Initiating a successful solo breakaway is one of the hardest tasks in bike racing. It’s also one of the most rewarding so it makes sense to do some specific training to increase your chances of getting and staying away.
A solo attack requires a short near maximal effort to get the initial gap, then several minutes of above threshold work to extend. After the gap gets established, you need to get into your threshold pace and hold it steady. At this point it’s a game of chicken-who cracks first, you or the pack!
Here is a good workout to simulate the demands of the solo break. This is a very hard session, so make sure that you put in a recovery day after.
-30 second sprint HARD! First 15 seconds out of the saddle. 200% of FTP or higher
-1 minute at 125% of FTP
-2 minutes at 110% of FTP
-5 minutes at 100% of FTP
Get in a good warm up, at least 15 minutes. Then on varying terrain do the following set:Try for 2 of these with a 5 minute recovery period in between. If you feel cooked after the first then skip the 2nd. If you are feeling strong after the 2nd you can add a third. And if you are really masochistic, try throwing 2 of these together without the rest interval. This will simulate counter attacking your own attack!
This is a drill that works best with power. If you train with heart rate then you will need to go by perceived effort for the above threshold work as your HR will lag the effort. The sprint should be pretty much all out. The 1 and 2 minute efforts at your max or just a fraction below for those durations, then you can use HR for the threshold.
Try incorporating these into your program. They will help to give you the strength and confidence to pull of that winning move. For info on my training programs check out the website or contact me at larry@propowercoaching.com. Thanks for reading!