Getting in the zone

dhb has got all the clothing you need to keep you warm, dry and on the bike this winter. And in part two of this three-part special, your training plan is starting to up the pace

The combination of expert coaching and high-performance clothing from dhb means you’re going further, faster this winter, rather than getting colder or wetter.

‘By now you’ve got miles on the clock,’ says Tim Elverson, owner, coach and sports director of the Canyon dhb p/b Soreen UCI Continental pro team. Last month, in the first phase of our three-part training plan, Elverson helped you build your base fitness. ‘This laid the foundations for everything that follows, both in terms of winter training and your performance next year, whether that’s racing, completing a sportive or simply getting fitter on the bike.’

Phase two of our training plan has two goals. ‘The first is to continue to rack up the miles because you want to carry on making those foundations stronger,’ says Elverson. ‘But this is also the stage where we start adding some intensity into your training.

‘The first thing I’d recommend is that you take a Functional Threshold Power [FTP] test,’ he adds. Your FTP is the maximum average power you can maintain for around one hour and, as well as increasing your fitness and your tolerance to the build-up of lactic acid in the muscles, is the barometer by which you will measure your effort.

‘You’ve concentrated on a block of miles in phase one so your FTP has probably gone down,’ Elverson says. ‘This means that if you ride at your previous effort levels, you’re training too hard too soon. Retaking the test will establish your training zones and allow you to calculate your maximal aerobic power output [MAP].’

To do the test, warm up for 15 minutes, then ride as hard as you can for 20 minutes. Note your average power for the 20 minutes, and your FTP is 95% of that figure. Your MAP is your average power output for the final 60 seconds of the 20-minute test.

‘Most of your rides at this stage will still be in zone 2, but we’ll now increase the volume and start adding a couple of rides per week with blocks of zone 3. Towards the end of the four weeks, we’ll also add a couple of minutes at zone 4, not to train in this zone but to remind you what it feels like. This keeps your muscles switched on, so zone 4 and above doesn’t come as a shock in phase three of the plan.’

Just remember your body needs time to rest and recover as well, because this is actually when you get fitter.