How to Train for Long Hill Climb Finishes (#250)

The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast by CTS

OVERVIEW
How do you climb fast at the end of a race? Many road, gravel, and mountain bike events finish at the top of extended climbs. In Episode 250 of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist", a listener asks how to prepare for a 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) finishing climb at the end of a 2-3 hour race. Everything comes into play: aerobic fitness, power at lactate threshold (LT2), anaerobic capacity, VO2 max, durability, and tactical savvy. Coach Adam Pulford breaks it all down, tells you how and when to focus on specific aspects of fitness and conditioning, how to test durability, and finally, how to tactically take advantage of your fitness on race day.

TOPICS COVERED

• Physical demands of hill climb finishes
• "Edge-finding" or fatigue resistance workouts
• How to test your durability with a workout
• Train "performance first"
• Train specificity last
• Workouts: OverUnders, Front Loaded Power Intervals, Speed Intervals,
• How to execute an effective taper
• Racing tactics on uphill finishes

ASK A QUESTION FOR A FUTURE PODCAST

HOST
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance events all around the world.
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Chapters

1. Introduction and Question from Luca (00:00:00)

2. Identifying Race Demands (00:03:34)

3. Building Base and Durability Testing (00:04:35)

4. Training Focus 8 Weeks Out (00:09:13)

5. Intensifying Training 4 Weeks Out (00:13:32)

6. Race Day Tactics and Tapering (00:18:22)

7. Episode Wrap-Up and Resources (00:25:28)