Being powerful and fast are desirable attributes for a cyclist. Possessing the ability to put a big effort in, to get up a steep climb in a sportive, to let your mates know who’s boss on the café ride or even to make an attack in a race, is important.
However, many amateur riders struggle with one thing: time. We are all busy people, and sadly there are only 24 hours in the day. Of these 24 hours, we need around 8 hours sleep, spend around 10 hours working and commuting, some time with friends and family, and some time to eat and do chores. The net result is not a lot of time left.
Rowe & King is the coaching company set up by Olympic track rider and road racer Dani King and Team Sky’s Luke Rowe. They work with athletes of all levels and are used to coaching people who are short on time, so we asked Dani to provide us with a session that can help build power, in an hour.
King told us: “This is a session to help you build your power, whilst not taking too much of your time. Be warned – it may be a ‘short’ session to complete mid-week, but it’s a tough one! Make sure you are really up for it.”
The session aims to build your explosive power, but also your speed. The first part of the effort is all about your brute power output, whilst the second part of each effort works on your speed. The session can be completed on the road or an indoor trainer.
The session is called ‘Excalibur* Sprints’ and contains a total of 2 and a half minutes of maximum effort – quality over quantity!
(*Excalibur is the name of the road, where these efforts were first completed)
