Build towards explosive cycling efforts with this 45-minute indoor cycling workout that progressively increases intensity, incorporates deliberate recovery, and challenges you to produce quality power twice.
Professional road cycling is full of changes in pace. Riders need to accelerate, respond to attacks, negotiate changes in terrain and produce powerful efforts at important moments.
Belgian professional cyclist Jasper Philipsen is particularly well known for his sprinting ability and powerful finishes.
This week’s Sunday Smart-Trainer Session, Double Jasper Philipsen Performance, takes inspiration from the demands of producing high power when it matters.
Rather than simply launching into an all-out effort, the workout uses a graduated approach, moving through Level III, Level IV and Level V before finishing each set with a sharp 30-second Level V+ acceleration.
Importantly, the easier intervals between these efforts aren’t there by accident. They allow your heart rate and physiological demand to settle, helping you approach the next hard repetition relatively fresh.
You’ll complete this progression twice, with the challenge of producing controlled, consistent efforts across both sets.
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The Inspiration Behind the Workout
This session was developed from Zwift’s Tour Fever – Workout of the Week: Jasper Philipsen Performance event.
The original event was part of Zwift’s Tour de France-inspired series, featuring workouts associated with riders from Alpecin-Deceuninck. Zwift listed the Jasper Philipsen Performance event as a 24-minute group workout during the week of 30 June to 6 July 2025. Zwift
My Qwik Kiwi Coaching version uses the interval structure outlined below, with a dedicated cool-down to make the session suitable as a standalone indoor cycling workout.
The idea is straightforward: start controlled, progressively introduce harder efforts, and finish with a couple of short bursts of high power.
Here is the original version of the workout:
Today’s Goal
The primary objective of Double Jasper Philipsen Performance is to prepare your body progressively for high-intensity cycling efforts, recover effectively between them, and produce strong, repeatable power.
Unlike a traditional tempo or threshold workout, the shorter Level III and Level IV efforts aren’t intended to develop your ability to sustain those intensities for prolonged periods.
Instead, they serve as stepping stones towards the harder efforts later in each set.
Throughout this session, you’ll focus on:
- Progressive preparation: Gradually increasing the physiological demand as you move through Level III, Level IV and Level V.
- Controlled recovery: Using the easier intervals to bring the intensity back down before the next harder repetition.
- High-quality power production: Arriving at the Level V and Level V+ efforts prepared, rather than unnecessarily fatigued.
- Explosive finishing efforts: Producing a powerful 30-second acceleration at the end of each set.
- Consistency: Executing the second set with similar quality and control to the first.
The aim isn’t to accumulate as much time as possible at tempo or threshold.
It’s to use those shorter efforts as part of a deliberate progression towards the highest-intensity work.
The Workout: Double Jasper Philipsen Performance
Duration: 45 minutes
Effort Score (ES): 43
Intensity Factor (IF): 0.76
Warm-Up — 10 Minutes
- 10 minutes at Level II
Begin with comfortable, conversational riding.
Allow your breathing, heart rate and muscle temperature to increase gradually as you prepare for the main set.
Main Set — 2 Sets
Complete the following sequence twice:
| Duration | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 2 minutes | Level III |
| 2 minutes | Level II |
| 2 minutes | Level IV |
| 2 minutes | Level II |
| 1 minute | Level V |
| 2 minutes | Level I |
| 30 seconds | Level V+ |
Between sets:
- 2 minutes at Level II
Each set lasts 11 minutes 30 seconds.
Cool-Down — 10 Minutes
- 10 minutes at Level I–II
Gradually reduce your effort and allow your breathing and heart rate to return towards resting levels.
Post-Workout
- 10 minutes of stretching
Focus on the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors and calves.
Why You’re Doing This Session
1. Progressive Preparation for High-Intensity Efforts
One of the defining features of Double Jasper Philipsen Performance is the gradual increase in intensity.
Rather than jumping immediately from easy riding into a maximal effort, the workout progresses through several intensity levels.
The first two-minute effort at Level III begins elevating your heart rate and increasing the demands on your cardiovascular and muscular systems.
Following a period of easier riding, the Level IV effort increases those demands further.
The progression continues with a one-minute Level V effort before the final Level V+ acceleration.
This graduated approach helps prepare your body for the increasingly demanding efforts.
The Level III and Level IV intervals aren’t long enough to be considered dedicated tempo or threshold development sessions.
Their role is preparation, not the accumulation of sustained training time at those intensities.
2. Recovery Is Deliberately Built Into the Progression
An equally important feature of this workout is the recovery between the harder efforts.
After the Level III interval, you return to Level II.
The same happens after the Level IV effort.
These periods of easier riding allow the physiological demand to decrease before you progress to the next intensity.
Following the one-minute Level V effort, the recovery becomes even easier, with two minutes at Level I.
This is particularly important because the next effort is the hardest of the set: 30 seconds at Level V+.
The objective isn’t to keep your heart rate elevated throughout the entire sequence.
