312 postponed

The entire cycling season is on pause. Races are cancelled or postponed everywhere, no matter if you are a Pro or an Amateur, including the Mallorca 312 which has officially been rescheduled to 10th of October. So what should you do now for training?

1. BACK TO BASE TRAINING
If you were supposed to participate in the 312 next month, you are getting 5 extra months to get ready. Let’s look at the positive : being in shape in October is easier. You will be able to train with better weather conditions during summer than you had this winter. It is of course frustrating to see months of training ruined like that, but we all need to adapt. The best option for you is to return to base training. Immediately! With six months to go, you have no choice than to lower intensity. Wait until 22nd of June before ramping up again (16 weeks before the event). Until then, don’t let yourself go. Take advantage of the situation to (re)build strength and endurance. Sweetspot, a bit of Threshold and some strength training exercises will make you stronger, faster.

2. LOCKDOWN TRAINING
Quality over quantity! That’s the best thing you can do now. Don’t expect to keep the same training volume indoors as you do outdoors. Training on a turbo is challenging. Sweat, fixed position and lack of motivation make it more taxing for the body. To avoid wasting months of hard work, prioritize quality over quantity. Turn your 3/4-hour weekend group ride into a 1h30/2h intervals session. The job can be done quickly if you focus. 5x10’ at 88-92% FTP with 5-minute recoveries between intervals is a gold standard. For those with a high training volume, increase to 5x15’ at the same intensity. You will be surprised how effective these sessions are!

3. STRENGTH TRAINING
If you don’t have a turbo at home, or just want to improve your cycling performance, you can integrate some strength exercises to your training. Strength training can be really beneficial for cyclists, especially during the base phase (3 months before your A-race minimum). If you don’t know what workouts you should be doing, Trainerroad has a very detailed article, with five specific workouts and how to integrate them into your training :
https://support.trainerroad.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000087826-Integrating-Strength-Training

Let’s make it count!