? Yes, why not? If you are against doing sessions, or think they are a total waste of time, as many cyclists do, then you will never reach your full potential. It's as simple as that! Tuesday: as I said above, if you are racing three times a week then you shouldn't be training heavily today. Just an hour on the rack, or a couple of hours on the road at Level 1 is all you need do. Another hard session today would do nothing more than push you over the top. If you are only racing weekends then take the opportunity to make today the first and last hard session of the week. Continue with the power session from last month if you enjoy doing it and can feel the benefit, or alternatively try the 5 seconds on, 5seconds off interval session that you first did in February. This is always a good session for freshening things up a bit so don't bf afraid to re-introduce it. I will outline how it goes again: Warm up then engage a gear that feels just a hint too big when under effort. Hit it absolutely flat out for 5seconds (yes, only 5seconds!) while remaining seated. Ease right back for 5 seconds and then hit it flat out again. Repeat 5 times. This means 5 seconds on 5 seconds off x 5, an interval lasting 45 seconds in total. Ease right back for 2 minutes and repeat 4 or 5 times the first time you attempt it. Add one or two sets of 5 sec intervals each week to a maximum of 12 or 15 sets now.

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Don't underestimate this session just because the efforts are only 5 seconds long. It is very demanding and extremely effective and I have used it successfully on cyclist from every avenue of the sport. The key to this session is to virtually stop pedaling between the 5sec efforts, and then kick hard into the next one flat out. As with the earlier reverse power session, you could do with a helper to time the 5 seconds accurately on a stopwatch. Even though you were doing this early in the season you will find it demand-ing again. You will find this session is always hard, it doesn't matter how fit you are. Wednesday: well, if you are riding midweek events it could be tonight, if not then the long ride must be done. Thursday: the long ride at a very low intensity (recovery level) if you are racing three times a week. Or maybe a club event if you did the long ride yesterday. If neither, then just use a sharp session to freshen you for the weekend. Road or rack, it doesn't really matter although it actually works better on the rack. It is simply 30 sees on, 30sees off in a really small gear. Do 20 intervals initially and increase each week until you are eventually doing the session for 1 hour (60 intervals) by the end of the month. Keep the gear tiny (42x16 or even less) and the resistance light. Heart rate shouldn't exceed mid-upper Level 2, so gear accordingly. Friday: as always, either off the bike completely, or a leg easer. Saturday: you know what you should be doing better than I do now. And that is July, not much training to do unless you are training for a 12hr. If you are going to overdo it, then July is the month and that is why I have cut you right back so please don't think you aren't doing enough! As I have emphasised on a number of occasions in this chapter, other than racing, July should be an easy month. So, if you go on holiday this month, don't take the bike, it is unfair to the family if you do, and you have to take a forced rest if you don't. Contrary to the popular train of thought, you won't

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lose your fitness, you may lose a bit of 'top end' but that will only ensure you come back fresh and keen for the remainder of the season. So to summarise: you should still be fresh and keen, there is still a way to go, but if you are feeling a hint jaded do the three weeks on one week off pattern as I suggested earlier in the manual. Doing any “more” at this time of year will only result in below-par performances and staleness. You have learned a lot this year and your performances should be reflecting that fact. Don't ruin it all now!

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AUGUST

Five Down, Two to Go It doesn’t seem long since I was talking you through a bit and bit session in February, and then suddenly the end of the season is rapidly looming. August is the month of long distance races; there are as many long road races plus time trials at 50 & 100 miles as you could possibly wish for, and the B.B.A.R competition is hotting-up. If you are riding the longer distance events, or contesting the B.B.A.R., then it is crucial that you get it right this month. As I have continually emphasised throughout this manual if your races are hard and long then your training must be easy and long. No one can ride a long distance time trial on a weekend and then train long and hard again on Tuesday. Well you maybe can but it would eventually result in fatigue and serious over training. Long races must be started fresh. Yes I know all about the riders in Europe and the fact the tour lasts three weeks with only a couple of rest days etc., but we are discussing amateur cyclists now! Anyway, active rest or sessions done at such a low intensity that it doesn't create a training affect take priority if you are racing regularly at d1stances over 50 miles. I have been through all this earlier in the manual so I won’t repeat myself again but if you are feeling jaded, stale and or over trained then pay attention to the above. The other two major points to watch are of course fuelling and hydration! You simply cannot afford to neglect any of these points in august as there isn’t enough of the season left in which to recover completely! If you are unable to define the onset of staleness then the very first sign is usually one single incredible out of character performance followed by a massive lift in enthusiasm. This is then followed by a slight lack of motivation which if isn’t addressed will rapidly and progressively worsen. So watch for these signs and be warned! If you do an out of character ride possibly by riding off the front and winning a road race or knocking a couple of minutes off a 25 mile time trial then ease right back on training the following week. The usual train of thought after an incredible performance is that if you train harder and longer you will go faster still which of course is wrong. After such an effort you must allow your system to recover via easy recovery type rides otherwise you will find yourself on the first step of the slippery slope to poor performances and eventual failure. At this time of year you might feel that distance isn’t an issue, and that you could ride all day if the intensity was low enough, but you just lack speed. Lack of speed toward the end of the year is often a common problem, especially if you have concentrated on riding the longer distance events.

