Leadville Trail 100 - 12 Weeks to Victory - Classic Zones - MTB Mountain Bike
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Author
Tim Cusick - Coach of World and National Champions
All plans by this CoachLength
12 Weeks
Refund Policy
This plan is protected by our Refund Policy and may, with the author's approval, be exchanged for a plan of equal value from the same author.
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Learn More about Structured Workouts.
Plan Description
Leadville Trail 100 MTB: 12 Weeks to Victory
written by Tim Cusick, TrainingPeaks WKO product leader and master coach with Velocious Cycling Adventures
Plan overview
Train with the coach of national and world ITT champion Amber Neben! This 12-week plan was written by Tim Cusick, the TrainingPeaks WKO product leader, to prepare you for the world-famous Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race. The plan is designed for an intermediate/advanced cyclist who already has a general base fitness and is ready to step up the hours, time, and intensity to prepare for this grueling event. This comprehensive training plan uses classic training zones and is designed for use with power, heart rate, or perceived exertion. It includes three specific training cycles with threshold testing throughout and an event taper at the end. Workouts are progressive and include fatigue resistance, micro-intervals, and new secret double workouts to push you to your peak! You'll also get tons of training and event tips too, plus a free nutrition eBook, to make this your best event ever.
The Leadville Trail 100 race is not just a marathon bike race; it has a total elevation gain of over 11,000 feet, including a 10-mile climb that reaches an oxygen-lacking elevation of 12,600. Whether you're trying to win the race, earn a belt buckle for the under-9-hour mark, or just finish within the time constraints, getting prepared is crucial.
The workouts can be used in the traditional format or as structured workouts, which load automatically to select devices (Garmin, Zwift, RGT, ErgVideo, TrainerRoad, Racermate, and more) so you can see your workout and interval numbers right on your device.
Included with your plan:
- Instruction sheet (attached to the first day of the plan)
- Testing protocol
- Coach Cusick's training goals at the beginning of each training cycle
- Coaching tips on training, dealing with weather, event prep, and more
- Nutrition eBook from Anne Guzman
Need help loading your structured works to your device or smart trainer? Click here to read instructions.
More plans
Tim Cusick has written dozens of training plans for many different areas of cycling: road, gravel, time trial, mountain bike, cyclocross, indoor training, and more. Click here for a full list of his current plans by sport type and click here for a comparison chart of his major plans.
Questions?
Click here to view a list of frequently asked questions about our training plans. If you don't find your answer there, please email Coach Kathy Watts.
Stats
Average Weekly Breakdown
| Workouts | Weekly Average | Longest Workout |
|---|---|---|
|
|
12:46 hrs | 6:30 hrs |
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|
—— | —— |
| Workouts Per Week | Weekly Average | Longest Workout | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
12:46 hrs | 6:30 hrs | |
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|
—— | —— |
Training Load By Week
This plan works best with the following fitness devices:
- Power Meter
- Heart Rate Monitor
Sample Day 1
WU:
10-15 minutes warm up, progressing to Zone 2
TARGET: PW Z2/HR Z2/PE 4-5
CADENCE: Self selected with 2 x 1 minute Fast Pedals to wake up legs
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MS:
Ride prescribed time in Endurance zone
TARGET: Endurance (PW Z2/HR Z2/PE 4-5)
CADENCE: 85-105 rpm. Vary cadence throughout ride and work on pedaling form.
CADENCE DRILLS: 1 x 60 minutes of alternating high cadence (95+ rpm) for 5 minutes and self-selected cadence for 5 minutes.
TERRAIN: Flat to rolling
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CD:
Cool down 5-15 minutes
TARGET: PW Z1/HR Z1/PE 2-3
CADENCE: small chain ring
Sample Day 1
WU:
Warm up for 15-20 minutes of riding in your solid Endurance zone. Include 3 x 1-minute fast pedals at over 120 rpm to really warm up legs.
