Barry Roubaix and Beyond: a practical approach to racing in three parts

• Posted on 9 February 2024
• By Aaron Schutter
• 3

Barry Roubaix and Beyond:

A practical approach to racing in three parts

PART 1 - Physical Preparation

I. Introduction and qualifications (or lack thereof) 

Let’s be clear about one thing straight away: I’m not a professional trainer, coach, athlete, or doctor. I literally have no training in the field whatsoever. If you happen to be a professional any-of-these, you may want to pick a different blog post to read (link to other blog post). The following guidelines and training calendar are, however, based on my experience and observations (as an amateur who works really hard to finish in the middle of the pack) over the last five to six years; including what has worked for me and what hasn’t.

This training program represents a 10 week training block, starting on Sunday, February 11, and continuing on through Barry Roubaix race day. The “heavier” program (first tab in the spreadsheet linked below) is intended for more serious riders with established fitness, more time to commit to their training (up to 10 hours/week), who have access to power data (smart trainer or power meter), and are training for the 36-mile BRX at the end of April. The “lighter” program (second tab in the spreadsheet linked below) is tailored to newer or time-crunched riders (no more than 5 hours/week), utilizes “rate of perceived exertion” (defined below), and is ideal for first-time racers, or BRX riders looking for their best time on the 18-mile course. 

BRX Training Program Calendars

II. Terms and fancy acronyms

As you work through the program elements, here are a few helpful definitions that you may or may not be acquainted with:

FTP (functional threshold power):

The maximum power output (in watts) you can sustain for an hour. Often estimated with a shorter, 20-minute effort (FTP is approximately equal to 95% of your maximum 20-minute power output)

FTP Test:

Used to calculate your FTP. Often built into online training platforms like Zwift or TrainerRoad, and usually in the form of a “20 minute” test or a “ramp” test. Either test will then apply a formula to your results to estimate the amount of power (in watts) you can theoretically sustain for one hour.

RPE (rate of perceived exertion):

Just what it sounds like: how hard you feel like you're working on a scale of 1-10. A useful substitute when you are not training with a power meter.

Zone 1 (Z1):

Active recovery; <60% FTP; RPE 1-2. Light spinning with minimal effort.

Zone 2 (Z2):

Endurance; 60-75% FTP; RPE 3-4. Not difficult but will elevate your heart rate. Can be sustained for extended periods of time.

Zone 3 (Z3):

Tempo; 75-95% FTP; RPE 5-6. A moderate effort with elevated breathing. Will feel like work but your legs aren’t burning yet.

Zone 4 (Z4):

Threshold; 95-105% FTP; RPE 7-8. A strong effort that is sustainable for a while, but will slowly grind you down. Heavy breathing. Legs burning.

Zone 5+ (Z5):

VO₂Max and Anaerobic Capacity; >105% FTP; RPE 9-10. Intense efforts, only able to be sustained for short periods. Often split into Z5/6/7 but just one zone for my purposes.

Strength Training:

For the purposes of this essay: lifting. Squats, deadlifts, leg extensions, leg curls and more squats. Low reps with heavy weight to develop larger and more powerful muscles (primarily quads, hamstrings, glutes, and hip flexors). It is difficult to simulate these stresses on a bike. If you’re not a gym person; squats, lunges, and calf raises are easily done at home: buy a pair of heavy kettlebells or just find something heavy to hold on to. Every cyclist can also benefit from upper body and core work, but it is especially valuable for mountain bikers! Pushups, planks, and leg lifts are great and can be done at home.

Intervals:

Alternating heavy and light efforts for specific durations to train for a specific physiological response. There are a ton of flashy, exciting, and often complex workouts out there on a number of different platforms that may work great for many people, but I generally opt for a much simpler and more concentrated approach. Want to boost your sprinting power? Simulate it, recover, repeat. Want to increase your FTP? Simulate it, recover, repeat. You get the idea. If you have another workout that you know works for you (with somewhat similar zones and durations) feel free to sub that in on the calendar.

Intervals I frequently use that are called out in this program, with links to diagrams:

3-4 x 15min Z3

- Warm up 5-10 min.

- 15 min. @ 80% FTP, 5 min. @ 65% FTP (3-4 times)

3-4 x 5min Z4 (x2-3)

- Warm up 5-10 min.

- 5 min. @ 105% FTP, 2 min. recovery @ 50% FTP (3-4 times) = one set

- 10 min. recovery between sets (Z1; ~50% FTP)

- Total of two to three sets

8-10 x 30sec Z5+ (x2-3)

- Warm up 5-10 min.

- 30 sec. @ 170% FTP, 30 sec. recovery @ 45% FTP (8-10 times) = one set

- 10 min. Recovery between sets (Z1; ~50% FTP)

- Total of two to three sets

III. Training Format 

This program generally follows a polarized training model. The idea being that most of your training will be at a low intensity (zone 2 for the win!), so you will be fresh enough to make your hard days properly hard. Without a polarized training plan, many athletes (including me) naturally fall into riding somewhat hard all the time, and are rarely fresh enough to complete really difficult workouts and push the limits of their fitness.

Just like individual intervals, your overall training does not need to be complex. In my experience, the overall volume of your training (even done at a relatively low intensity) is a much bigger variable in your fitness than the specificity of your training. Complex workouts and strict schedules may be more important if you’re a professional-level athlete looking for that last 1%, but that is not my situation, and it’s likely not yours either. Now is also a good time to reiterate: I am not a professional trainer and there are other training models out there (pyramidal, block periodization, etc.) with results to back them up. But polarization is easiest for me to plan for and execute successfully. For the skim readers: keep your easy workouts easy, and make your hard workouts hard!

If you want to modify this training program, or adapt it to another event, here are some guidelines I try to stick to when laying everything out:

- One or two higher intensity interval workouts per week, ideally following a rest day.

- One strength training/gym session per week.

- Two to three endurance workouts per week (Z2; the longer, the better, especially when training for longer events).

- Two rest days, or one rest day and one active recovery day per week.

- Weeks ramp up in intensity, every fourth week is lighter to reset fatigue and start fresh.

- This program can be extended, but you should be able to improve your fitness in eight to ten weeks.

- Don’t forget to taper! Include one or two lighter training weeks leading up to your race/event.

IV. Pro Tips 

Consistency.

Keep showing up and putting in what effort you can. This concept is almost cliche at this point: everyone understands it, but still not everybody actually follows it. Form good riding habits through consistency (just like clean eating, good sleep habits, and even flossing…sorry, different essay). Make a plan and stick to it. If you struggle with this, share your plans (and progress!) with someone to help keep you accountable.

Rest days.

Do not skip rest days! This also does not mean “oh, since I’m not riding my bike today, I think I’ll go for a run instead.” Rest days are very important for managing fatigue, and allow you to keep hitting peak numbers on your hard days.

Weight loss.

Cycling is generally not a great way to lose weight. Sorry. Bicycles are very efficient machines and we just don’t burn that many calories. Don’t worry if your weight doesn’t go down, you are still improving your fitness.

Relax.

Don’t take any of this too seriously. It’s just bikes and it’s supposed to be fun. Remember riding bikes for fun?

Whew. That's an awful lot of numbers, percentages, and acronyms just to ride bikes. If you made it this far leave me a comment with what distance you're racing this year!

See you in Part 2: Mechanical Preparation…