# Increasing power/speed on the flats



## brady1 (Aug 18, 2011)

I'm a smaller rider (5'4", 123lbs); and as the title suggests, I'm wondering what I need to be doing to increase my performance on flats. I'm satisfied with my hill training, I just need to work on the rest. I do fine when the road tilts up but there just aren't that many long, sustained climbs here in the midwest.

I just did a fairly hilly race where I did fine on the climbs but was working very hard just to hold a wheel on the flats. I was eventually dropped but placed better than I thought I would.

For the past few weeks I've been mixing up the cadence on intervals such as 2x20s (alternating from a normal 95-100 to 80-85) and that has seemed to help a little. I also do a lot of 3-5 minute efforts as well as pyramid intervals at/above threshold. I don't have a power meter so (for now) I rely on HR and RPE.

Just wondering if I'm missing any other type of interval/technique to hang with the big boys.

Thanks.


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## jmorgan (Apr 13, 2012)

95-100 cadence is not high, you should be able to hold 105-110 at least (this alone will increase your speed 1mph+). You are smaller, you should be able to and need to hold a higher cadence you are not going to have the power (leg strength) of the bigger riders.

When you go down to 80-85rpm are you increasing speed at all? Or just the burn in your legs, if you are not going faster, you are not making more power. 

You need to work on Functional Threshold Power (FTP).


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## brady1 (Aug 18, 2011)

jmorgan said:


> 95-100 cadence is not high, you should be able to hold 105-110 at least (this alone will increase your speed 1mph+). You are smaller, you should be able to and need to hold a higher cadence you are not going to have the power (leg strength) of the bigger riders.
> 
> When you go down to 80-85rpm are you increasing speed at all? Or just the burn in your legs, if you are not going faster, you are not making more power.
> 
> You need to work on Functional Threshold Power (FTP).


That's exactly what I'm trying to do.

Yes, I do increase my speed when I go down to 80-85; I push a harder gear, basically the simulating hills on the flats thing.

I didn't mean to imply that I spin no faster 100. I can comfortably spin around 120-125, but my average cadence for longer intervals are usually in the 95-100 range.

I would like to eventually get to where I can spin at least more normal cadence in the gearing that I currently do at 80-85.


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## jmorgan (Apr 13, 2012)

Try to figure out your FTP based on HR, not the best but something is better then nothing and do 2x20min efforts at FTP with a 5min rest, a couple times a week with some less intense rides in-between. You are using HR as a proxy for power, you want to maintain the same power throughout the ride so HR should rise a little also. Don't pay attention to speed as that will vary a lot based on wind speed and direction. Looks like a lot of the stuff you do is shorter intervals. I would work on longer sustained intervals since thats where you are lacking. Sounds like more miles might help also.


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## brady1 (Aug 18, 2011)

jmorgan said:


> Try to figure out your FTP based on HR, not the best but something is better then nothing and do 2x20min efforts at FTP with a 5min rest, a couple times a week with some less intense rides in-between. You are using HR as a proxy for power, you want to maintain the same power throughout the ride so HR should rise a little also. Don't pay attention to speed as that will vary a lot based on wind speed and direction. Looks like a lot of the stuff you do is shorter intervals. I would work on longer sustained intervals since thats where you are lacking. Sounds like more miles might help also.


I think I'm still leaving out some info.

I do incorporate longer intervals at least 2 days a week. 20-30 min intervals mixed with shorter long intervals like 10-15 minutes on other days.

I'm pretty sure I have my lactate threshold figured out. I have had basically the same result (HR average) from several TT efforts as well as indoor tests over a few years.

I'm not really that focused on speed, as you mentioned. If I decrease my time on certain climbs as well as see improvement in intervals on the trainer (my poor man's power meter) I know I'm making progress.


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## CHT (Mar 1, 2001)

I'm also a relative lightweight, although taller (5'9" 138 lbs). Power on the flats was always a challenge for me and something I've greatly improved this year. Instead of the longer threshold workouts, I did a lot of sets of shorter duration intervals on the trainer during the colder months. A lot of 5 x 1 (with 1 min or 30 second breaks) starting with just 2 sets and working up to 4. Also 5 x 3 with 2 min off and "leadouts" with 30 seconds on/30 seconds off. Off the trainer, you really need to incorporate fast training rides and more crits. I'm not a fan of crits, but they make you faster and stronger. I also saved tempo and threshold riders for the road and not the trainer or mixed in tempo/threshold with the shorter intervals at the very end when you are most tired. The purpose is to more closely mimic real race conditions. Last, just race as much as you can. I raced most weeks with some planned weeks without racing and my pace on the flats has improved greatly. FWIW, I'm coached and don't make my own workouts.


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## MerlinAma (Oct 11, 2005)

Other than working on your power, you should really focus on aerodynamics since that's what slows you down on the flats. 
Snug fitting jersey, etc. 
I'm always a little surprised when I see some people riding into the wind and their clothing is blown up to look like the Pillsbury Doughboy.


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## Cableguy (Jun 6, 2010)

jmorgan said:


> 95-100 cadence is not high, you should be able to hold 105-110 at least (this alone will increase your speed 1mph+). You are smaller, you should be able to and need to hold a higher cadence you are not going to have the power (leg strength) of the bigger riders.
> 
> When you go down to 80-85rpm are you increasing speed at all? Or just the burn in your legs, if you are not going faster, you are not making more power.
> 
> You need to work on Functional Threshold Power (FTP).


This is just my take, but I don't think it's effective to consciously force a change to your preferred cadence. It's one thing to do drills at lower and higher cadences, but what comes natural to you should be just that... natural. If the OP prefers 95-100 and tries to switch to 105-110 he will not gain 1mph+, probably just the opposite. If he trained for the next year at 105-110 cadence exclusively, he would very likely still ride better at a lower cadence afterwards.


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## OnTheRivet (Sep 3, 2004)

MerlinAma said:


> Other than working on your power, you should really focus on aerodynamics since that's what slows you down on the flats.
> Snug fitting jersey, etc.
> I'm always a little surprised when I see some people riding into the wind and their clothing is blown up to look like the Pillsbury Doughboy.


This is actually good advice. You need to punch as small a hole in the wind as possible, work on a low head position while still maintaining power. It's amazing how much of a difference just a few inches can make. Yeah, yeah, a few inches, "that's what she said" haha.


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## brady1 (Aug 18, 2011)

OnTheRivet said:


> This is actually good advice. You need to punch as small a hole in the wind as possible, work on a low head position while still maintaining power. It's amazing how much of a difference just a few inches can make. Yeah, yeah, a few inches, "that's what she said" haha.


I've been assured by pretty much everyone on my group rides that I punch the smallest ever hole in the wind. Drafting off of me is pretty much impossible. It's actually pretty comical...they might as well be pulling on the front.

None of my jerseys fit me very loosely though, however, I probably could use a couple more XS jerseys. They're just not that easy to find...


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## LatvianRider (Sep 14, 2008)

Work on driving FTP higher, start out with short duration and work towards specific goals (ie demands produced at your A - goal races). Motor pacing will help you simulate leg speed and other demands of hanging on to the big boys on the flats.


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