FITTER, FASTER.

The average pro trains about 25 hours a week and logs something north of 35,000km each year, about the same as the average family drives over that same period!

What happens if you have obligations like (OMG!) a full time job, mortgage and a wife and kid(s) to report to?  I suppose you could make 25 hours a week work for you for a while, but the chances are, something(s) will give, and I’ll betcha, it’ll be a combination of things. Cramming pro-level hours on top of a job, performance may spike temporarily, but inevitably, a downward spiral will take place, ultimately slowing you down, not speeding you up!  I suspect a whole host of other knock-on factors would accompany such a time investment!

What can you do to maximize ROI on the limited time you have to train?  The best results come from a smart blend of rides of all lengths, durations and intensities. Long, steady efforts are still important for boosting efficiencies in the circulatory system, delivering increased nutrient and oxygen-rich blood to your working muscles, and allowing for increased fat-burning ability. But don't be so quick to snub short, high load efforts that last 60 to 90 minutes. 

Many studies show that you can build speed, raise your FTP and even increase endurance with rides that last between 30 and 75 minutes.  For the time crunched cyclist (like me), this is good news!

With a lack of clear, traffic-free roads available, I like to hit the local mountains early in the morning for a variety of threshold-based work.  Below, you'll find three of my favorite workouts, all on the same stretch of road (Cypress Mountain, from the Works Yard to the Powerlines) together with a file that I'm particularly proud of - from last year's Cypress hill climb.

First up, 10 second accelerations on each minute.  This is an easy one.  Settle 

10s on / 50s Off

into a seated, steady-hard rhythm, holding 90%FTP, or about 8.75/10 on the ole RPE scale.  At the top of each minute, get out of the saddle, stand and accelerate softly, bringing power from 90% up to 115%FTP.  Hold this increased pace for 10 seconds, before sitting back down and returning to 90%FTP. If you wish, you could back off the gas on each of the switch backs.  Rinse, and repeat all the way up.  Don't concern yourself too much with pace and time, %FTP and the stopwatch should solely dictate what you're doing.

30s on / 30s Off

The next workout includes a simple progression from the workout outline above. Instead of 5 seconds on, the interval grows to 30 seconds 'on' and includes a slight twist; instead of a soft acceleration, from the hoods, put your hands in the drops and attack to 125%FTP, carrying the acceleration for 30 whole seconds. Unfortunately, this needs to be done on each minute, ugh, so, 30 seconds of recovery before you blast off again.  This is a great workout to teach legs how to react to changes in pace. Note also, from each of these three examples, that every climb is finished with a sprint - or I suppose, what you could call a sprint after doing a reasonably hard workout.

Not necessarily a progression on the last two workouts, but a workout that should be included as the backbone of training, a steady-state threshold interval done at or near 100%FTP. 

There's really not much to it beyond a ton of mental focus.  Start your timer,

Threshold

bring the whole kit and kaboodle up to speed, settle into a rhythm and try to hold maximum power for the full duration of the climb.  Unfortunately, if you have mental lapses, the data will be screaming!  Notice the gas was almost turned off completely at the  58 minute mark.  I'm not sure what happened there, probably day dreaming about an ice cream or a bag of chips.

Just to show love to the mesomorph-sprinter-types, here's a great example of

Sprints

muscle activation work; Rolling 15 second efforts at >300%FTP.  First order of business is to find a quiet road with a slight incline (1 -3% grade).  In your sprint gear (typically 53/14, 15 or 16), and from a rolling speed of about 20 - 25km/h, have your hands in the drops. Identify a startline landmark.  From this landmark, accelerate as hard as you can, without shifting.  This is a very violent, explosive acceleration that uses an incredible amount of upper body strength.  Use the bike like a pendulum, as you pull up on the bars, stomp on the opposing pedal.  Spin your sprint gear out and try to be consistent with power and/or speed delivery.  Once you notice a significant drop in peak power, your day is done.    The success indicator here is an overwhelming sense of nausea, coupled with wobbly legs.  Always fun. 

