Sample seven-day training camp schedule

This is a typical training camp week I would complete seven days before the start of the Tour Series. Refer to it as a template – but remember that every rider should tailor their camp to suit their own fitness levels and racing aims

MONDAY:

2-3hr steady endurance Assuming you arrived yesterday, the purpose of today’s session is to just spin the legs out after a day of travelling. This gets the body and mind prepared for a hard week ahead.

TUESDAY

3-4hr with on/off blocks

The first hour of today’s ride is a warmup. Each of the next three hours should include one 10-minute block of on/off effort – 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off. This session gets me race-ready like no other. The ‘on’ part of the effort is at full gas and is extremely demanding, helping to build explosive capability off minimal recovery.

WEDNESDAY

3-4hr endurance Because yesterday was a demanding session, today is a long, endurance ride. If you’re feeling good, throw in a 30-minute tempo block at Zone 3 on one of the longer climbs.

THURSDAY

1hr easy – active recovery Just a very light, easy spin today will help keep the legs ticking over, keeping the cardiovascular system primed and not letting muscles stiffen too much.

FRIDAY

3-4hr with 2x 20min Z4 plus sprints Working at threshold will help develop endurance: two blocks of 20 minutes. Every four minutes within the effort, sprint for 15 seconds, then settle back into Zone 4. This is proper race-simulation training: holding threshold while also being forced to follow attacks.

SATURDAY

3hr with assorted sprints Scatter the following sprints through the ride to keep those fast-twitch muscle fibres firing: three times fivesecond, three times 10-second and three times 15-second.

SUNDAY

3-4hr with 5x 5min Z5

This session develops Vo2max – your body’s maximum rate of oxygen uptake – by riding at Zone 5 for intervals of five minutes, with two-minute recoveries in between.