Well, it happened, I came in dead last at the Horsetooth Time Trial last Tuesday. The race is a 13.8 mostly uphill climb from the intersection of Taft and Harmony past Masonville where it turns around and finishes at Horsetooth Mountain Park. I won’t even say what my time was, just that it was slow.
The worse part is that I donned my aero-gear, pointy helmet and all and still came in last place. Aero equipment only works if you are going fast. So I guess this means it is time for me to tune up my engine. I wanted to give you some hints on how you can tune up your engine and get ready for an enjoyable summer riding season.
Step one; get some base miles on the bike. This winter was cold and like many of you, I hate riding the trainer. So I am lacking base miles. The good news is that base miles don’t all have to be long slogging rides. You can actually accumulate a base by just riding around town or better yet to work everyday. If you can also get a 2-4 hour ride in on the weekend you will have a great base in as little as 6-12 weeks.
Step two; hill repeats, yes I said it, hill repeats are the key to getting faster and stronger on the bike. I found a great article on active.com entitled, 12 Weeks to Stronger Cycling. I really liked the progression that I saw here. If there is an interest, I would be willing to lead rides from Lee’s South on Thursdays to Stadium hill to complete this workout. Leave a comment below and let me know if you would prefer to leave at 5:30 or 6 pm if you are interested. I would be looking to start these workouts May 6.
Here’s the weekly progression:
Week 1 4 x 30-sec. hill sprints w/ 2-min. active recoveries
Week 2 6 x 30-sec. hill sprints w/ 2-min. active recoveries
Week 3 8 x 30-second hill sprints with 2-minute active recovery
Week 4 (Recovery) 6 x 30-second hill sprints with 2-minute active recovery
Week 5 6 x 1-minute hill sprints with 2-minute active recovery
Week 6 8 x 1-minute hill sprints with 2-minute active recovery
Week 7 10 x 1-minute hill sprints with 2-minute active recovery
Week 8 (Recovery) 6 x 1-minute hill sprints with 2-minute active recovery
Week 9 3 x 3 minutes @ 20km time-trial intensity with 3-minute active recovery
Week 10 4 x 3 minutes @ 20km time-trial intensity with 3-minute active recovery
Week 11 5 x 3 minutes @ 20km time-trial intensity with 3-minute active recovery
Week 12 (Recovery) 3 x 3 minutes @ 20km time-trial intensity with 3-minute active recovery
