Cycling Time Trial Tip No.4: Take the Middle Way
Stephen Cheung, Ph.D.
"How do you go about achieving flat pacing? With short hills, you have to make the decision based on your self-knowledge.
"Do you have the fitness and condition to "attack" the hill at a higher pace and then to recover and settle back down to your target pace? If not (e.g., hill is too long or too steep), you may be better off staying seated and maintaining your target power output throughout the hill. It's a gamble but that's what racing's all about!"
More: Cycling Time-Trial Tips from Stephen Cheung, Ph.D.
Cycling Time Trial Tip No.5: Pyramid Intervals
Rob Coppolillo
"Intervals aren't that bad. They challenge the human body at a variety of levels. You can do them at lower intensity and for longer duration say, four 15-minute efforts or much shorter, harder ones.
"The workout is straightforward and efficient. With a 10- to 15-minute warm-up and cool down, and one or two "pyramids," you can complete the entire workout in less than an hour. Perfect for lunch time or early-morning weekend training.
"The "endurance"-type intervals works at a slightly lower intensity and builds longer-term muscular endurance for sustained climbs or time trials."
More: Cycling Time-Trial Tips from Rob Coppolillo
Cycling Time Trial Tip No.6: Go Aerobic
Gale Bernhardt
"After a warm up, ride five miles keeping your heart rate within a narrow range. I typically use the top three beats of Zone 2 or 9 to 11 beats below lactate threshold heart rate which is Zone 3. Use a single gear and do not shift during the test. Record the gear used, time, power output, your current weight and how you felt in your training journal.
"Each time you repeat the test, try to make testing conditions the same. I prefer retesting every four to eight weeks at the end of a recovery week.
"As aerobic fitness improves, your time for the given distance should decrease. If you're using a power meter, your power to weight ratio (average power produced in watts divided by your weight in pounds or kilograms) should improve."
More: Cycling Time-Trial Tips from Gale Bernhardt
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