Hi all, Paul Odlin here, the 5 Passes Tour Cycle Coach. Spring is upon us & longer training hours are available so if you haven’t started your base training, otherwise known as aerobic endurance (AE), get to it! AE is the foundation to all good cycling performance, especially at 5 Passes. So here are some tips on how to & importantly why best prepare your AE for the
upcoming tour!

Let’s start with why you need to train AE as this will help you understand & motivate you:
1. 5 Passes involves a huge number of kilometres that you must ride in racing & neutral stages. You must prepare your body as best as possible to tolerate the stress/fatigue of these kilometres. The better prepared the more enjoyable & better you will perform.
2. At the end of each day (except the last!), you need to recover once off the bike to get up & do the same thing the next day. The better your AE (fitness) is, the better you will recover, the better you will perform the next day.
3. In addition, the better you recover, the better you can perform intervals/intense efforts. The former is the training that prepares you for racing; the latter is the actual racing.

Most cyclists know well how to train AE, & now you know the ‘whys’; here are some critical guidelines as to ‘how’:
1. Train with others – making a commitment with others binds you; you’ll also be more motivated & pushed.
2. AE should be ridden at the following intensities:
a. Power users: .6 -.72 intensity factor (a decimal of functional threshold power)
b. Heart rate users: 60-70% of maximum heart rate
c. Non computer users: 6-7.5 out of 10 perceived effort or moderately hard

Finally – for your training & 5 Passes participation it’s critical you learn how to bunch ride & race safely for not only you and others but also to improve your performance. For this reason I have (Odlin Cycle Coaching) teamed up with TeamCP to deliver ‘Race Ready’ Workshops which specifically target the skills necessary to improve your bunch riding & racing. To book your place go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/250331619149449/

These will give you confidence and speed!