Two 45-minute interval sessions to fit into your busy life
by Alison Powers, ALP Cycles Coaching
Summer is here. The weather is good, the days are long, and we’re itching to ride our bikes. However, summer also means there is a lot of things going on, things to do, places to take people, etc. Because of this busy-ness, the time on our bike can be limited. But limited time does not mean we have to sacrifice quality training. You can still get quality rides and training in 40-60min.
Here are two 45 minute interval sessions to fit into your busy life
1: 20/20/20’s Up a Hill
Warm-up for 15min then do 6-8x 20/20/20’s up a hill- 20 sec standing, 20 sec seated, 20 sec standing. This effort is HARD-almost Full Gas ~90%. Aim for consistent power averages each interval. If power starts to really drop, call it a day and cool down.
Recover 3 min between intervals.
Cool down 10-15min
Don’t live near any hills or climbs? That’s ok! Here’s a flat lander workout
2: Build Workout without Recovery
Warm-up for 15 min then do the following surges (meaning, stand up and sprint as the segway into the new zone. This will throw your average power or HR off so you will have to use RPE to gauge your effort level). Do all intervals on the flats and in your drops.
Begin with 1 minute at tempo (zone 3), then sprint for 10 seconds to threshold (zone 4) for 1 minute, then sprint for ten seconds to VO2 (zone 5) then hold VO2 for 1 min. Return to the tempo portion of the interval set and repeat the interval (no formal recovery), keeping RPM 90-100 throughout the workout. Do 4 of these 3:20 second efforts.
Finish with 4x30sec HARD, 30 sec off.
Cool down 5-15min
Remember, quality of training beats the quantity of training anytime. Get on your bike, make it focuses and quality, and you’ll be fast all summer.
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ABOUT ALISON POWERS
Alison Powers only recently retired from cycling, finishing her final season on the UnitedHealthcare Women’s Team. Her career has spanned a wide array of wins, including the 2013 USA Cycling Professional Criterium National Championship where she won in memorable fashion by soloing after an early breakaway that obliterated the pro women’s peloton. Other standout results during the 33-year-old’s 2013 season include the win at Redlands Bicycle Classic, second at the Tour of Elk Grove, third at the US National Road Championship and the US National Time Trial Championship, and stage wins at Cascade Classic, Tulsa Tough, Tour of the Gila and Redlands Bicycle Classic. Hailing from Fraser, Colorado, Powers has been racing bikes professionally for eight years and is a true athlete with her career beginning as a teenager in mountain bike racing. In her mid 20s, she added in alpine ski racing before switching over to the road. In addition to being the current Criterium National Champion, Powers has two other national championships (Time Trial, Team Pursuit) and 2 NRC titles (2009, 2013).
