Ray's Sustained Hill Reps E

I needed a sequence of challenging hill sessions for an athlete wanting to improve their time up Alpe du Zwift. This is the final in the series series of workouts. Following these sessions, you will boost your FTP and your ability to sustain your effort up a climb. These sessions are not just useful for Alpe du Zwift, but also hilly events like the Lake Taupo Cycle Classic or Five Passes Tour here in New Zealand.

See a previous post about training intensity (Levels) to know how hard to work. If you are working directly with Coach Ray he will in most cases prescribe either a Power Zone or Heart Rate Zone to work within if you are training with these tools.

Ray's Sustained Hill Reps E

• 10min WU Level II;
• 7x
  • 3:45min Level III/IV (9%),
  • 1min Level IV (12%),
  • 1min Level II (3%),
• 10min CD Level II;
• 10min Stretching

Start the session with ten minutes of riding at Level II for your Warm Up (WU).

The main set is made up of seven reps. Each rep has three sub-reps. Start by riding up a nine percent grade at Level III/Level IV (84-98% of your Functional Threshold Power (FTP)) for three minutes and 45-seconds. Your gradient will kick up to twelve percent for the next minute, ride this at Level IV. Then back off to Level II for a minute as the gradient decreases to three percent. Repeating this a total of seven times will mean the main set averages a gradient of eight and a half percent, the same as Alpe du Zwift, with the peak gradient of twelve percent is also the same as Alpe du Zwift's peak gradient. Aim to keep your cadence spinning above 90 rpms throughout.

Conclude the session with ten minutes of riding at Level II (on the flat) for your Cool Down (CD).

Finish with ten minutes of stretching to assist with your recovery.

Here is my data from when I did the workout:

If you would like further advice feel free to contact me.

I am the Head Coach & Director of Qwik Kiwi – Endurance Sports Consultant.

I specialise in assisting first-timers and recreational athletes to achieve their sporting goals. I can be contacted at coachray@coachray.nz and 021 348 729. Make sure you sign up for my informative newsletter.

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