Ok, you are a tall guy without a lot of weight. This is good. However, your vo2max is on the lower side of things.

My suggestion: High intensity intervals that last 3-5 minutes (no more than 5) to raise vo2max. Go find a hill that's about a 3 to 5 minute climb and do that hill 8x with 2 minutes rest (coasting down the hill plus a bit of standing rest of very easy pedaling). Being able to utilize oxygen at a higher level is of paramount importance. Don't blindly do anaerobic workouts that you can only do once or twice. Do the workouts at a controlled intensity so that you can maximize your workout to raise vo2.

Another thing is to work on lactate threshold. This is best achieved by riding at an intensity at which lactate production equals lactate uptake. Essentially, you want work as hard as you can without building lactate in your legs.

If the weather is crappy, get on a treadmill. Running improves vo2max and lactate threshold better than cycling.

bikes on dikes?

That's just crazy talk.

Longest month of my life.

I have to disagree with both of these. Most of the climbing in Colorad is long sustained climbs, much longer than 3-5 minutes. Hence doing longer intervals, like 2x20's, aimed at raising threshold power are more targeted to what the OP needs. Any intervals are good, but intervals designed to raise threshold power, and hold threhold power longer will help the OP on Colorado's long climbs.

As for running, its a poor substitute for training riding a bike. Sports specificity is key. The OP's problem of lack of hills is that his triaing will be less specific than if he could ride on hills. Why make is even less specific by not riding a bike at all.

If he's going to train indoors, a trainer, with the front wheel propped up, and high resistance is going to be much more beneficial for his purposes than running.

You are confusing threshold with interval workouts. (Lactate) threshold is what I referred to in the second part of my response. Intervals are different than threshold in that you are working BEYOND threshold. Without doing high intensity intervals, you will not improve vo2max effectively.

Yes, I agree, specificity of training is key for any sport, but I assumed he didn't have a trainer or access to a gym. Without being able to ride outside, the best substitute for biking is running just as riding is a good substitute for running.

I got into cycling after I got injured from running at a good level. Some of my best running races have come after I cross trained (for example, 75 mpw running and 100 miles of cycling). Likewise, I don't think I would be at my current cycling level if I did not run. But going back to my point, cross training is good for you.

This.

I try to control my climbing like this http://youtu.be/fVvr2ihAfAk watching my HR and riding to control it pacing myself on long climbs switching between the 2 technics of hi cadence and muscle tension hi cadence makes my HR climb and slower cadence using muscle allows my HR to come back down so I can so it all over till I get to the top.

You're confusing intevals targeted at raising vo2max, and intervals designed to raise functional threshold power. The latter are what you need to train for doing long sustained climbs.



Cross training may be good for you health, balancing fitness, bone density, etc. It doesn't however, best prepare you to ride a bike up a hill, particularly when you've got a limited period to train to do so.

I did my first few climbs in the Alps solely off running training and did alright. I find the big thing is that the effort is constant, if you stop pedalling to coast a bit you lose your momentum and fall over:(.

Also, I'm pretty sure that any VO2max calculation based on age/heart rate is complete BS.

I took part in a study a teammate was doing for his Master's in ExPhys, one of the benefits is that we got all sorts of training data, including VO2max. I have never used it for training.

Threshold workouts are not intervals. They are threshold. They are designed to make you more efficient at cleaning up lactate in your legs.

Intervals on the other hand are ABOVE THRESHOLD workouts that push your vo2max. They are done multiple times with rest duration equal to roughly 50% of the duration of the interval. (Ex: 10x5 minute high intensity hill climbs with 2:30 rest)

There is no such thing as "intervals designed to raise threshold." Threshold workouts tend to be something like 15 minute warm up, 40 minutes at threshold, 15 min cool down. Thresholds exist because they are much longer in duration and you DO NOT stop. If you stop, you stop the process of pushing the limit of lactate uptake.

Let me be clear with what I mean: just because you are doing something more than once, doesn't make it an "interval" workout. Intervals mean high intensity, above threshold workouts intended to raise vo2max.

As for the running/cross training bit, I stated that if OP were to experience bad weather (and assuming he doesn't have a trainer at home) then running is the best substitute.

First rule of holes; when you're in one stop digging.

Intervals aimed at raising FTP are most certainly "intervals" 2x20 intervals are the bedrock of most training programs.

http://www.cyclingpowerlab.com/IntervalTraining.aspx


My point, and where we disagree, is that for the OP's purpose, (sustained climbs in Colorado) longer intervals will serve him better than shorter intervals targed at vo2max.

And FWIW, I've ridden the entire length of the US Pro Cycling Challenge, with Chris Carmichael, so have some idea of how to prepare for sustained climbing in Colorado.

All you guys are using a chain saw to cut butter. This really isn't so bad -- I'd be surprised if the OP couldn't ride 12 miles with 3000 feet outright using no preparation other than his normal routine. At 6'4" and 185lbs, he won't be a total blob.

MSHRED: While the advice you've been given will certainly make the climb easier/faster, all you really need to do is pace yourself and you'll be fine.

The trick with long climbs is that you never get to rest. This means that you need to select a pace that you can actually sustain for a couple hours. That you were huffing before suggests that you haven't figured out pacing.

