Cycling Training For Multi-sport women

[ironchick]

it sounds like Anne will be going over drillwork and specific workouts which would be great to attend if any of you are able!!! What many endurance athletes don't realize is that there is a difference between additional hours spent on the bike and QUALITY hours.

Often athletes presume that the 5 hour ride is exactly what they need to be doing to get faster.

You can ride 400+ miles a week but if you never work above a zone 1-2 heartrate you will not reap speed benefits. And there is increasing evidence that even IM athletes benefit from speedwork which if often overlooked in place of long slow distance. If you train slow your body will race slow.

Short course racing is different from IM also. You need to develop more fast twitch fibers for speed as well as technical skill especially on tight courses.
Part of the reasoning behind a large number of quality cycling hours during a build to an IM phase is that by improving economy on the bike, you are able to set yourself up for a stronger run. It is the development of muscular endurance (the ability of the body to push a large gear for an extended period of time) For Oly distance and shorter, you might never need to ride more than 2.5 hours at a time...but depending on the course, you will most likely be doing climbing repeats or speed drills.

AND as the course suggests, technical skills are important. The more in control of your bike you are the better!

However long you ride, remember train hard on your hard days and very easy on your rest/recovery days.

and have fun!!!