Originally Posted by grebletie
Intervals. Long 12-30 minute threshold intervals, and 3-8 minute VO2 intervals. The secret to going faster is to go faster at speeds you can only sustain for short periods. Soon you'll be able to sustain those speeds for longer periods, as your body adapts to the training load.
http://www.fascatcoaching.com/intervaltypes.html
Thanks. I've never really done intervals. I checked out the link, and I appreciate that. Must admit though, some of that is over my head. Say I just want to do 25 miles, and really be consistently fast a la a time trial. Would that be a threshold power workout? If so, what exactly does that mean? Do I start by taking, say 8 minutes out of a ride, and cranking as hard as I can for those 8 minutes, recover for a while (how long) and repeat. I'm sorry if this is all elementary stuff, but this is a new concept for me. I'm just getting into competition, and up until now just rode at whatever pace felt good.