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MS: Today we're going to test your VO2Max and FTP power. Once warmed up, find a long stretch of road with no interruptions, start an interval, and go as hard as you can for 5 minutes. This is an-all out effort and will be used to set your VO2max zones. Soft pedal for 5 minutes, then go on to MS2.
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MS2: Next is an FTP test. Make sure you're fully recovered from your 5-minute effort; soft pedal another 5-10 minutes if needed. Once recovered, find a very long stretch of road with no interruptions, start your lap, and drill it for 20 minutes. Spend the first 3-5 minutes at a watts target just below what you think your FTP is, then give it all you have!!
Ride all remaining time in your Endurance zone.
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CD:
Ride 15 minutes at a very easy pace.
Sample Day 2
WU:
10-15 minutes warm up, progressing to Zone 2
TARGET: PW Z2/HR Zone 2/PE 4-5
CADENCE: Self selected with 2 x 1 minute Fast Pedals to wake up legs
------
MS:
Ride prescribed time in Endurance zone
TARGET: Endurance (PW Z2/HR Zone 2/PE 4-5)
CADENCE: 85-105 rpm. Vary cadence throughout ride and work on pedaling form.
TERRAIN: Flat to rolling
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MS2: For the last 30 minutes of the ride, pick up the effort to solid tempo zone.
TARGET: Tempo (PW Z3/HR Z3/RPE 4-5)
CADENCE: 1 gear harder/slower RPM than normal self selection; target 75 RPM.
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CD:
Cool down 5-15 minutes
TARGET: PW Z1/HR Zone 1/PE 2-3
CADENCE: small chain ring
Sample Day 3
WU:
10-15 minutes warm up, progressing to Zone 2
TARGET: PW Z2/HR Z2/PE 4-5
CADENCE: Self selected with 2 x 1 minute Fast Pedals to wake up legs
------
MS:
Ride prescribed time in Endurance zone
TARGET: Endurance (PW Z2/HR Z2/PE 4-5)
CADENCE: 85-105 rpm. Vary cadence throughout ride and work on pedaling form.
CADENCE DRILLS: 1 x 60 minutes of alternating high cadence (95+ rpm) for 5 minutes and self-selected cadence for 5 minutes.
TERRAIN: Flat to rolling
------
CD:
Cool down 5-15 minutes
TARGET: PW Z1/HR Z1/PE 2-3
CADENCE: small chain ring
Sample Day 4
You get faster when you're resting and recovering, not when you're working hard! Rest days are about going easy enough to really allow your legs to recover, so no efforts over Level/Zone 1 today. Take it easy and look at the scenery.
Sample Day 5
WU:
10-15 minutes warm up, progressing to Zone 2
TARGET: PW Z2/HR Z2/PE 4-5
CADENCE: Self selected with 2 x 1 minute Fast Pedals to wake up legs
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MS:
Ride prescribed time in Endurance zone. Throughout the ride, complete 10 Attack Sprints of 15-25 seconds (PW Z6/HR Z6/PE 7+)
TARGET: Endurance (PW Z2/HR Z2/PE 4-5)
CADENCE: 85-105 RPM
TERRAIN: Pick a variety of terrains; short climbs, long flats, downhill
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CD:
Cool down 5-15 minutes
TARGET: PW Z1/HR Z1/PE 2-3
CADENCE: small chain ring
Sample Day 6
WU:
10-15 minutes warm up, progressing to Zone 2
TARGET: PW Z2/HR Z2/PE 4-5
CADENCE: Self selected with 2 x 1 minute Fast Pedals to wake up legs
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MS:
Endurance Ride, progressive effort. Break the ride down into 4 equal time segments. Begin ride at the lower end of the endurance zone and increase effort (avg power or avg HR) each segment, ending the ride with the hardest effort for the last segment.
TARGET: Endurance (PW Z2/HR Z2/PE 3-4)
CADENCE: Self selected. To make this more challenging, increase avg RPM with each segment along with effort.
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CD:
Cool down 5-15 minutes
TARGET: PW Z1/HR Z1/PE 2-3
CADENCE: small chain ring