I think the pro directors know what they are doing.
2 Likes
Or do they know what they have always done?
You’re looking at a training camp for stage racers and asking why they don’t train like classics riders. Then you offer that maybe they’re bound by tradition.
Any pro team with a decent budget has a consulting physiologist, the riders use powermeters and have someone looking at the data, and it’s not 1980 when they just go out and ride for 6 hours every day because that’s what Thevenet did, or 1995 when they say they’re doing “structured heart rate training” when they’re really just out riding like it’s 1980, but they’re jacking their hematocrits up to 60%.
The data on this thread is mostly for stage racers. If you look at a sprinter or a classics specialist, you’ll see a different picture.
6 Likes
Mate you take your own opinions way too seriously. I offered a comment to a thread by someone else and you are reading all sorts into that about what you think I know or said
Spiked SST finished of with climbing at low tempo
1: climbing @ AeT
2: climbing @ AeT
3: easy day
4: climbing @ Tempo
5: endurance/tempo with stuff
6: long endurance/tempo (low altitude)
7: easy day
8a: no power data uploaded
8b: no power data uploaded
9: looong @ AeT/Tempo
10: easy day
11: spiked SST + @ AeT/Tempo climbing
5 Likes
long endurance ride with WvA. Quite spikey for an endurance ride, must have been a brisk ride with some pulling at the front.
1: climbing @ AeT
2: climbing @ AeT
3: easy day
4: climbing @ Tempo
5: endurance/tempo with stuff
6: long endurance/tempo (low altitude)
7: easy day
8a: no power data uploaded
8b: no power data uploaded
9: looong @ AeT/Tempo
10: easy day
11: spiked SST + @ AeT/Tempo climbing
12: looong endurance ride @ AeT
2 Likes
rest day
1: climbing @ AeT
2: climbing @ AeT
3: easy day
4: climbing @ Tempo
5: endurance/tempo with stuff
6: long endurance/tempo (low altitude)
7: easy day
8a: no power data uploaded
8b: no power data uploaded
9: looong @ AeT/Tempo
10: easy day
11: spiked SST + @ AeT/Tempo climbing
12: looong endurance ride @ AeT
13: easy day
Finally, they apply the “true science”: 4x8. But they did it wrong, more than 2min rest between intervals. They’ve probably not optimised time at 90% Max HR. Precious adaptions wasted 
1: climbing @ AeT
2: climbing @ AeT
3: easy day
4: climbing @ Tempo
5: endurance/tempo with stuff
6: long endurance/tempo (low altitude)
7: easy day
8a: no power data uploaded
8b: no power data uploaded
9: looong @ AeT/Tempo
10: easy day
11: spiked SST + @ AeT/Tempo climbing
12: looong endurance ride @ AeT
13: easy day
14: 4x8 + long endurance
8 Likes
Haha, also the set was not excecuted in a strict isoeffort fashion, so that is strike two.
Very interesting documentation of the camp, thanks once again.
3 Likes
just noticed, Sepp Kuss has a slightly different program. See Wednesday for example. Gesink did spiked SST efforts, Kuss fast start intermittent stuff.
Sepp Kuss:
1min over & 1min under ?
shortish AeT/Tempo due to weather (probably)
1: climbing @ AeT
2: climbing @ AeT
3: easy day
4: climbing @ Tempo
5: endurance/tempo with stuff
6: long endurance/tempo (low altitude)
7: easy day
8a: no power data uploaded
8b: no power data uploaded
9: looong @ AeT/Tempo
10: easy day
11: spiked SST + @ AeT/Tempo climbing
12: looong endurance ride @ AeT
13: easy day
14: 4x8 + long endurance
15: @ AeT/Tempo
1 Like
The most interesting (paradoxical) take home from this thread is that, professional cyclists seem to train less structured than amateurs and they don’t bother with sessions shorter than 3hours. H
6 Likes
82/83% is the number Steve Neal uses for his tempo work.
See post 95 in this thread.
That’s interesting, the 1min/4min session seems to be a standard session done by Sky/Ineos, especially in Tenerife. They usually stack together 30min worth (amongst other efforts), but i’ve seen Wurf do up to 90min before
2 Likes
Since Unbound is going on, here one of the current leading pack: Laurens ten Dam
Let’s see how he prepared for today. He clearly did not get the message that you don’t train at race pace. Especially not when race pace is no man’s land. You’re only allowed to train the engine, everything else is Age Grouper-non-pro-mistake. #sarcasm-off
seriously, take a look at the race file on May 22. This is how these races look like. Many of his training rides look very similar, not as extremely spikey but very similar. Clearly a fun way to train, a lot of happy hard.
2 Likes
Peter Stetina: a more structured approach to meet race demands. Or let’s say not as messy looking. Train to ride at tempo/SST with frequent surges into high-high-high.
2 Likes
