He 2022 has started and perhaps you have not yet set a big goal or simply the date of that cycle tour that you have in mind has not yet been revealed. While you decide and wait, Make sure you know the needs for these competitions and how to structure them.

It is important to analyze and know what are the performance factors or parameters that we must focus on to ensure success in these competitions..

This type of cycling tours are characterized by three parameters:

1) Duration between 100 and 200km (usually). Which means that much of the test (surrounding the 30-50%) we are going to pass it at our first threshold or ventilatory threshold 1 (Z2).

2) Accumulated slopes of +1500m. The rate at which these ports usually upload is between our first and second threshold (Z3 and Z4), what would be an intensity tempo /  FTP.

3) They usually end with medium or long-term increases. What will require us to be able to maintain a pace of Z3-Z4 even at the end of the test, with already many kilometers accumulated in the legs and with clear signs of fatigue that can affect performance in the final part of the test.

Above we can see two examples of well-known cycle tourists that we will use as a representative sample of this type of events.

With this in hand, What parameters do you think we should work on?

Well, you should focus your planning on improving your FTP, your aerobic threshold, resistance to fatigue or Stamina and of course don't forget strength work, key element in the performance of all endurance sports as we have already mentioned in previous posts.

You will soon have when and how we structure these work objectives in a new entry on this blog.. Perhaps by then you will already have a clear date for the next test you are going to take and the path to follow will be more bearable with advice like the ones we have posted in this post 🙂