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If this is the case, you might try to re-introduce the half mile road interval session from earlier in the manual. I first introduced this session to you in May, so if you still lack speed and haven't done the session since then try it again for a month. Contrary to what I said in the last chapter, this session can be done once a week regardless of the distances you race over. The session is very short, but hard enough to create a positive training effect without causing fatigue. If you didn't do the half mile road session in may you could have put yourself at a real disadvantage so start the 'speed' version of it now whether you ride road or time trials. The effect is almost instantaneous, and can often be felt after just one session! In fact this session can be done twice a week if you are still reasonably fresh but you must cut out an endurance session otherwise there is a danger that you will be doing too much. However, if you have been doing intervals since the beginning of the season then you are probably sick of them by now so do something else instead, or knock them off completely. Interval work is effective to a point, until you effects cease and they can then become counter productive. A classic case of more is not better! Unless you intend to race right through to November as some of you do, then I suggest you begin to gradually cut back on the length of your road training rides toward the latter part of the month. If you have continued with the long steady base rides as suggested, then your aerobic base fitness is possibly as good as it can get now. So a typical week in August will look something like this: Sunday: race, or the long ride which you will gradually reduce toward the end of the month. If you race less than 50 miles then try to do the recovery session in the afternoon as suggested earlier. If over 50 miles then leave it until tomorrow but don't put it off any longer than that. If you have ridden a 12hr then try to do something very light on monday and continue training lightly all week as light training will speed the repair process. Nutrition is also vital this week, as the body needs extra raw materials to in order to repair the damaged muscles and tissue. If you do nothing, repair will only happen very slowly so active recovery is the thing to do. Regardless of how well you feel, don't do any intensive training the week after a '12'! Monday: always a recovery unless you did it yesterday and then you might treat yourself to a day off now! Tuesday: a speed session as suggested above if you need it, but if you are reasonably happy with your performances then more isn't necessarily better so just do 1 to 1.5 hours in a small gear at Level 1.

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It is almost too late to do anything specific now as the training effect may take 5 weeks or so to develop! Wednesday: continue with the long ride but as with the Sunday ride, begin to reduce it now. If you are riding road then keep the gears small and the pace brisk but not hard. If time trials then use medium gears at upper Level 1. There is no point in doing 4 or 5hr training rides now unless you have nothing better to do. 2.5 to 4 hours is enough. Thursday: if you feel you are really lacking then another speed session on the road or turbo. Or alternatively you might like to try a broken interval session on the road. Anyway, you should have done some form of speed work this season and should now know what suits you. The road session would consist of the usual warm up followed by intervals of variable distances with long rests between. For instance after a good long warm up engage a gear that feels a hint too big and do an over race type effort to a point in the distance. Anything from 100 yards to a mile. It could be a road junction, a field gateway or some point you are familiar with. The idea is to control your pace so you reach the point in question virtually on your knees but you do reach it! Once you have committed yourself do not stop short. . Obviously a 100 yard effort will be done at a higher intensity than one over a 1/2 mile. Whatever, each one should be your maximal effort for the distance. Have at least two miles very steady to recover before repeating, and try not to do two efforts over the same distance concurrently. Just do 40-60minutes of these broken intervals, probably about 7-10 efforts in total and then cool down and go home. High intensity intervals use fuel very inefficiently so ensure you take a full bottle of energy drink during your cool down after all interval sessions. Friday: generally a day off, but do a leg easer if you have a race tomorrow. Saturday: race or leg easer, but if you haven't an event tomorrow you might like to do your long ride today and have tomorrow completely off for a change.

