Pro Cyclist Workouts: Real Training Sessions Analyzed
Exploring the training methods of professional cyclists across the road, MTB XCO, cyclocross, and gravel disciplines provide a window into the strategies that drive elite performance. By studying these sessions, we uncover principles that every cyclist can integrate into their training. Here, we analyse real-world workouts from some of the best cyclists around, showcasing the simplicity, volume, and strategic intensity that characterises their approach.
Key Patterns in Pro Training
Across these workouts, some common themes emerge:
1. Endurance at Low Intensity: Pros rely heavily on long, steady rides in Zone 2 (or even Zone 1), keeping the intensity below ~65% FTP. These rides build aerobic capacity without excessive fatigue.
2. Limited High-Intensity Intervals: The volume of intervals is typically moderate. High-intensity sessions are targeted, not excessive, and often involve specific types of intervals.
3. Structured Simplicity: While precise, pro training sessions often avoid excessive complexity. Their focus on foundational work supports peak performance when it matters most.
Pro Workouts Analyzed
1. Egan Bernal’s Endurance with Sustained Tempo
• Session Overview: Strava workout — A 5-hour ride, mostly in Zone 2, with a 35-minute tempo effort at ~85% FTP, ending in a short sprint.
• Purpose: This session builds endurance while incorporating a tempo block to engage higher-power muscle fibres and add a challenge within a long ride.
• Takeaway: Adding sustained tempo efforts within endurance rides is a strategic way to enhance aerobic adaptations and fat oxidation, especially for fibres that activate as lower-power fibres fatigue.
2. Annika Langvad’s “40/20s” Workout
• Session Overview: Strava workout — Blocks of 40-second high-intensity (140-150% FTP) efforts with 20-second recovery intervals, repeated over two 9-10 minute sets.
• Purpose: This type of interval improves VO₂ max, anaerobic power, and fast-twitch fibre recruitment by pushing the body’s oxygen uptake and maximising mitochondrial efficiency.
• Takeaway: Short, intense intervals are ideal for athletes looking to increase oxygen uptake quickly. The brief recoveries and high power outputs are especially beneficial for building race-specific fitness in MTB and other high-intensity disciplines.
3. Mathieu van der Poel’s Endurance MTB Ride
• Session Overview: Strava workout — A 5-hour ride focused on low-intensity off-road endurance.
• Purpose: Long, steady rides build fatigue resistance, aerobic endurance, and fat oxidation, with little to no disruption from high-intensity efforts.
• Takeaway: Pros rely on high-duration, low-stress rides as the foundation for their aerobic base. For recreational cyclists, staying in control on longer rides without frequent surges helps maximise endurance adaptations over time.
4. Ondrej Cink’s Over-Unders
• Session Overview: Strava workout — 16-minute blocks alternating between 3-minute sub-threshold and 1-minute supra-threshold efforts.
• Purpose: Over-unders improve lactate clearance and VO₂ max by creating repeated, mild lactate build-up followed by recovery within each set.
• Takeaway: Alternating just above and below the threshold develops resilience to lactate and enhances an athlete’s ability to maintain high intensities without fatigue.
5. Ben O’Connor’s Hard Finishes
• Session Overview: Strava workout — Moderate efforts capped with 30-second sprints, including both short and longer hard-finish intervals.
• Purpose: Combining high Zone 3 work with a Zone 6 sprint finish improves muscular endurance, strength, and anaerobic power.
• Takeaway: Incorporating hard finishes at the end of intervals teaches the muscles to recruit higher-power fibres under fatigue, a tactic that translates well to the demands of racing.
6. Évita Muzic’s Oscillating Power Intervals (Bossi Intervals)
• Session Overview: Strava workout — Power oscillations within each interval between threshold and supra-threshold.
• Purpose: Alternating efforts allow more time spent near VO₂ max while keeping perceived exertion manageable, improving oxygen uptake without overtaxing the athlete.
• Takeaway: Oscillating power intervals increase time spent near VO₂ max and improve aerobic efficiency without overwhelming the athlete’s capacity. This method is ideal for VO₂ max development with reduced recovery demands.
7. Jenny Rissveds’ Anaerobic Power Efforts
• Session Overview: Strava workout — Repeated 2.5-minute all-out efforts with extended rest, done on MTB terrain.
• Purpose: All-out efforts boost anaerobic power, mental resilience, and VO₂ max, perfect for short, intense races.
• Takeaway: Incorporating all-out efforts into training builds tolerance for maximal exertion and improves the body’s ability to buffer lactate and manage fatigue in high-stress environments.
8. Michael Valgren’s Anaerobic Stamina Intervals
• Session Overview: Strava workout — 60-second efforts at 150% FTP with brief recoveries, targeting anaerobic capacity.
• Purpose: High-power intervals train lactate shuttling, buffer capacity, and VO₂ max, enhancing the ability to sustain explosive efforts.
• Takeaway: Training with high-intensity bursts with minimal recovery stimulates lactate handling, which is critical for punchy race finishes or breakaway efforts.
Adapting Pro-Level Training to Your Workouts
While each of these sessions is designed with the demands of elite-level racing in mind, the principles behind them are adaptable. Here’s how to make the most of these insights in your training:
1. Prioritize Endurance: Make long, low-intensity rides the cornerstone of your program. Build aerobic capacity and fatigue resistance before adding high-intensity intervals.
2. Use Intensity Sparingly: Short bursts of high-intensity work, when added strategically, help develop specific race adaptations without overloading recovery.
Opt for Metabolic Testing: While many recreational cyclists rely on FTP as a training benchmark, most professional athletes prioritise physiological profiling to guide their training. Using tools such as metabolic testing provides deeper insights into each athlete’s unique FatMax, VO₂ max, and lactate thresholds, enabling a more precise and individualised approach. Physiological data ensures that each session targets the exact energy systems and adaptations needed, optimising training outcomes more effectively than relying on FTP alone.