And finally, the pièce de résistance, the race file from last year. You'll instantly

see the suffering was immense.  Several hard launches from threshold are evident, as riders attack the main peloton, trying to break the group up right from the go. Once past the First Lookout, there's a temporary reprieve, before the poop hits the fan again (and again), with local Pro Dylan Davies attacking repeatedly until he finally breaks free (good riddance!).  The four spikes past 750w are reactions to these attacks (before the house of cards falls down in a flaming mess!), with a final sprint across the finish line that tickled 1,110w.

There you have it.  Four relatively quick workouts (almost) guaranteed to build fitness in this great weather.  Get out there and get it done!

DONE & DUSTED - MEC VICTORIA CENTURY RIDE

Competing priorities almost had me missing MEC Victoria's Bikefest and Century ride.  Luckily, everything (transportation, accommodations, and kid care) came together in the last hour, and off I went, bound for the BC Ferries. 

Andrew McCartney

The jam-packed weekend would see former ITU-level triathlete, Andrew McCartney and I, lead an on-bike Skills Clinic on Saturday morning, then have me facilitate an in-store presentation on using a power meter as the basis of an effective training program in the afternoon. Sunday was earmarked for MEC's Century ride.  

Ride, eat, talk bikes, hang out, ride some more, you say? Good enough, I'm sold!

Saturday's Skills session and Power 101 presentation went off without a hiccup.  Being somewhat of an advanced science, training with power is an emerging field in the world of cycling.  Widely embraced by pro-level cyclists for many years, the technology is finally starting to trickle down to local racers en masse, and, with more and more competitors starting to fill the marketplace and drive the cost of entry down, we're starting to see power meter use with fitness oriented cyclists looking to maximize their training ROI.  All good stuff!

Roll on Sunday's Century Ride.  Having participated in a number of Fondos, most notably the Whistler Fondo, I wasn't sure what to expect, beyond MEC's notoriously good planning.  I turned up at the Sea Cider with about an hour to spare before the proverbial gun went off, which allowed for ample time to unpack, get dressed, and have what in all likelihood was way too much coffee.  The start venue was incredibly beautiful; an apple orchard overlooking the gulf islands - doesn't get much better than that!  Speaking to several of the staffers, I heard there were close to 300 people signed up between the 50km and 100km rides, Incredible! 

A few more coffees (sure, why not), a nibble of a cookie, and the Sea Cider was full of cyclists and volunteers.  Recognizing a few people, including the mom of an Olympic 2016 Hopeful (Barb, I'm looking at you!), I milled about, saying hello and meeting new faces, always with a foolish grin firmly on my face, giddy with anticipation - let's get this thing rolling already!

A brief announcement from the lead organizer, and off we went.  Pace was brisk as the 100km riders took to the street.  Not knowing what to expect (or the route), I stayed near the front.  Once the pace settled into a steady rhythm, everyone did their share of work at the front.  No craziness, no heroics, just a good, fun, controlled tempo pace.

Once past the ferries and onto Land's End Road, the route started to roll, with a few short spiky hills that served to separate several of the riders. Passing the Airport and Brentwood Bay, a few longer climbs further segregated riders. Did I say that a smile was permanently glued to my face?  It was!  The route was absolutely, categorically, stunningly beautiful - rolling roads, farmer's fields, lake shore, ocean side, even a tour past the infamous Empress Hotel and Parliament Buildings!  This has got to be Victoria's best kept secret.  But wait, it gets even BETTER!  No, really! Well stocked aid stations, mechanic support, and even an event photographer that followed our every twist and turn (check out the photo gallery HERE). Wheeling into the finish at the Sea Cider, riders were greeted with an astounding mix of panini sandwiches, fantastic coffee (more please), fruits, cookies and samples of Sea Cider's award winning ciders.

What I am I saying at the end of all this? If you've never participated in MEC Victoria's Century Ride, I heartily recommend it for next year!