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Training Concepts > Swim . Bike . Run . Strength . Mental . Recovery
Bike
Power . Cadence > Muscular Endurance
Struggling to add the next MPH on to your bike split? Tired of getting dropped on hills?
Since most triathlon events place a premium on the cycling component of the race, the amount of time, energy expenditure and attention to details found in your training should reflect this fact. Blueshift Multisport cycling training programs place an emphasis on developing muscular endurance. Whether your goal is to move up from Category 5 to Category 3 racing, or you want to shave time off of your ironman bike split, you need to have a wide range of cycling skills at your disposal. Our programs are custom designed to address key cycling components such as: steady power output, high cadence, neuromuscular development, and heart rate decoupling.
How well do you know your engine?
Early in your Blueshift coaching experience you will complete a threshold test to determine your power and heart rate intensity zones. We'll use a few of the testing protocols found in the popular literature as a way to cross check results and get you dialed in to a solid framework. From there we'll begin a series of challenging bike interval workouts that are designed to gradually lift the work-to-rest ratio. (This is your hill training in disguise!) You will also be working to "push up and over" on your mean maximal performance chart as your fitness steadily improves. With established normals in place, one can measure endurance as both extending the time it takes for HR and power to disconnect from each other, as well as the extent to which they decouple over time.
What kind of race car driver are you?
Research has shown that the best way to approach any time trial event is to even or negative-split with a nearly constant power output. The body much prefers to work at a steady rate than be forced to make many acclerations that tax its metabolic efficiency pathways. Although this isn't possible in every event context, all cyclists should know how to spend and conserve their energy to achieve maximum results. The "variability index" measures the standard deviation of the power channel and provides a helpful metric to smooth out an athlete's output and extend her endurance.
What is the "best" cadence?
When Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullrich battled it out in the French Alps, one of the main topics of discussion was the stark contrast in their foot speed. Whereas Jan pushed a bigger gear with lower RPMs, Lance "danced" on the pedals to the tune of 100+ RPMs. Both riders were producing large amounts of power to go uphill fast and finished only seconds apart, so which style is "better"?
Since Power = Force x Velocity, you can see there's a tradeoff in play. To ride fast AND far, one needs to optimize the balance between leg forces and cadence. It turns out that the muscles are the limiting component, and their ability to generate high forces will dimish most quickly over time. If you've ever experienced leg cramping issues, this could be a particularly relevant avenue for exploration. Higher cadences rely more heavily on the nervous system as well as the cardiovascular system, both of which can be developed to a much higher degree through training. For these reasons, Blueshift Multisport coaches will work with you to shift your cadence sweet spot from the mid-80's into the mid-90's. We also recommend compact gearing (50/34 teeth front chain rings vs. 53/39) in most training and racing situations for precision control of cadence over rolling terrain.
Training Concepts > Swim . Bike . Run . Strength . Mental . Recovery
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