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And that's August. You will have possibly developed your own training routine by the time you get this far but if not then you won't go far wrong if you simply do as I suggested above. More than ever, the emphasis is on recovery although, if you have learnt to "know" yourself by now, then there is a chance you won't need to train at all. If you are riding a couple of long events per week then recovery sessions might be enough. However, the midweek club events will have finished by now so a “sharpening” session or two during midweek generally won't go amiss. For some of you the end of this month spells the end of the season although there are still plenty of races left if motivation is still high!

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SEPTEMBER

The Season of Mellow Fruitfulness! Mellow fruitfulness? Well for those who have managed to work with me all year it will be! On the other hand if you have ignored some bits of the manual and tried others just to see if they work1 you will still be as fruitless as you have been for many years now. September is almost the end, unless you intend to contest the hill climbs for some strange reason! Both long and short distance races continue to the end of the month and into early October but the hill climbs begin to make themselves felt by the end of the second week. I know this is tradition, but why don't we have the hill climbs at the beginning of the season when the training effect would be a real advantage. Instead there are the hill climbs then nothing, and we go into the closed season incredibly fit! Anyway, that’s how it’s been since time began so I suppose that’s how it will still be when the earth finally melts down! Training in September can only mean either doing very little or preparing for the hills. If you are still riding road races and time trials then you must be cutting right back now as you would be wasting your valuable time if you were to continue training hard. As I mentioned earlier in the manual, a training effect usually takes between 3 & 5 weeks so there is little point in doing any now otherwise you could be flying by mid November! I realise this could be an advantage if you are going to ride cross or a winter mountain bike league. But if you have had a full season on the road then the sensible thing to do now is to have a rest of sorts. It is almost impossible to race all summer and then continue right through the off-season as well. No matter how motivated you feel at the end of the road season something will eventually have to give so don’t think this doesn’t apply to you! If you have raced hard for the past six months or so you will definitely need a rest soon so do yourself a favour and have a few easy weeks now. As with the 12 hour time trials, climbing hills is a very specialised sport but I will cover the basics of hill climb training this month for those of you who struggle in the hills. These are no more than basic suggestions but I am sure you will them helpful if an incline strikes fear! Hill climb specialists are more often than not naturals and if you have always struggled on hill you probably always will. But there are a few things you can do to improve. Some of the following are so very obvious, but still points that are overlooked by many:

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1) Cut all weight to the very basic minimum. This includes your person and bike. Use the very lightest equipment possible and remove things such as bottle cages, spare tyres etc. You don't need an 18 speed gear system, the chances are you might need only 2 or 3 gears at the very most. In fact ride fixed if you can, but make sure you get the gearing right. A light fixed bike can weigh as little as 12lbs! A hill climb bike can be assembled for very little money using old components, and as it only gets used half a dozen times a year it will last your entire career. Pay attention to items you carry on your person such as excess clothing, watches, jewellery etc. And finally pay attention to body weight, because without exception successful hill climbers are always thin with a high power to weight ratio. 2) if you want to improve you need to train specifically and this doesn't mean battering yourself mindlessly up every hill available. Hill climb training (not the actual race) must be done at a controlled heart rate and slightly over geared as you reach the summit. In training, the majority of club cyclists attempt to climb hills as fast as they can, starting in a big gear and generally finishing in the smallest gear available as lactate builds up and muscles fatigue. This simply results in a prematurely high heart rate and a massive build up of lactic acid which heralds the cut off point, resulting in a reduction in performance. So when training for hills, use a gear that becomes progressively bigger than one you would normally climb in, and keep the heart rate below threshold. So training should go something like this: warm up well then engage a gear that feels too small and begin climbing the training hill in a totally controlled manner. This should be hard, but you must feel in complete control at this point, breathing fairly heavy but not gasping and breathless. Ideally your heart rate should be around 10 beats below anaerobic threshold or 5 beats or so into the bottom of Level 3. As you settle into the climb, have the conviction to progressively change up the gears until by a couple of hundred yards (okay then, metres if you prefer) from the top you feel slightly over geared. At this point put in your final finishing effort, sprinting for the line until there is absolutely nothing left. Ride steadily back down the hill and repeat 2, 3 or more times, then cool down by riding steadily home. There is absolutely no point in doing 10 or 15 hill reps as you see suggested in some training books! Try to do a couple of sessions such as these each week for 3 or 4 weeks prior to your first event.

