Where Should I train?

It's a common question I get that can sometimes be confusing or daunting for newer athletes to structured training. Now I don’t want to go too far into the physiology of training types too much in this article. The aim is to educate and provide practical advice on what roads and terrain work best for specific training types.

Sprint Sessions or Neuromuscular Sessions

If you’re training a conventional neuromuscular sprint it’s highly recommended to choose a road which is quiet, flat, straight and has a good surface. For sprint training, roads with these characteristics are ideal because they offer the specificity and scientific backing necessary for optimal performance development.

Okay, so the hallmark of a great sprint is the “snap”, this being the rate of change in cadence which drives acceleration. For example, this means from starting from 80 - 90 rpm to upwards of 110 -120 in a very short period of time (seconds).

Figure 1 illustrates a sprint from a recent training session from one of my athletes. The data highlights a sharp increase in cadence, jumping from approximately 80 to 120 rpm within a 5 - 10 second window, demonstrating a powerful and efficient acceleration.

Figure 1

So this is why we use flat roads. If we opt to use a climb for the session we run into a few issues. Climbs provide a gravitational constant resistance which may seem like it could help with power generation however, while acceleration is possible uphill, the gradient inherently slows your rate of cadence change. You'll be grinding a bigger gear, hindering the high cadence which is crucial for that explosive snap acceleration.

Now for the nuances. I don’t want this to be confusing so it’ll be brief. Some riders may want to practice sprinting on climbs so that they are familiar with the sensations so that if and when they are forced to do it in a race or event they know what to expect. There are uphill sprint specialists in the world tour after all. There are also a few sprint sessions I've seen over the years which require you to do just this (this should be made clear by your coach). Honestly it’s a good idea to do these sessions on the flat but don’t be scared to experiment with it.

Okay before we move on… Let’s talk indoors. Training indoors is often considered the gold standard for safety. When you're pushing a maximal effort your focus is inherently drawn away from external factors like traffic. It's incredibly challenging to maintain a peak output while also watching your surroundings and listening for cars. In fact, many athletes find they can produce better numbers indoors precisely because they can devote their full attention to the effort without distraction.

However, we need to ask ourselves the fundamental question: why are we doing this session? Typically, the goal is to replicate and apply that effort in a race scenario.

Sprinting has a huge skill component that simply can't be developed fully indoors. If your aim is to win a bunch sprint in a road race, you absolutely need to master how to sprint maximally and safely in a dynamic environment. Winning a sprint on Zwift doesn't directly translate to the real world skills required for a road race bunch sprint.

Tempo, Sweetspot and Threshold

Ideally you have a 40 min climb right outside your doorstep. Oh, you don’t have this? I  just trashed indoor riding for sprinting but for these longer sub threshold style efforts it’s a great way to train. A few caveats to consider first though. Your cooling system has to be 100% dialled. I’m talking about industrial fans that move air and cold drinks to cool core temp. I really don’t want to go into how heat affects performance right now but just remember that us humans are only about 25% efficient in converting pedal power to movement, with the rest being lost as heat.

To know whether your indoor setup is adequate, think about this:

Even on a calm day your movement generates substantial airflow over your body. For instance, riding at 32.2 km/h on the hoods can create approximately 7500 CFM of air hitting you. To effectively mimic this outdoor air movement a good starting point or minimum for an indoor fan's power is 7500 CFM or more. It's worth noting that some fan output may not directly hit your body, and your room's ambient temperature will also influence the perceived cooling. A 45cm $128 industrial fan from Bunnings, commonly used for indoor cycling, can move air often ranging from 4000 to 7000 CFM.

Industrial floor fan you can find at Bunnings Warehouse

This highlights how expensive good equipment can cost for indoor cycling. I used two of these fans directed at different parts of my body and still had significant overheating issues if the ambient temp was anything higher than 20 celsius. Zone 2 was completely fine but as soon I started to properly work such as sweet spot power I would cook myself.