What kind of gearing do you have? In Bloomington, you can get away with any kind of gearing. Since you have no hill climbing experience, chances are you'll be riding up in your lowest gear whatever it is. If you have a compact crank or a triple with at least 25 teeth on your biggest cog, you'll be fine. If your small ring has 39 or more teeth, you'll most likely have a tough time, but it's still doable.

When you're climbing up the hill, just take it easy. If you feel your legs burning up, stand for 20 seconds or so to let your spinning muscles rest. When you stand, just walk on the pedals as you rock the bike. No need to muscle it. Be sure to ride at your pace. Do not try to keep up with someone out of pride (e.g. women or guys 20 years older than you) if they're faster than you or you will be in for a world of hurt.

Unless you enjoy intervals and training, I recommend against it. Cycling is supposed to be fun. Think of it this way -- would you rather suffer for weeks so you hurt just a little less, or would you rather just hurt a bit more for two hours tops?

Just did Storming Of Thunder Ridge last weekend for the second year in a row. It includes a 13 mile climb up the Blueridge Parkway.

http://stormingofthunderridge.org/100-miler-century/

For background, I am a 5'8" 200lb quarter horse/sprinter type. Definitely not a mountain goat. Here's what I can tell you:

Make sure you have enough gearing on the low end. Bear in mind that with low enough gearing, there might come a point where you can get off and walk faster than you are spinning. If up all the way, you better have enough gearing to spin at 60 or more. Any less, and those legs will cramp after a while.

My training last year:
Besides regular long rides, I went to the gym and did 3 hours on a spin bike twice a week.(I started this about 2 months prior to the ride) I rotated between an interval program and an endurance program.(1 hour, then switch) I also did spin classes during the week also.

On the ride, there is one rest stop halfway up. Otherwise, it's grinding upward until you get it done. The highest cadence I could muster was around 60 with it dipping below plenty. Quads cramped up badly at least twice between the start and the halfway rest stop. The same thing happened between the halfway rest stop and the top. You just have to get off and walk it off.

My training this year: Weather in this area did not really cooperate so all of my training save one ride was at the gym on a spin cycle. Still did the spin classes through the week. I also rode the spin bike twice a week.(again starting about 2 months prior to the ride) This year I rotated between a strength program(climbing) and the endurance program. Could only do 1 hour total each time(30 minute, then switch) because the strength program would wipe me out. I also would swim for 30 minutes after the bike.

On the ride this year I was climbing with a cadence between 60 and 80. I had no problem maintaining the 60. Climbed about 1-2mph faster. I only cramped up once between the rest stops instead of twice. If I can climb between 80 and 100 next year I think I can stave off the cramps.

Bottom line: For me the strength program was way better than the intervals. On the climb I get no chance to spin out the legs. So for you I would go with a previous posters advice of finding one of your big gears. Find the one that you struggle to keep at 60 then do it for 2 or 3 hours. Build strength.

One thing you had better prepare yourself for is the mental grind of a long sustained climb. If you are used to zipping along in the flats at 20+mph get ready for a surprise. You will be going nowhere slow! The time will add up as you are grinding along looking for the top. Don't get frustrated.

Ok, I just want to reiterate that 2x20 is a cruise interval, essentially, a shorter threshold workout, and that intervals, in its most correct sense, means something like 5-10x5.

Doing threshold is what I also suggested, if you re-read my original post. I mentioned vo2max as well as threshold. Relying solely on threshold will not yield the best results.

'Correct' as defined by you only. Intervals can be any duration that makes sense for the system you are targeting. There are low intensity and high intensity intervals. You happen to be talking about high intensity intervals.

A recent study, "Adaptations to aerobic interval training: interactive effects of exercise intensity and total work duration." looked at the effects of different interval duration and intensity. They examined low intensity, 4x4, 4x8 and 4x16min intervals. The 4x8 were most effective at raising VO2Max.

So do the puke-inducing high intensity 4 min intervals if you like, or back off a little and do 8 min intervals at a lower intensity and you should have better results :)

I know, right.

exactly.

Off topic, but what is your VO2max?

What botto said. Find a head wind and turn a low cadence hard effort for 10 min. turn around and repeat 6 times. Do it twice a week.

Increase power, reduce weight.

The OP has only 4 weeks. While he can certainly improve in that amount of time, he won't put himself in a totally different ballpark in such a short time.

Yes.

He almost certainly doesn't need more power to get up the mountains. He needs the right gears (he might already have them), to know how to pace himself, and altitude acclimatization.

i'm not trying to be mean here, but don't talk anymore. You need to look over your own posts. Interval just means any time frame spent at a specific wattage. i can do tempo intervals, threshold intervals, vo2max interval (something i wouldn't reccomend too much of when you're focusing on 30 minute+ efforts at a steady wattage (now a 30 minute race w/ a short climb i would push for vo2max work, but not for lonmg hills)). I know you think you're saying smart things, but you kind of sound like that 10 year old who had a "lifting plan". You're not just wrong, but you look like a fool.

Op, go do 2x20's. Like i said originally, they are going to do you the most good. Also work on losing some weight but don't starve yourself.

i think you and banerjek are probably right. i'll certainly do some rides aimed at building strength, but i'm not expecting any miracles.

i'm riding a specialized allez elite triple w/9 speed cassette. i feel ok as far as gearing goes. just hope i can pedal fast enough in the very low gears to avoid rolling backwards on the steep sections :)