With the evenings now dark and the weather getting worse by the day, training for cross is getting more difficult and the turbo trainer is starting to get used a little more. I try and get in two midweek hard sessions depending on recovery from a Sunday race, but with the wet roads and strong winds it starts to get a bit dangerous riding intervals and hard efforts. I thought I'd devise a turbo plan specific to the efforts required in a cross race. Going through a lap (in my head) of a recent national, section by section, and writing down the efforts required, I came to the conclusion that one lap consisted roughly of 15 or so turns, 20 or so transitional, hard efforts (would love to have been able to ride those flat out) of around 10-15 seconds, and 30 or so hard accelerations ranging from 3-30 seconds. Most of these were very short accelerations ranging from 3-5 seconds and the longest being the start and finish efforts of maybe up to 30 seconds? The turns kind of act as short micro recoveries, very important to make the most of those in a race! On a turbo you can't obviosuly turn, so turns in this context, turns are short easing off opportunities.
My lap plan below is pretty random (no course is the same), trying to incorporate all the above in an 8 minute, one lap effort. I'd suggest doing one lap on and one lap off. On the turbo this will be quite intense! You don't need an HRM or power meter, just go by feel, imagine you are in a cross race... keep it raw. It may help to have a friend call out the efforts, maybe take turns doing a lap each on your turbos, one putting the effort in then one calling out the intervals while they recover.
You can download a spreadsheet version here or use the details below
CycloCross Turbo Session
Race efforts - Simulation - 8min lap - suggest 1 lap on 1 lap off (easy spin)
Consists approx of:
- 15 Turns (3secs) micro recovery
- 20 Transitional fast paced efforts 10-15secs (not accellerations)
- 30 Jumps/Accellerations (consisting of:)
- 2 Long Acc 15-30 secs (start/finish)
- 8 Med Acc 10-15 secs
- 20 Short Acc 1-10 secs
| Lap (8mins of intervals) | |||||||||||
| Section 1 | 2 mins | Section 2 | 2 mins | Section 3 | 2 mins | Section 4 | 2 mins | ||||
| Interval | Secs | Aim | Interval | Secs | Aim | Interval | Secs | Aim | Interval | Secs | Aim |
| Long Acc | 20 | Start acc | Trans | 15 | fast pace | trans | 15 | fast pace | Short Acc | 5 | Jump |
| Turn 1 | 3 | rec | Turn 5 | 3 | rec | Short Acc | 3 | Jump | Turn 10 | 3 | rec |
| short Acc | 5 | Jump | Med Acc | 10 | Jump | Trans | 10 | fast pace | Med Acc | 10 | Jump |
| Turn 2 | 3 | rec | Trans | 10 | fast pace | Turn 8 | 3 | rec | Turn 11 | 3 | fast pace |
| Short Acc | 3 | Jump | Turn 6 | 3 | rec | Med Acc | 10 | Jump | Med Acc | 12 | Jump |
| Trans | 10 | fast pace | Trans | 15 | fast pace | Trans | 10 | fast pace | Turn 12 | 4 | fast pace |
| Med Acc | 15 | Jump | Short Acc | 3 | Jump | Short Acc | 4 | Jump | Short Acc | 6 | Jump |
| Turn 3 | 3 | rec | Turn 7 | 3 | rec | Trans | 10 | fast pace | Turn 13 | 3 | rec |
| Short Acc | 3 | Jump | trans | 5 | fast pace | Turn 9 | 3 | rec | Short Acc | 4 | Jump |
| Trans | 10 | fast pace | Short Acc | 3 | Jump | Trans | 12 | fast pace | Turn 14 | 3 | rec |
| Short Acc | 6 | Jump | Trans | 15 | fast pace | Short Acc | 3 | Jump | Med Acc | 15 | Jump |
| Turn 4 | 3 | rec | Short Acc | 5 | Jump | Trans | 10 | fast pace | Trans | 10 | fast pace |
| Med Acc | 10 | Jump | Trans | 10 | fast pace | Short Acc | 3 | Jump | Turn 15 | 3 | rec |
| Trans | 10 | fast pace | Short Acc | 5 | Jump | Trans | 10 | fast pace | Med Acc | 15 | Jump |
| short Acc | 3 | Jump | Trans | 10 | fast pace | Short Acc | 4 | Jump | Short Acc | 4 | Jump |
| Trans | 10 | fast pace | Short Acc | 5 | Jump | Trans | 10 | fast pace | Long Acc | 20 | Finish sprint |
| short Acc | 3 | Jump | |||||||||
