The Escalator
Lactate tolerance and suffering for those
end-of-race, hill finish, attacks
When & Why?
This increasingly challenging block of intervals can be used in the
pre-competition phase or anytime in the mid-season to give a boost to
your hill climbing, time trialling, or just plain ability to suffer at
the end of a race in the lead up to the sprint. One session, that
has the capacity to produce a whole different range of outcomes.
Where?
Obviously ideal for a turbo session but can be built
in to longer mid-week rides on the road. No real risks on
the road other than avoiding hills, junctions, and traffic lights. Much easier to pace indoors!
How?
Due to the nature of the first few intervals you can get away with
just a five minute warm up for this one.
Keep a race pace cadence and get yourself in to a nice rhythm for the early intervals. There should be no sensation of real effort. Be warned, there is no recovery in this session! Don't race the first few intervals because you'll pay for it later.
As the gears and duration builds, so to does lthe lactate. This session will become increasingly debilitating as the cadence drops to accommodate the rise in gear ratio.
Hold form and technique for as long as you can but when you start to rock and sway, back off. If you're only half way through the session just come back down the gears to get a decent workout but note your "peak" and attempt to surpass it on the next run.
This session works better on some turbos than others. Most fluid trainers increase the resistance as you go up the gears; obviously this isn't good. If you have a variable resistance, set it to normal road sensations. If you haven't, then you may need to come back down the block.
The Warm Up Warning
All interval sessions require a thorough and proper warm up...
but, this session starts quite easily so you can get away with a five
minute warmup rather than the ususal ten.
Once warmed up and ready to start, undertake the following session.
