The 40k TT plans will prepare you for longer, more sustained efforts at higher percentages of functional threshold power (FTP). We know this type of fitness as muscular endurance. Growing muscular endurance is synonymous with building stamina. By increasing both your maximum steady-state power and stamina, you'll be able to work harder for longer durations.If you're pursuing a 40-kilometer time trial or looking to increase your maximum steady-state power (aka your highest sustainable power), you should follow the 40k TT plan after you've completed your Base and Build phase plans.

40k TT - Low Volume

Your specialized training begins with a Ramp Test, but remain consistent with your assessment protocol of choice. If you've been loyal to either the 8 Minute FTP Test or the 20 Minute FTP Test, consider this an opportunity to perform one or two steady-state efforts in your time trial position while refining your pacing capabilities. &nbsp; Following a day’s recovery, active or otherwise, the second workout of this first&nbsp;week will repeatedly expose you to work done&nbsp;slightly above your newly estimated FTP. The aim here is to subtly lift your time-trial power, but just as importantly, to&nbsp;help you adjust to mildly-suprathreshold work performed in your aero position.Following another day’s recovery, your week closes with your first of 3 practice time trials. This challenging workout utilizes a consistent&nbsp;pre-TT warmup format and then&nbsp;provides several more learning opportunities - proper pacing, working in&nbsp;position, the challenge of&nbsp;steady output - over 4 near-continuous segments at commonly utilized 40k&nbsp;power percentages.And feel free to look for +/- versions of your scheduled practice time trial should you wish to increase or decrease the severity of the workout.

Week 1

With a renewed sense of where your highest steady-state&nbsp;power currently resides, it’s time to spend some pretty long stretches of time targeting&nbsp;the&nbsp;ability to apply steady power while&nbsp;in your aero position. By increasing this particular form of stamina, you'll reduce the likelihood of breaking position and sacrificing precious time as your time trials enter their third and fourth quarters.Your second interval workout of the week introduces you to a new workout format that offers continuous but mildly varied effort levels all done near your time trial power but far enough below it that you're never crushed&nbsp;under its stress. These 'progression workouts' are both highly effective at increasing your endurance near FTP, but also underscore the importance of starting conservatively and increasing your effort gradually as the workout or race&nbsp;progresses.Week 2 closes out with a&nbsp;longer round of slightly suprathreshold repeats that are once again to be performed in your time trial position whenever possible. If this level of intensity prevents you from riding low, an important decision has&nbsp;to be made: modify your position or accept a lower power output and slower finish time than your fitness actually supports.

Week 2

Week 3 begins with another round of stamina-reinforcing Sweet Spot intervals performed in your aero position. Their duration drops noticeably, but the addition of another repeat brings your total work time up a bit higher than last week - more time down low, but more manageable durations to balance things out.Then, your slightly supra-FTP repeats move back to midweek, shrink in number and total duration, but grow individually. The aim here is to accustom you to longer stretches of time where you slightly exceed your sustainable power in order to grow that power a bit, but also to force you to work hard and still aerodynamically. These efforts also&nbsp;demonstrate the danger of remaining above your FTP longer than you should.Then it's time for another dress rehearsal! This time, the segments are slightly shorter but every other aspect of the workout remains very much the same. Use this opportunity to refine week 1's performance in some way, be it a minor change in&nbsp;bike fit, less time out of position, or maybe even try out a slight change in body position.Again, you're encouraged to look for +/- versions of your scheduled practice time trial should you wish to increase or decrease the severity of the workout.

Week 3

The fourth week of your specialty plan probably finds you fatigued and longing for a bit of a break from the intensity. Some athletes need a recovery stretch every 3 weeks while&nbsp;some can wait until that 5th week, most riders see a decline in performance after 3 consistent weeks of loading. Dial things back for a few days, try to place an added emphasis on your sleep if possible (shoot for an extra hour a few nights this week), and do your best to avoid unnecessary stress or excessive physical activity.Due to the low-volume nature of this particular plan, we won't dedicate the&nbsp;entire week&nbsp;to recovery but will use the&nbsp;final workout of the week (one you can shift to Sunday if you'd like an additional day's recovery) as another FTP assessment/practice TT. Within this specific cycling discipline, even subtle changes in FTP need to be accounted for due to the tight wattage range of these TT-specific workouts.&nbsp;Assuming you're feeling rested and ready by the weekend, suit up and bang out a short 20-minute, all-out effort. And this time, full TT garb is recommended. If at all possible, kit up, all the way up. Don your skinsuit, your shoe covers, aero helmet, sunglasses or visor of choice, anything and everything you have at your disposal and plan to utilize on race day. You might consider an extra fan, as well.