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3) Riding the event: The warm up has never been more important than before a hill climb. It should be long and progressive finishing with an all out, over geared effort on a hill of similar gradient to the one you are going to race on. You must see threshold or above toward the end of the warm up as it will ensure your heart rate will respond rapidly to operating level once you begin the race proper. Allow the absolute minimum time (definitely no more than 5 minutes) between the end of the warm up and starting the race. As in training, start hard but slightly under geared and in control and then have the conviction to ride harder in bigger gears as the race progresses. if you start in a gear that is too big and are forced to resort to micro gears as you fatigue, then the ride is doomed to failure. Another area to practice is relaxation when climbing. You maybe think it is impossible to relax on a climb but it isn't. There is no need for white knuckles and a contorted facial expression. If you make an effort to relax your jaw and don't grip the bars tight you will find you climb much easier. Tension inhibits performance, both on hills and on the flat. You must practice the above, you cannot expect to ride one hill climb successfully with no preparation unless you are a natural. Okay, that’s all I have to say on hill climb training, in fact there isn't much else to it really. It is painful, and always will be regardless of how well you have trained. However, despite the pain you will go faster if you bother to train specifically! Right, that's out of the way. Now, on to training in September. The cross season has started and you might fancy your chance in events such as the classic Three Peaks, although if you haven't already started to train for this weeks ago then I see no point now. Although cyclo-cross racing is another specialised sport I’m not going to touch on cross training at all, because so very few cyclists now ride cross. Okay, I know I have upset some of you but, in all fairness, it is a minor branch of the sport! For the first time in this manual I’m not going to take you through the month day by day. If you have trained as suggested since November of last year, then you should be taking things easy by now regardless of the events you still have to ride.

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There are a few of the longer distance time trials early in the month, but you will have already done the majority of your training with these in mind. Once we are past the second Sunday there isn't much more for the time trialist, other than short events over 10 and 25 miles. For the road man the selection of events is better, with a fair amount of races over all distances until the end of the month. So, unless you are contesting the hill climbs I suggest you really begin to cut back some time this month, and begin your wind down to the end of the season. Any road rides should be done for the pleasure, you can even enjoy the do cafe stop if you wish before the weather becomes too hostile. Learn to enjoy the bike again rather than seeing it as something on which you go into war (race). If your life consists of nothing but train and race, you are more likely to fall out with the job than if you allow yourself to remember the pleasures of the sport. No matter what events you have left there can be no need to train after the second weekend of September. If you haven't already achieved your goals this season then leave any training until you start again in November, and make sure you get it right next time!

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OCTOBER

The Month of Rest There is still the odd road event to ride, and you could be into cyclo-cross by now, but other than that the calendar is rather sparse. You will be carrying a high Level of residual fitness over from the season and it will take a few weeks before you lose this 'top end'. Because you feel so well and strong, and motivation is high, there is a temptation to begin training for next season. At this point I must step in and say don't!! No matter how well you feel at this time of the year, allow yourself to ease right back. Preferably have four weeks completely off the bike or at the very most ride very easily whenever you go out. The beginning of the season is now five months away, and there is a lot to do once you start training again in November. The body must be allowed the time to repair itself completely. It has been stressed and traumatised for seven months now so please be fair to yourself and take time out. You should have been paying attention to your diet and nutritional intake throughout the season, but during this period make a special point of eating only good quality, nutritious food in order to aid the repair process. . There is absolutely no reason to train and it could be counter productive if you do. Even if you want to contest the events being held over the festive period it is too early to start now. If you have had a full and successful season then rest and recovery is priority for the next four weeks. If you do anything but rest, then you are running the risk of burning out this coming winter. Either take notice of me, or light the fire with this manual and go your own way! We have worked together for 12 months now, and I hope you have enjoyed working with me. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for buying this manual, and I genuinely hope you have benefitted from it. As I have said all along, the manual must be followed accurately if it is to work for you. Just picking the odd session out now and again will not have the same training effect. I won't wish you luck, as luck has nothing to do with it. At the end of the day it is invariably the fastest rider that wins the race so if you haven't done the business this year there are still many more opportunities to come. Age isn't a barrier in this sport, regardless of how old you are or at what level of the game you play it's perseverance that eventually wins, so just get out and do it! See you on the road maybe! Pete Read.

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