Road Cycling - Pain...Intervals

I need some new interval workouts folks. The ones I'm doing are getting boring. Is there a formula or something for putting together an interval workout? Pain and lactate threshold are what I want to work on, with speed and power on the side(ha ha). I need to be able to work harder at my max heart rate basically, and increase my lung capacity.

Hey, fubar, did you ever try that one power one I gave you with the 3% hills, etc.? How did it go, if you tried it?

Here's a good one for some lactate threshold:


Warm up for 30 minutes by riding in a fairly easy gear (39x16) at 65-75% of your maximum heart rate. Ride for 10 minutes in a very easy gear (39x23) and/or stretch.

Here's the interval: As each noted time elapses, adjust your resistance on your trainer to simulate the percentage hill also noted. Keep the resistance the same until the noted time has elapsed. Recommended gearing is 53x16.

0:00 - Start
3:30 - 2% - 40 sec.
5:00 - 2% - 40 sec.
9:50 - 3% - 40 sec.
13:00 - 4% - 2 min.
20:30 - 5% - 30 sec.
25:30 - 5% - 30 sec.
26:30 - 5% - 30 sec.
30:00 - Finish

Cool down by riding a very easy gear (39x23) for 10-15 minutes. Stretch.


This trainer interval is made to simulate a local competitive traininig ride we have. It is excellent for race simulation. You can use it at any percentage of maximum heart rate you need for a certain training day. You can split it up into two halves. You can get some power incorporated by riding a larger gear, and not rising out of the saddle on the climbs. It's a very, very versatile workout. Have fun!

i've been working with the spinerval's 'mental toughness' which is one big interval-o-rama.

i've noticed that in my case, i had never had good effort AFTER the all out HR near-max for 30-40 seconds or whatever. I'd be able to keep the power to go all out for the short burst, but it was the effort in the minutes AFTER that effort where i'd get dropped.....this video has helped me. (i'd be able to get up and over the hill on rides, but what i did on the downhill or straights have been disappointing because i never could get myself together enough to recover then)

ALSO, i used to do my intervals workout too far into my ride, so i'd be less than full when it was time to get to near-max/max effort.

i blame my cycle computer for much of this because i had become a slave to the mph. intervals is not about mph (when you are doing it)

Velo, I've done the 3% grade one, it's great. But I just keep doing the same intervals over and over. I went looking through my stack of old Bicycling mags and I found some good stuff in them. The one you posted looks good too. I may be doing a spring race this weekend. It's not an official race, but it's a spring training series put on by hincapie sports in Greeneville SC, which is about 2-3 hours away.