Team leader Bill puts on a Wednesday workout. Lately it’s been happening during lunch time at a park conveniently close to work so I have been attending each week. He has each workout scripted on his Garmin unit so we move from one activity to the next in a crisp, regimented fashion. The script keeps things moving well. The basic format is pretty much the same from week to week with occasional tweaks:
- Take a couple of laps around the “course” to learn it. There is nothing terribly technical since it’s supposed to be a workout, not skills training.
- A dozen minutes of tempo around the course. Cutting the course is encouraged if you fall behind.
- Starts x 5. Roughly 60 seconds on and 2 minutes off.
- Barrier drills. The point is to get clipped and up to speed. Two barriers spaced enough to remount, hit the pedals a few times and dismount again. I usually do tempo (or just recover from starts) during this rather than the barrier drills.
- Intervals. We mix this up. This week we did (2 minutes + 4 minutes) x 3 with rest commensurate with work. We’ve done pyramids. Or all 3 minutes x 5. Again, cutting the course is encouraged. I’ll often start at the back (or near the back) to work on passing.
- Cone patrol.
- Barrel races. Put two big cones about 20 yards apart. Three people at a time race between the cones. The point is to try to make a pass. One minute on, one minute off. The distance is enough to get some speed but not so much as to be “dangerous.” I love this drill.
Afterwards, I feel about as spent as if I had done a race. We usually have 4-7 people each week and it definitely makes the mid-week workout a lot more fun.
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