Cycling rarely asks you to hold one perfectly steady power output. Changes in terrain, attacks, corners, wind and the riders around you can all force you to repeatedly increase and decrease your effort. This week’s Sunday Smart-Trainer Session recreates some of that variability with a challenging mixture of short, hard surges, longer efforts and incomplete recovery.
The result is 50 minutes of highly variable riding designed to challenge your ability to repeatedly produce power, recover while still pedalling, and then go hard again.
Today’s Goal
The goal of this session is to develop your ability to cope with frequent changes in cycling intensity.
Rather than settling into one sustained effort, you’ll move repeatedly between Levels I, II, III, V and some very short efforts considerably above Level V.
The challenge isn’t simply producing the highest-power efforts. It’s being able to repeatedly change intensity and continue producing quality power as fatigue accumulates.
Why You’re Doing This Session
In the real world, cycling isn’t always steady.
Even when your overall effort is controlled, you may need to accelerate over a short rise, respond to another rider, power out of a corner or briefly increase your effort before settling back into rhythm.
This workout develops your ability to handle those changes.
The short Level V++ and V+++ efforts provide the biggest spikes in power, while the longer Level V effort places more sustained pressure on your aerobic system. Importantly, the recovery periods aren’t all the same either. Some are very easy at Level I, while others require you to continue riding at Levels II or III.
That makes each ten-minute block a continuous sequence rather than a collection of completely separate intervals.
Session Inspiration
The inspiration for this workout comes from research investigating high-intensity cycle interval training in draft-legal triathletes.
The researchers used a considerably longer variable-power cycling protocol. I’ve taken the concept and reduced it into a more practical session that can be completed as part of a normal training week.
You can read more about the research and its application here:
There is also a longer version of this workout:
Today’s Workout
50min Variable Power Cycle
1:10hr total training time including stretching
- 10min WU – Level II
- 5x:
- 60sec – Level III (77–83%)
- 10sec – Level V+++ (179–194%)
- 70sec – Level I (51–56%)
- 40sec – Level V++ (141–153%)
- 70sec – Level I (51–56%)
- 90sec – Level V (109–118%)
- 70sec – Level I (51–56%)
- 20sec – Level V++ (167–181%)
- 70sec – Level II (58–63%)
- 30sec – Level V++ (154–167%)
- 70sec – Level III (77–83%)
- 10min CD – Level II
- 10min stretching
How to Complete the Session
Start with a ten-minute Warm-Up (WU) at Level II. Keep the resistance comfortable and aim for a cadence above 90rpm as you prepare your legs for the rapid changes in intensity ahead.
The main set consists of five ten-minute blocks.
Each block begins with 60 seconds at Level III before jumping immediately into a very short ten-second Level V+++ effort at 179–194% of Functional Threshold Power (FTP).
You’ll then alternate between recovery periods and harder efforts of different durations.
The 40-second Level V++ effort at 141–153% FTP should feel very hard, but you’ll need to resist the temptation to completely empty the tank because the block still has plenty of work remaining.
After 70 seconds at Level I, you move into the longest hard effort of the block: 90 seconds at Level V (109–118% FTP).
Another 70 seconds at Level I follows before a sharp 20-second Level V++ effort at 167–181% FTP.
From here, the nature of the recovery changes. You’ll ride for 70 seconds at Level II before completing 30 seconds at Level V++ (154–167% FTP), then finish with 70 seconds at Level III.
That final Level III effort leads directly into the opening Level III minute of the next block, so don’t think of it as complete recovery.
Repeat the sequence until you’ve completed five full blocks.
Finish with a ten-minute Cool-Down (CD) at Level II before completing ten minutes of stretching.
What You Should Focus On
The biggest challenge is controlling your effort.
There are some extremely high power targets in this workout, but that doesn’t mean every surge should become an uncontrolled sprint. Produce the required power while maintaining good position, smooth pedalling and control of the bike.
Just as importantly, use the easier sections properly. When you reach Level I, allow your breathing and legs to recover. You’ll need that recovery to maintain the quality of the later repetitions.
As the workout progresses, concentrate on keeping the fifth block as technically controlled as the first.
Common Mistakes
The most obvious mistake is attacking the early Level V++ and V+++ efforts too aggressively. There is a lot of work packed into each ten-minute block, and blowing yourself apart during the first few minutes will compromise everything that follows.
Another mistake is treating every easier section as complete recovery. Pay attention to the prescribed intensity. Level I, Level II and Level III each have a different purpose within the sequence.
Finally, don’t become so focused on hitting a power number that your cadence and pedalling technique deteriorate. Power matters, but so does how you’re producing it.
Tips for Completing the Session
Settle into the rhythm of the workout rather than thinking too far ahead. Concentrate on the interval you’re completing now and then make a deliberate transition into the next intensity.
Because the power changes frequently, this is also a good workout for practising smooth gear selection and cadence control. Anticipate the next effort so you aren’t scrambling to find the appropriate resistance after the interval has already started.
If you’re unfamiliar with my training Levels, read my guide to Cycling Training Intensity before completing the workout.
If you’re working directly with me, I’ll normally prescribe the appropriate Power Zone or Heart Rate Zone for the session when you’re training with these tools.
Want More Structured Indoor Cycling Sessions?
If you enjoy sessions like this, Velocity gives you structured indoor cycling workouts that take the guesswork out of what to do on your smart trainer.
You’ll get purposeful sessions built around different training objectives and intensities, helping you develop your cycling fitness without turning every ride into the same steady effort.
Try Velocity free for 14 days:
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Train with purpose, recover properly, and come back ready for the next session.
Share this session with a training partner who enjoys a bit of variety in their smart-trainer workouts.