• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Become a Premium Member
  • About

Road Bike Rider Cycling Site

Expert road cycling advice, since 2001

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Bikes & Gear
  • Training & Health
  • Reviews
  • Cycling Ebooks
    • Ebooks Training
    • Ebooks Skills
    • E-Articles Training
    • E-Articles Nutrition
  • Member Area
  • Newsletter

Is This Time Trial Training too Tough?

Question: I’m training for the World Senior Games 40-km time trial in October. My two critical weekly workouts are intervals descending from 7 minutes down to 1 minute, each done harder than the previous one. I also do a pyramid workout featuring 4×2 minutes at 90% of max heart rate, 12×1 minute at 92%, and 12×30-second sprints. In mid July, I’ll begin doing 3-minute all-out repeats up a 5-percent hill one day each week, and 15-to-20-minute repeats at 90% of max heart rate on my TT bike on another day. What do you think? — Jon B.

Coach Fred Matheny Replies: I think if I help you and I ride that event this year, you’ll beat me! But since it isn’t on my schedule right now, I’ll share some thoughts.

I think you’re on the right track, Jon, with one important qualification. You must be very careful to monitor yourself for signs of overtraining. You’ve outlined an ambitious, intense program. In particular, the 3-minute all-out climbs are VO2 max training, which is notorious for producing burnout in short order.

Another useful workout would be a training time trial or hill-climbTT once every couple of weeks, if they’re available in your area. There’s nothing like competition to produce an optimum workout, even if you can push yourself hard in training.

Competition gets the adrenaline flowing, and for some reason adrenaline has a protective effect, allowing you to go very hard without as much risk of overtraining.

In contrast, when you do solo intervals, some days you have to force yourself to go hard. It’s my theory that this taxes your system to a more dangerous degree.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search

Recent Articles

  • Newsletter Issue No. 1053
  • Can you use Shimano rotors with SRAM brakes? (Or vice versa?)
  • 16 Tips for Increasing Your Annual Cycling Mileage
  • Intense Exercisers Have More Plaques but Fewer Heart Attacks

Recent Newsletters

Newsletter Issue No. 1053

Newsletter Issue No. 1052

Newsletter Issue No. 1051

Newsletter Issue No. 1050

Newsletter Issue No. 1049

Footer

Affiliate Disclosure

Our cycling expert editors and writers choose every product we review. We may earn an affiliate commission if you buy from one of our product links, at no extra cost to you. This income supports our site.

Follow Us

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook

Privacy Policy

Still Haven’t Found What You’re Looking For?

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in