Comeback Training Plan

8/8/2019 Comeback Training Plan

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The Comeback Training Plan

By Chris CarmiChaelwith Jim rutBerg

The 12-WeekProgram forreviTalizingYour CYCling

fiTness

2009, CarmiChael Training SySTemS, inC. all righTS reServed


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Truth be told, by the time the

2005 Tour de France concluded

on the Champs Elyses in

Paris, Lance Armstrong was

all too ready to retire. What

had started as a comeback to proveto

himself and the cancer communitythat

cancer survivors were not fragile, but instead

capable of tapping into their experiences

fighting the disease to achieve even greater

accomplishments afterward, had turned

into an unprecedented run of seven Tour

de France wins. But the nine years since his

cancer diagnosis had been strenuous, and

the pressure to continue winning increased

with every passing year. By 2005 Lance had

been a professional cyclist for 15 years and

a professional athlete since he was a 16-

yearold triathlete. He was justifiably tired,

mentally and physically, and looked forward

to spending more time with his young

children and devoting more of his efforts to

the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Never one to be idle for long, Lance threw

himself into his new life. He became much

more involved in the fight against cancer,

speaking at universities, hospitals, fund-

raisers, and even before the U.S. Congress.

Under his leadership, the Lance Armstrong

Foundation was instrumental in drafting

and passing new legislation in 2007 in Texas,

Proposition 15: Texas Takes on Cancer,

which allocated $3 billion over 10 years to

fund cutting-edge cancer research in Texas

laboratories.

And unlike many retired professional

athletes, Lance stayed in very good physical

shape as well. He rekindled his love for

running and competed in the New York City

Marathon in 2006 and 2007, and the Boston

Marathon in 2008. He continued riding his

bike, branching out to enjoy mountain biking

and cyclocross as well as road cycling.

While Lance was enjoying his retirement,

I was focused on expanding Carmichael

Training Systems and mentoring CTS coaches

who were working with other pros as well

as plenty of motivated amateurs with busy

schedules. In 2005, a few members of the CTS

coaching staff competed in the Leadville 100

Mountain Bike Race, in Leadville, Colorado.

A few days later they challenged me to stage a

comeback of my own and compete in the 100-

mile mountain bike event the following year.

Actually, it was more than a simple challenge:

They bet me $1,000 that I couldnt finish the

event in less than nine hours.

I hadnt entered a race in more than a

decade, but Id ridden more in 2004 and

2005 than I had earlier in Lances Tour de

France reign, and I relished the challenge. So

I trained hard for nearly a year, dropped 15

pounds of body weight and joined the coaches

on the start line of the 2006 Leadville 100.

Nine hours and 18 minutes later, and out

$1,000, I crossed the finish line and vowed to

return the following year to claim the large

rodeo-style belt buckle reserved for finishers

who beat the nine-hour mark.

The Leadville 100 had long been onLances radar. He knew of the ultra-endurance

event held every August in Colorado, but

never had the opportunity to compete during

his professional career. But as he saw me train

for Leadville, his interest in the race grew. In

the spring of 2007, he called me and asked

me to meet him in the old mining town just

across Independence Pass from Aspen for a

ride. Lance was looking for a challenge, too,

and wanted to see the course so he could

decide if he wanted to give it a try.

No one had ever attempted to do whatLance Armstrong was proposing. Was iteven possible to regain the power neces-sary to compete in the Tour de France?

The ComebaCkHow a 37-year-old, busy father returned to peak

fitnessand you can too


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On a Sunday morning in June, Lance, CTS

coach Jim Rutberg and I set out to ride the

first and last 25 miles of the course, which

included four of the races five major climbs.

Still obviously in great shape, Lance rode

away from us on every climb and proved to be

equally adept on the steep and rocky descents.

On the drive back over Independence Pass

to Aspen, he pressed me for every piece ofinformation I could provide on the race and

what it would take to win it in 2008.

Throughout the next year, Lance

continued his work with the Lance Armstrong

Foundation and stayed active on his bike, in

the gym and with his marathon training. He

didnt talk much about the Leadville 100, and

I figured it had been a passing interest the

previous summer. Then Lance called again in

July wanting to meet in Leadville for another

reconnaissance ride, and this time his interest

wasnt idle curiosity: He wanted to race.

reigniTing The fire WiThin

Lances decision to return to competition was

spurred by a confluence of factors. For the

first time since he had retired, he had taken

a particular interest in the Tour de France.

And as he watched the race on television from

the United States, he realized that the riders

occupying the top 10 positions in standings

were all riders he had competed against and

beaten. At the same time, he was looking for

the next challenge he wanted to tackleand

he and I had been talking about my training

for the Leadville 100. In late July, Lances

competitive spark reignited, and he decided to

return to racing by joining me at the start line

of the 2008 Leadville 100.

When Lance committed to racing

Leadville, he had fewer than three weeks

to prepare for the event. But true to his

nature, he gathered as much information as

possible about the race, the course and the

competition. There was really only one man

to beat, former World Cup mountain bike

racer Dave Wiens, who had won the race five

consecutive times. In 2007, Wiens won hisfifth title and set a new course record, beating

Lances former teammate, Floyd Landis, in

the process.

