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- Friday evening's ride is usually on the trainer because Friday evening is a very dangerous time to ride
- When I am in between software contracts, Wednesday's ride is a lap around Denver ( about 135 miles )
- I cycle the workload as described in Agonistic Cycling by Agostino Massagrande. I plan specifically for 2 or 3 events a year. All other races are training to achieve these goals.
- The number of miles ridden each week should be about 450, counting trainer interval time as 20mph and easy trainer rides as 15mph
- I take a rest day every 10 to 14 days, and I try to make that day a Monday or a Friday - because they are already just active rest days.
- I always ride with a heart monitor and a computer displaying cadence. This helps me to go easy enough to recover on easy days so I can hit the correct heart rates on interval and race days.
- most people ride too fast on their easy days, so as a result, they are alittle tired and cannot even come close to the target heart rates on the fast days
- on easy days, even if you are feeling good, it's a really nice day... stick to the plan or you will become a bland, plain vanilla racer
- "Stage Racing": If there is a weekend with no racing, then I throw the above plan out the window and do:
- Tuesday's rides until I crack ( about 3 - 4 days ), do a long, eaaaasy ride, and then back to another streak of Tuesday's rides.
- The last 2 days before the next race are done as active rest.
- Cadence and other details:
- just riding down the road: 100 - 105
- Sprinting
- Small gear ( 81 inches or less ): as fast as you can spin
- Purpose: to make your pedalling more efficient
- shifting is NOT allowed. You are trying to teach yourself how to pedal when the gear is very light
- spining: try to break your personal best for the highest rpms on the road ( my PR is 218 rpm )
- Big gear ( typically 95 inches ): start at about 60 rpm and launch like a missle
- Purpose: work on power and try to break you personal best for maximum miles per hour
- use a gear that is fairly difficult to get going and you cannot quite spin out
- shifting is allowed, but try to resist the temptation to shift
- Spinning: as fast as you can
- Intervals - Big gear ( typically 104 - 119 inches ): start at about 60 rpm in 95 inches and launch like a missle
- Purpose: work on anerobic power
- Shifting is allowed as needed to hit your target heart rate
- Spinning: after the initial launch off the line, maintain at least 100 rpm
- Ideal terrain is small rolling hills ( 50 to 100 feet in height )
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