Instead, you’re deliberately alternating between increasing the demand and allowing partial recovery.
This helps you approach each harder repetition with enough freshness to produce a quality effort.
The recovery intervals are part of the workout’s design, not simply time spent waiting for the next effort.
3. Producing High Power When It Matters
The final 30-second Level V+ effort is the culmination of each set.
Everything preceding it has been designed to progressively prepare you for this short, powerful acceleration.
By this point, you’ve worked through Level III, Level IV and Level V, with recovery intervals separating the harder efforts.
The two-minute Level I recovery immediately before the acceleration gives you an opportunity to reduce the intensity and prepare for the final challenge.
When the 30-second effort begins, the goal is to produce strong, controlled power.
This isn’t simply about turning the pedals as hard as possible without regard for technique.
A good effort involves accelerating smoothly, selecting an appropriate gear and maintaining effective pedalling mechanics throughout the interval.
The focus is on the quality of the power you produce.
4. Why Complete the Progression Twice?
Completing the sequence once provides an opportunity to work through the graduated intensities and finish with a high-power effort.
Repeating the sequence introduces another important challenge: consistency.
The second set follows exactly the same structure as the first.
You again progress through Level III, Level IV and Level V, using the prescribed recovery intervals before finishing with another 30-second Level V+ effort.
Ideally, your second set should be completed with similar control and power to the first.
If your second high-intensity effort is significantly weaker, consider whether you pushed too hard during the earlier intervals or failed to recover sufficiently during the easier periods.
This is a workout where disciplined execution matters more than simply chasing the highest possible number on your power meter.
Three Coaching Tips for Double Jasper Philipsen Performance
Tip 1: Follow the Progression — Don’t Race Ahead
Each intensity has a specific purpose.
The Level III and Level IV intervals are there to progressively prepare your body for the harder efforts that follow.
Avoid the temptation to push beyond the prescribed intensity just because you’re feeling strong.
Turning a Level III interval into Level IV, or a Level IV interval into Level V, changes the intended progression and may introduce unnecessary fatigue.
Trust the structure of the workout.
The harder efforts are coming.
Tip 2: Make the Recovery Intervals Easy Enough
The Level II recovery intervals should feel noticeably easier than the efforts that precede them.
Following the one-minute Level V interval, the two-minute Level I recovery should be particularly gentle.
Allow your breathing to settle, reduce the pressure on the pedals and prepare mentally for the next effort.
You don’t need to maintain a high heart rate during these periods.
In fact, allowing the intensity to come down is an important part of preparing for the higher-power work.
The better you manage your recovery, the better positioned you’ll be to produce a quality effort when the intensity increases again.
Tip 3: Prioritise Two Consistent Finishing Efforts
The two 30-second Level V+ intervals are the key moments in this session.
When each effort begins, accelerate smoothly and quickly towards the prescribed intensity.
Maintain good technique and avoid excessive upper-body movement.
Because you’re completing two sets, aim to produce similar power and control during both finishing efforts.
The objective isn’t to destroy yourself during the first acceleration.
It’s to produce two strong, repeatable efforts.
Who Is This Workout Suitable For?
Double Jasper Philipsen Performance is particularly useful for cyclists who want to practise progressively building towards demanding efforts and recovering effectively between changes in intensity.
It may appeal to:
- Road cyclists who regularly encounter changes in pace during bunch rides or races.
- Recreational cyclists looking for a varied, structured workout.
- Triathletes wanting occasional exposure to higher-intensity cycling efforts alongside their more sustained, race-specific training.
- Indoor cycling enthusiasts who enjoy sessions that combine multiple intensity levels.
- Cyclists developing their ability to execute short, powerful efforts consistently.
Because the workout includes Level V and Level V+ intervals, it’s most appropriate for riders who already have some familiarity with structured intensity training.
Beginners can modify the harder efforts to match their current fitness and experience.
🚴 Ready to Ride Double Jasper Philipsen Performance?
Put your power to the test with this 45-minute structured cycling session on Qwik Kiwi Velocity!
Progress through Level III, Level IV and Level V efforts, using controlled recovery intervals to prepare for the explosive 30-second Level V+ finish in each set.
The challenge? Build progressively, recover properly and deliver two consistent, high-quality finishing efforts.
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Final Thoughts
Double Jasper Philipsen Performance is a 45-minute workout built around a straightforward principle:
Gradually increase the demand, recover appropriately, and produce quality power when it matters.
The shorter Level III and Level IV efforts aren’t designed to develop sustained tempo or threshold performance.
Instead, they’re part of a progressive preparation sequence leading towards the more demanding Level V and Level V+ efforts.
The recovery intervals allow the intensity to decrease, helping you approach each harder effort relatively fresh.
And by repeating the sequence twice, you’re challenged to demonstrate consistency rather than simply producing one impressive acceleration.
Follow the prescribed intensities, respect the recovery and focus on making both finishing efforts count.
Happy training!
Coach Ray
Qwik Kiwi Coaching
www.CoachRay.nz