INSIDE JOB
Team Alpecin’s coach reveals what’s in store for the riders as they seek fitness gains on the turbo trainer
To recap the introduction in our previous issue, thanks to the pandemic, the riders of Team Alpecin – the Europe-wide competition that rewards its winners with gear, coaching and access to the biggest events – faced a very different summer compared to years gone by. Out went the mountain training camps and places on the start line of L’Étape du Tour, and in came an ominous work-from-home diet of turbo training.
However, the three UK riders that we’re following, Steph Clutterbuck, Paul Gillam and Marcus Elliott, have embraced their predicament and are throwing themselves full throttle into improving their – functional threshold power (FTP), or the power they can hold for an hour in relation to their weight (watts/kg) over the course of the summer with the help of remote coaching. Their coach is Patrick Marseille, from German coaching outfit HYCYS, who’s more used to working with cyclists in person rather than training them online over Zoom.
“We’ve never met the team in person!” he says. “It means we miss valuable insights into their physiology and personality. The plan was to spend time with each rider, discovering their riding style, strengths and weaknesses.”
Without events on the calendar, motivation could have proven a problem, but Patrick has been pleasantly surprised by the riders’ commitment.
“If I can’t motivate athletes through performance in races, I highlight the joy of
THE PLAN WAS TO SPEND TIME WITH EACH RIDER, DISCOVERING THEIR RIDING STYLE, STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
riding the bike in general. Consistency is the most important principle in endurance sport and most of my athletes’ train at the moment with a bit less structure, but still consistent and emphasising their weaknesses.”
The main goal over the next three months is simple: to try to improve the riders’ threshold as much as possible and get them ready to go for whatever comes in the future. Improvement between the two FTP tests at the beginning and end of the programme is all Patrick wants to see – how big the improvement depends on each rider.
“They’re progressing well. Steph and Marcus already had a great level and very good FTP numbers (4.8w/kg and 4.1w/ kg respectively). Paul (3.4w/kg) had room for improvement but is really sticking to his training plan so I expect to see his threshold improve significantly.
“Steph is so strong and you can see the crossover benefits from her high-level rowing career. I would guess she could easily win some time trials. She’s training for longer triathlons, and I don’t know her running and swimming skills, but with such a big engine she’ll be very competitive.”
SUPER CHARGED
The turbo trainer is an excellent device to perform structured intervals, the type of intervals that are tough to do outdoors with the same quality and finesse. However, they are no substitute for longer intervals and endurance sessions, which are always best done in the real world, not least because it instils the vital skills needed to compete well in races and gran fondos. Each complements the other.
Below are three of the best indoor training suggestions from coach Patrick and his team at HYCYS. Every second matters on the turbo – there should be no wasted time. Constant pedalling, no traffic lights, no wind and no potholes – no external influences that distract from completing your next interval.
LOW CARBOHYDRATE WORKOUTS
Here, the interplay of nutrition and sensibly chosen training intensity is crucial. In order to get the greatest possible benefit out of such training – to improve endurance performance by getting your body used to using
THE MAIN GOAL OVER THE NEXT THREE MONTHS IS SIMPLE: TO TRY AND IMPROVE RIDERS’ THRESHOLD AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
fat for energy, rather than carbs – you should climb onto the turbo with empty carbohydrate stores and start by riding at low intensity in the lowest training zone, 1, for 30 to 60 minutes.
This session is ideally completed in the morning after a low carb, high-protein and fat breakfast. If the athlete is used to riding with pre-depleted glycogen stores, they may ride longer intervals (approx five to 15 minutes) in basic endurance zone 2 after a warm-up of 10 to 20 minutes. Intervals at the individual anaerobic threshold may also be included after a few sessions if needed. However, as carbohydrate consumption is high at these intensities the athlete should keep them short and only do a few.
THRESHOLD INTERVALS
These classic threshold intervals train the aerobic metabolism (energy created using oxygen) and increase VO2 max (the maximum amount of oxygen a person can use during exercise.)
In order not to accumulate too much lactate – a by-product of exercise that limits performance when it accumulates – and risk failing to finish the session, these intervals are ridden at the individual anaerobic threshold, but never above. Once you have got used to this training session, interval length may be increased from four minutes to up to eight minutes. The active rest between intervals may be of the same length as the interval itself at the beginning. As soon as the performance level has improved, the active recovery may be gradually reduced to half the time of the actual interval.
INTERMITTENT INTERVALS
In this highly intensive form of training, 20 to 40 seconds of intensive riding are followed by 20 to 40 seconds of relaxed pedalling – in constant alternation for a total of 10 minutes. This training will increase aerobic metabolism and will benefit from a physiological synchronicity. Exercise and subsequent 'recovery’ are timed in such a way that the athlete can ride in the aerobic range for quite a long time, and longer than if they tried the same effort continuously, without recovery. The active rest is just long enough for the athlete to recover a little and eliminate some lactate, to begin the effort all over again.
TURBOS ARE EXCELLENT FOR THE TYPE OF STRUCTURED INTERVALS THAT ARE TOUGH TO DO OUTDOORS