Congratulations on being a summit seeker! You have an unmatched talent for tackling the steepest, most treacherous roads with style and fluidity. You know that pacing and lactate clearance are key to a successful climb, and you dance your way to the top with ease. Keep on scaling new heights!
It’s your unique approach that will bring you success in your performance, training, and events without focusing on the wrong things.
But with any rider type, there are key strengths and weaknesses to be aware of…
Lactate Clearance: Over Under
WU: 20 minutes from 40-65% CP, including a 1 minute hard effort @ 105-110% CP. This short initial effort is used to spike the blood lactate levels before the forthcoming intervals, meaning the first key block is started with elevated blood lactate levels.
MS: 3 x 9 minute blocks alternating between intensities above the lactate threshold (103-108% CP) for 1 minute, and just below the lactate threshold (80-90% CP) for 2 minutes. Each block is followed by a 4 minutes recovery (e.g. a 3:1 work-rest ratio).
After the 3 x main set blocks are complete, ride steadily for ~25 minutes and then cool down gradually from 70-50% CP.
PURPOSE: The lactate threshold is a result of the balance between aerobic energy system strength and your anaerobic energy system strength. This means, it is a product of your VO2max (your maximal ability to take in, deliver and use oxygen for energy production), your VLamax (maximal ability to produce lactate, which is a byproduct of being able to combust more carbohydrate in the form of glycogen) and then the clearance of accumulated lactate when the aerobic system is saturated with pyruvate and cannot process any more lactate/pyruvate. Thus, training to improve the lactate threshold (fractional utilisation of the VO2) is building as strong a VO2max as possible, an appropriately strong VLamax (where appropriate, a very low VLamax depending on the demands of competition), and the ability to shuttle the excess lactate away. This workout targets the latter, by accumulating lactate during the over-threshold portions of each block, and then training the body to clear them by dropping just below the lactate threshold for short periods. This workout is also effective for aerobic capacity training, given that the heart rate quickly rises and stays elevated throughout.
These intervals work on the principle that maximal rates of lactate clearance typically occur around 80-90% FTP. To read more on this, check out these papers:
Mountaintop finishes during stage races, mountainous one-day events, and hill climbs.
Attack! Climbers embrace pain and love to attack. They are the first to attack in the most difficult spot on a climb and then solo away. If that doesn’t work, they attack, follow, and attack until the elastic snaps.
What do you think? Does this rider type match you and your events? What type of rider do you want to be? What type of events do you want to ride? Find out more about rider types by clicking here: RIDER TYPE RESULTS