Some time ago, Dr. Stephen Seiler came up with his pyramid of endurance training needs. Based on this, I thought it’s a good idea to adapt it to my training philosophy to show you what matters most in 2025 and beyond to become a faster cyclist in the long run…
1. Health fundamentals
If you lack sleep. If you lack the mental fitness required to perform in and out of competition. If you lack a healthy diet. If you lack a supporting network of friends and family. If you lack joy in training and racing, these cracks will keep showing up and prevent you from your next breakthrough. Get your health together first, and worry about workout details later.
2. Training frequency and total volume
One thing many cyclists get wrong about the 80/20 hype is a tight focus on high volume. Apparently, if you work a full time job you can’t get even close to the volume of a world-tour pro. However, I’m pretty sure you can improve your training frequency, or how often you ride. Think of easy and repeatable rides. Ultimately, progress comes from consistency, not extremes.
3. HIT and MIT key sessions
Once you’ve established the other two needs, you won’t come around interval training, if your goal is to get faster. In fact, research on Norwegian world-class coaches has shown that these coaches consider MIT, or threshold, and HIT sessions fundamental for performance progression and that planning of training is mainly centered around such key sessions. Elite athletes usually perform 2-3 weekly key sessions, for example – Tuesday – Thursday – Saturday.
4. Basic periodisation
Training periodisation is a hot topic in endurance sports, and cycling in particular, since Russian physiologist Leo Matveyev discovered it in Olympians in the 60s. While science is still unsure, observational studies see one pattern repeating itself across elite athletes: Training changes from a general preparation period, or base training, to a specific preparation period, or build training, the closer competition gets. Remember that.
5. Race condition prep
Every race is different and you need to take that into account. Some races are held at altitude, so you need to be adapted to altitude. Some races are held in hot conditions, so you need to be adapted to hot conditions. Some races are insanely long, so you need a carefully worked out nutrition plan.
6. Tapering
If everything else is done right and you have 2 or 3 A-races on your schedule, a taper might help you squeeze out an additional 2 or 3 percent in performance. Research suggests that training volume is reduced to 50 or 60 percent of your regular volume while intensity is maintained. Keep in mind, however, that there are individual differences in response, so find a taper that works for you.
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Studies Used in This Article
- What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes?
- Training Session Models in Endurance Sports: A Norwegian Perspective on Best Practice Recommendations
- Training for intense exercise performance: high-intensity or high-volume training?
- The Training Characteristics of World-Class Distance Runners: An Integration of Scientific Literature and Results-Proven Practice
- Specific Intensity for Peaking: Is Race Pace the Best Option?
- The Road to Gold: Training and Peaking Characteristics in the Year Prior to a Gold Medal Endurance Performance