1. Endurance/strength... warmup 15 min easy. Start with

one 15 min set and grow to 20 min then 2x 15 then 2x 20, then

30 min etc... five min in each of 3 or 4 descending gears.

ie; 53*15 then to 53*14 for 5 min then 53*13 for 5 min then

warm down. you should use gears/resistance to allow for 80-90 rpm

in the last set and HR in zone 4. maintain good form and

not to rock or bob too much.

2. speedwork. benefits include increased legspeed,

power and quick recovery from changes in pace.

warmup then 5 sets of the following (no rest for 10 min)

one minute 42*17 with cadence of 90ish and

one minute 53*17 with same cadence with

hr in both high zone 3 or 4 not 5! going back

and forth without stopping.

then do 5 min easy recovery and follow with

45 sec 53*17 cadence 90rpm and

15 sec 53*17 cadence 120 hr in zone 4

recover for 1 minute between 10 of the

45/15 repetitions. (10 more minutes)

easy for 5 minutes then another full set

of both one minute 42 then 53 then

a full set of 45/15 then cool off

(and have your heart attack!)

two fulls sets is (10+5+10) +5 + (10+5+10)

with the 5's being very easy.

3. aerobic capacity. increases aerobic efficiency by working

intensely then not allowing full recovery.

warmup.

five minutes of 15 sec on and off with "on" being

very high rpm and high workload/resistance and 15 off

being easy spinning.

five minutes of easy spinning

repeat sets till time is up. cool down.

Let me suggest an additional, low-intensity workout that will improve pedaling

fluidity and efficiency: one-leg drills. They can be done in conjunction with

any of the workouts below, but are probably best combined with a high-rpm

interval session, because the aim is to improve your ability to spin smooth

circles. Plus, one-leg drills are one of the few workouts that are better done

indoors than outside. On the road you always risks a crash or, worse, getting

your foot stuck in your spokes. One note: these shouldn't be done on rollers

unless you are extremely proficient. Any irregularities in your stroke will

cause you to rock off the rollers.

Now to the workout: warm up well. Then do 3 sets of 3 minutes alternating

between legs every 30 seconds. I like to use a small gear, e.g., a 42X18, and

spin at around 110 rpm. But it is sometimes useful to use a somewhat larger

gear and a lower cadence, which is more like weight-lifting (Davis Phinney

claims he does these in a 53X16, a gear I can't even move with one leg). Rest

your idle foot on the side of your trainer or your rear quick release, being

careful to avoid sticking your foot in the spokes. I usually alternate between

spinning and one-leg drills, so my workout goes something like this:

Warm-up

3X30 seconds spinning, with 30 seconds in between, shifting during each

interval to a smaller gear every 10 seconds (e.g., 42x16 for 10 seconds, 42X17

for 10 seconds, and 42X19 for 10 seconds, followed by a 30 second rest). I

spin around 150-160 rpm in the smallest gear.

1 minute rest (easy spinning)

3 minutes of isolated leg spinning, alternating between legs every 30 seconds

(42X18 or 42X19 at 100-110 rpm).

1 minute rest and repeat

(3 or 4 repeats should be enough)

Try to relax and spin very smoothly. At first it will seem hard, but your

stroke will improve quickly. You will be thankful for that when the season

begins, because efficiency and position are as important as strength in cycling

(and easier to improve).