Let's go with the second part of “Prepare your big fund”. In the previous delivery, We analyze the main performance factors that affect, in general, to these types of events.

Next, We are going to try to organize these work objectives and structure them, so that we can optimize them for the day of the test. Before, You should know that the time needed to prepare for these events can vary greatly depending on the athlete.. But a minimum of 12 weeks is a reasonable period to maximize your performance if you are already an advanced athlete or to reach the minimum required if you are a beginner cyclist..

How to train endurance cycling 3 periods or phases

1. General form acquisition phase

The objective of this phase will be to acquire basic physical condition and prepare the body for higher training intensities or demands..

Focus your training on being able to lengthen the duration and weekly training sessions, progressing in training hours and, in general, maintaining light and moderate intensities with low perceptions of effort.

Your work areas should be the zone 1, to the area 2 and progress to spending long continuous minutes in the zone 3.

Does this mean that you cannot go beyond these areas? No, We all like to warm up during some training sessions., and it can be positive to avoid falling into monotony.

Include sprints, or very short near-maximal efforts, They are also considered part of the acquisition of the general form since they do not play a relevant role in the performance of the test..

Strength work must also have a preparatory orientation. Improve execution technique, preparing the tissues to withstand higher loads and gain range of motion are the main objectives of this phase.

2. Acquisition phase of the specific form

Now the body is prepared to tolerate and recover from training sessions at higher intensities..

During this phase, Focus on improving the performance parameters typical of higher intensity cyclists (anaerobic threshold) and other parameters that can help improve this indirectly (VO2max).

Include in your training intervals of medium duration near the anaerobic threshold (zone 4), and short – medium efforts well above your threshold (zone 5).

Include them progressively, focusing the training on tolerating more and more minutes in these work zones and on being able to perform them more and more towards the end of these. Tolerating and working with increasing fatigue.

Strength work in this phase should be aimed at sports hypertrophy. That is to say, the improvement of the muscles responsible for the technical gesture.

Base your sets and reps on speed, using sub-maximal methods with medium loads, working progressively 75 al 90% of maximum power.

3. Competitive phase

Finally, we reach the competitive phase. These are the previous and competitive weeks in which our main objective will be to adjust fatigue and maintain the improvements we have achieved..

To achieve them, start a progressive weekly reduction in training load., maintaining stimuli at the intensity of the competition and with greater recoveries.