This is a fun profile that has always been a big hit whenever I’ve used it. It is predominantly aerobic but brings riders to threshold on the second loop and briefly over threshold on the final loop.
I explain to my riders that we are about to do a short, hilly mountain bike loop three times. Each time we go around, it will get a little harder. I loosely based this on a real mountain bike ride I’ve done with friends in Colorado. We have to drive to the start, unload our bikes, and head out on the approach road together to start the ride. Afterward, we celebrate at a local restaurant.
Each loop is about 13.5 minutes long and consists of the following:
- 2.5-minute flat approach road, which brings us to the first of two climbs. This serves as a longer active recovery between the harder climbing efforts since there is only a 1-minute downhill after each of the two climbs.
- 5-minute climb. Mostly consistent; steeper for the final minute. Each time we approach it a little differently.
- 1-minute downhill recovery. At the bottom, we immediately encounter the next climb.
- 4-minute “stepped” climb, alternating standing on short steep segments with seated climbing. (The third lap is done a little differently.)
- 1-minute downhill recovery, bringing us back to the approach road and the start of the next loop.
The first loop is an extension of the warm-up and is called the “reconnaissance lap.” With each successive loop, the intensity increases on the two climbs. On the final loop, riders are pushed above their threshold for the steeper parts of the second climb.
At the bottom of the final climb of the last loop, you are not home yet. Riders will push in Zone 3 for the last flat road back to the car.