“Snap” is simply rate of force generation. So leg speed + high force. It can go as you age, you start to lose some of that ability to spin up FAST, but mostly your high end strength.
Lift weights, do high cadence work (cadence ramps, spinups) in your base training, then sprinkle the anaerobic and sprint work as racing approaches and you’ll retain snap better as you age.
It’s also somewhat one of those “you have it or you don’t” things like high Pmax. Trainable, but some people just won’t ever have it like others.
It is probably not affected by frequency of hard (e.g. threshold) intervals.
Well, I’m approaching 43 and when you race against u23 pros who go to Europe and other local pros, my snap is somewhat lacking, hah. It’s more or less that snap to get up and over that lil bit at the end of a 5-10 min climb to get that separation on the flat in the singletrack to keep your lead or bridge to the next racer.
My plan looks something like this and changes through the year based on my events I’m working towards:
Monday: off
Tuesday: Threshold work. Usually try to get 45-60 mins in at threshold. Block periodization.
Wednesday: 2-3 hours of z2 with 10 sec all out sprints every 10 minutes
Thursday: 2-3 hours of z2/tempo. In the middle of this workout I’ll do v02 max. Again block periodization.
Friday: Either off or an hour or so of pedaling on glass
Saturday: This is 4-6 hours of hammering on climbs, short punchy out of saddle sprints. I look to get 2 hours of sweet spot in this. Ride goal is race pace .8/.85 IF is ideal. If I don’t do vo2 max work earlier in the week, I’ll do in this workout. Sustained climbing of 10-20 mins at SS with some at threshold here and there.
Sunday: 4-6 hours of z2/tempo
I rotate my interval days usually. I will do high anaerobic over unders on Tuesdays as well. But if you’re looking to boost that threshold, gotta do threshold work. Not just kinda threshold, really dig in. I’m on the cusp of throwing up after these or straight up bonking. Gotta dig deep.
note: This is what I"m rotating on my calendar to get ready for Gravel Locos 170 in Pueblo CO on October 1. I’ll have a tuneup gravel race somewhere early September to get things dialed like pacing and such.
Not everyone has this time available. I’m very fortunate with work and a very flexible schedule. I believe the TR plans will help get you there, you just need a lil more. Volume is key. My race goals are way different than they were when I first started (crits, cx), so more me these longer rides are really helping.
I’ve also realized my w/kg is probably tapped out unless I lose a bit of weight. Which is why Im working hard on TTE or just endurance for these long events. I also really think people do way too many hard days with intervals. Two a week IMO is key. Though everyone is different and that’s fine. more than one way to get there!
I have only ever done 1 proper Vo2Max test using gas exchange which was back in 2017 which gave me a baseline reading of - 64ml/kg/min - FWIW I was 71kg which put me at 3.1w/kg it seems looking back at my notes. In 2017 I was riding, but not training properly but getting in the miles ahead of a brig trip where I incidentally then got injured and put me off the bike for a bit (as referenced in my post above).
If we skip forwards to now, my Garmin gives me a VO2Max of 75 and intervals.icu gives me a VO2Max of 65.1 (based on last 90days training) - read into those calcs/ algorithms as you will. I am now circa 64.5kg and at 5w/kg. I would like to do another proper VO2Max test at some point.
In terms of background I do have a sporting one having been very active when at school etc (now 37) involved in many different sports such as swimming, athletics, rugby, hockey etc… I have cycled for about 10+ years but only focused on structured training the last 2/3 years.
I participated in a study where I was vo2 tested over a 6mo period. I was training 3-5 hpw (no structure and just riding easy) in the beginning and 6-8 hpw in the middle (with intervals) and no training at all in the end (1-3hpw for 1 month - I got injured and sick).
I tested vo2max of 68 in the beginning, 71.4 in the middle, and 66 at the end. These were all in a lab at a university.
Weight was between 74-76kg throughout. I was not 5w/kg throughout the whole period, but would say a was mid to upper 4. Didn’t do any formal testing.
Note: I have never been a big ftp/TT type rider. I have always had big vo2 power tho. Last year, I tested 5min power at 6.5 w/kg, 3min at 7.5 w/kg, but had ftp of ~4.8w/kg. This was with much more training than the vo2 testing (9-10hpw).
I think ftp is a bit misleading. For example, your top miler/1500m runner is rarely your teams top half marathon or 10k runner. For some reason in cycling, we assume these talents are across the board based on ftp.
Yeah, if one starts with a high enough VO2max, the details on how you get to 5 w/kg are largely irrelevant, provided there’s enough stimulus and reasonable general practices.
Now, show me somebody that reached 5w/kg with a starting VO2 max in the mid 50’s….
Second is definitely not true. I didn’t have an early start in athletics, hated sports in school etc. I started cycling when I was 32 and hit 5 w/kg 18 months later.
I didn’t even lead a very healty lifestyle until I was 31. Smoked daily, drank a lot every weekend, did coke and other drugs on a regular basis etc.
Garmin puts my VO2 max between 74 and 80; intevals.icu puts it at 66.5.
riding at 5wkg requires around 55 ml/min/kg.
Assuming 85% of the vo2max at ftp a rider needs a vo2max of 65.
Lots of assumptions and assuming an average efficiency but does not fall much further than these numbers.