Week 4

The second half of this Specialty plan keeps the weekly stress similar to the first half, both of which are a substantial decline from the TSS you faced during your Build plan. This allows riders the chance to gradually unearth fitness buried beneath the fatigue of the Build phase as they hone said fitness to be as specific as possible to their key event; in this case,&nbsp;a near-FTP, steady-state effort.Although FTP improvements aren't a key focus at this point in the training progression, any improvements in FTP will make a measurable impact on your performance capabilities since you'll then be working at higher power outputs over the course of these final 4 weeks and beyond. It never gets easier, you only&nbsp;get faster, right? You'll start&nbsp;with another round of Threshold+&nbsp;efforts just a skosh above your&nbsp;maximum&nbsp;steady-state power. As you probably guessed,&nbsp;the primary aim is to eke out any last, little&nbsp;increases in your FTP while the secondary aim is to confirm your ability to work in close proximity to that FTP while remaining low and narrow: aero.&nbsp;Then, your Sweet Spot repeats grow a little in duration with a similar aim, to&nbsp;increase your time to exhaustion at effort levels very close to your time trial power.Finally, your penultimate practice TT matches you against a full hour's worth of effort with even shorter breaks than usual, ideally, all spent entirely in your aero position. And yet again, you're welcome to seek out an alternative version&nbsp;of your scheduled practice TT should you wish to alter the overall demand of the workout.

Week 5

Just one week separates you from the blessed training reduction that is your 2-week taper, and it&nbsp;brings no surprises with its&nbsp;familiar mix of workouts and steady-TSS total. Week 6&nbsp;begins with the last of your relatively long Sweet Spot workouts that is lighter than last week's in order to make up for some heavier stress you'll face later this week.&nbsp;Up next,&nbsp;another progression workout that mildly lifts its demands over the ones you faced several weeks back. In addition to the strength-endurance benefit on offer, this workout is yet another opportunity to reinforce the night and day difference between going out conservatively versus going out too hard. Finally, one more weekend foray into slightly-suprathreshold territory where the efforts bump back up to their longer duration as the recovery valleys remain just long enough to keep the quality high from interval to interval. By now, these should be performed entirely in your aero position with perhaps the occasional break to stand for a few pedalstrokes&nbsp;or to grab a quick drink should you plan to carry a bottle.

Week 6

Week 7 is the first of 2 taper weeks that sees a sharp drop in training volume but no change in intensity. This format works really well on its own as a taper leading into a B-priority event too, something we'll simulate on Saturday unless you have an actual event to perform in its place.Speaking of which, your weekend provides&nbsp;you with&nbsp;one final opportunity&nbsp;to really nail things down, both in terms of race prep as well as execution. Feel free to include everything from arrival time and&nbsp;trainer setup (unless you're&nbsp;warming up on the road), pre-race nutrition and hydration, a bathroom break, your warmup, another bathroom break--you get the idea. Remove all of the mystery surrounding what might happen on race day save for those things beyond your control and find it that much easier to remain calm, focused and eager to have your best day of the season.

Week 7

And here it is, the final week leading up to and into your all-important race of truth.Things kick off with another round of volume reductions in both your Sweet Spot repeats as well as your&nbsp;slightly suprathreshold intervals. If you feel like this isn't enough work to sustain your fitness, don't worry, it is. Your aim&nbsp;over these final two weeks&nbsp;is not to try to&nbsp;elevate your fitness but to uncover it by removing any last bit of&nbsp;fatigue that could limit&nbsp;your race performance.Saturday is an&nbsp;openers workout based on a Sunday time trial, but if your TT falls on Saturday, perform the short priming workout on Friday instead. If you'd prefer a different openers workout, take a look at Truuli -2 or find something similar in format and TSS.If for some reason&nbsp;you aren't racing this weekend, it's a good idea to&nbsp;slot&nbsp;in a repeat of one of your practice TT's&nbsp;in place of an outdoor race.Beyond that, consider the work done. Draw confidence from the fact that you’ve put forth all that’s necessary to have a great race, and&nbsp;recognize that&nbsp;there’s absolutely no need&nbsp;to cram any last-minute sessions into your schedule - they'll only work against you. Get out there, have a great day, and good luck!

Week 8

Whether in the pursuit of the esteemed sub-hour or the nearly mythical sub-50 40k TT, a time trialist has to first be fast, then be fast over the required distance and then do both while riding in a less-than-comfortable aerodynamic position.Much of these demands are physical but an under-credited aspect of racing the clock is the simple matter of being tough & accustomed to suffering. Add to this the requisite ability to effectively & intelligently pace a single, relatively long effort, and the apparent simplicity of a time trial evaporates.Accordingly, our multifaceted approach works to build a body capable of maintaining your highest sustainable power, forges a mind capable of tolerating high levels of discomfort while consciously pacing well and finally dresses it all in increasing levels of aerodynamics.

Time Trial

The 40k TT plans will prepare you for longer, more sustained efforts at higher percentages of functional threshold power (FTP). We know this type of fitness as muscular endurance. Growing muscular endurance is synonymous with building stamina. By increasing both your maximum steady-state power and stamina, you'll be able to work harder for longer durations.If you're pursuing a 40-kilometer time trial or looking to increase your maximum steady-state power (aka your highest sustainable power), you should follow the 40k TT plan after you've completed your Base and Build phase plans.

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