Alright. You’ve chosen to do this outside (I would too honestly). Where should you do it? For tempo (76-90% FTP) and sweet spot (88-94% FTP) cycling sessions with longer 10 - 40 minute intervals, perfect road characteristics are those that allow for consistent, uninterrupted power output. This could be like I’ve already mentioned before: long gradual climbs or flat to gently rolling terrain with minimal interruptions (avoid traffic and stop signs etc). These roads allow for sustained effort within the target physiological zones without constant acceleration, braking, or terrain induced power fluctuations. The absence of stops, sharp turns, or significant descents ensures continuous muscular engagement and metabolic stress which is the whole point of the session.

So basically, indoors works but generally hard to execute efforts to your full ability due to overheating. Outdoors is far better for cooling, however many of us don’t live near the mountains and finding 40 mins of uninterrupted road is very difficult.

VO2 and Suprathreshold Sessions

These efforts will typically be anywhere from 3 minutes to 20 minutes. For these, ideally, you want to find a climb. Make sure it’s steady and quiet traffic wise. The beauty is these efforts are short enough that most riders will have suitable climbs nearby. While you can do these on the flats, using a climb that provides a consistent gravitational resistance is highly recommended and genuinely beneficial for maximising the training stimulus. If an outdoor climb isn't an option, training indoors is perfectly fine, although you'll still need to keep the overheating aspect in mind, especially for those longer suprathreshold efforts.

Some riders might opt for these efforts on the flat in the name of specificity. For example, they might want to specifically work the muscles engaged when riding on flat terrain versus climbing. But always remember to ask yourself, what's the point of the session? Are we training the system (like driving up your VO2 max) or are we aiming for specificity (like simulating that solo breakaway to victory off the front of the peloton)? As I said, it’s generally easier and more effective to train the system on a climb but ultimately take a good look at your goals to help your decision on this.

Tabata and On/Off Style Sessions

Efforts like 20 seconds on/10 seconds off, 30 seconds on/30 seconds off, and 40 seconds on/20 seconds off are common in high-intensity interval training. These typically last for 3 to 12 minutes. While these can certainly be completed on a climb it's crucial that the climb allows for proper recovery. For example, the gradient shouldn't be so steep that even in your easiest gear you're still pushing above recovery watts. If the recovery isn't completed correctly it will compromise how hard you can push during the work intervals, thereby impacting the session's overall effectiveness. The goal is for the "on" periods to be truly intense and the "off" periods to be genuinely easy. You don't want to reduce your ability to complete a harder "on" period by riding too hard during the "off" period.

For this reason, flat ground often works very well for these types of sessions. Personally, I prefer completing them on a climb due to the gravitational resistance but l climb selection is paramount. I would also have to do a considerably greater amount of gear shifting when transitioning from "on" to "off" and back again which isn't ideal when the "on/off" periods are so short. While some might argue that these sessions can replicate race scenarios, the primary reason for this style of training is to develop physiology so picking a flat road or climb allows for your best performance is the goal.

Zone 2, Endurance or Base Training

Whatever you call them, these training rides often offer the most freedom. However, certain terrains can make it tough to stay within your target power. World Tour riders, for example, can maintain their Zone 2 almost anywhere. Most of them weigh around 70 kg and can comfortably hold 300 watts in Zone 2. This allows them to ascend nearly any climb without being forced into tempo or threshold zones by the gradient.

For the everyday cyclist, though, you might find yourself pushing into your VO2 max just to get over some steep climbs, which significantly reduces the effectiveness of a Zone 2 session.

Here are a few ways to help you nail those Zone 2 rides:

• Choose your terrain wisely. Select routes that won't force you above your Zone 2 power, even in your easiest gear.

• Invest in easier gears. This will enable you to ride up steeper climbs without exiting your Zone 2 power.

• Consider descents. Even if you can climb in Zone 2, think about whether you can continue pedalling on the way down. While you don't need to maintain Zone 2 power throughout the entire descent, avoid long, technical downhills that prevent you from pedalling, or steep descents where you spin out. For example, if you have a three hour Zone 2 ride scheduled, you don't want to spend 30 minutes of that 3hrs freewheeling down a mountain.

Rider on a steep hil (credit to Pexels)

The main takeaway is that flat rides generally provide the most consistent environment to perfect your Zone 2 training. However, don't shy away from the joys of exploring and climbing. That's a big part of why we ride bikes in the first place. Just try to stay in your zones! (Yes, I know I said "zone" a lot!).