But what caught my attention was the

enthusiasm Lance had for training. More

than once I commented to the CTS staff and

my friends that I hadnt seen Lance so excited

about training since 1999. And then during

a training ride in Aspen, Colorado, Lance

asked me, What if we just keep going after

Leadville?

I thought he was talking about continuing

to race ultra-endurance mountain bike events,

and rattled off the names of a few more

competitions I believed Lance might enjoy.

No, he said. I mean, what if we go back to

the Tour? I was astonished. Go back to the

Tour de France?! Lance was almost 37 years

old and hadnt raced as a professional in three

years. He was fit, but nowhere near as fit ashe had been during his last Tour de France, in

2005. And no one had ever attempted what he

was proposing to do. Was it even possible to

regain the power necessary to compete in the

worlds toughest cycling competition?

One of a coachs responsibilities is to

be frank and honest with an athlete, and I

presented all the reasons why a comeback

might not be a good idea: What if he tried and

failed? Was he really ready to return to the

monastic lifestyle of a professional cyclist?

Did he really want to reenter the highly

political world of professional cycling?

But Lance had a goal that trumped all

the challenges presented by mounting a

comeback: taking the Livestrong message

international. The Lance Armstrong

Foundations success in passing Proposition

15 in Texas and the interest it had generated

in other states convinced Lance that it was

time to engage the world in the fight against

cancer. And what better place was there for

Lance to raise awareness for a global cancer

initiative than from the saddle of his bike in

competitions around the world? And as for all

of my questions, Lance simply replied that if

he succeeded in raising worldwide awareness

of the need to commit more resources to

finding a cure for cancer, then his comebackwould be a success, regardless of his racing

results.

And with that, I set about the task of

designing a training program that would

once again bring Lance back to the top of

professional cycling. Age, I concluded, would

not be the seven-time Tour champions

biggest challenge. There was plenty of

evidence to support this conclusion, including

incredible performances by other athletes

who had once been considered too old to win.

Just weeks earlier, 41-year-old swimmer Dara

Torres had earned a trip to the 2008 Olympic

Games, in Beijing, China, her fifth Olympics

as a competitor. She won both the 100-meter

and 50-meter freestyle events at the Olympic

trials, breaking her own American record in

the latter. In Beijing she earned three silver

medals, bringing her career total to 12 and

earning her the distinction of being theoldest athlete to win a medal in an Olympic

swimming event.

Brett Favre, longtime quarterback of

the NFLs Green Bay Packers, retired and

returned to professional football with the

New York Jets at the age of 39. Indeed, Lance

was quoted in a September 2008 article in

Vanity Fairsaying, Look at the Olympics. You

have a swimmer like Dara Torres. Even in the

50-meter event [freestyle], the 41-year-old

mother proved you can do it. The woman who

won the marathon [Constantina Tomescu-

Dita, of Romania] was 38. Older athletes are

performing very well. Ask serious sports

physiologists and theyll tell you age is an old

wives tale. Athletes at 30, 35, mentally get

tired. Theyve done their sport for 20, 25 years

and theyre like, Ive had enough. But theres

no evidence to support that when youre 38

youre any slower than when you were 32.

If age wasnt Lances biggest challenge,

what was? I reasoned that it was the three

years away from elite competition. During a

normal year of his professional cycling career,

Lance rode about 45,000 kilometers (almost

28,000 miles), which means that even though

he stayed fit in retirement he missed out on

nearly 140,000 kilometers of training and

racing. And even more significant than sheerdistance, Lance missed out on the positive

training impact of three Tour de France

races. The Tour de France was not only the

endpoint of Lances training program, but

also an integral part of the plan for success

the following year. Theres simply no way to

replicate the intensity and demands of the

Tour in training, making the event itself a key

component to training for it. This was true

even during Lances comeback from cancer;

he finished fourth in the three-week Tour of

To transform Lance, we had to acceleratethe progression of his training and

focus on three main areas: endurance,intensity and body composition.


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Spain in September of 1998 before winning

the Tour de France in 1999.

In response to the challenges Lance faced

in attempting to race the 2009 Tour de France

almost exactly one year after emerging from

three years of retirement, I designed an

aggressive plan of training and racing that

was different from Lances earlier plans but

based on the same proven methodology.

The ComebaCk Plan

Effective training is a process of progression.

The 12-week program in this guide, for

instance, progresses from easier workouts

to more challenging ones as you gradually

get stronger. In between Lances Tour de

France victories, he kept training so his

fitness was never more than about 20 percent

off the mark he needed to achieve to be in

race-winning form. That meant that his

progression through the winter and spring

each year could be relatively gradual. But

after three years away from elite competition,

his fitnessin terms of his endurance, his

sustainable power output, and his ability

to launch high-power accelerationswere

well more than 20 percent below his peak.

To transform a now 37-year-old retired

father of three back into a Tour de France

contender, I knew that we had to accelerate

the progression of Lances training and focus

on three main areas: endurance, intensity and

body composition.

enduranCe

At the 2008 Leadville 100, Lance rode with

five-time defending champion Dave Wiens for

nearly 90 miles, all of which were contested at

more than 9,000 feet in elevation with climbs

that topped out at 12,600 feet. As the two

men reached the top of the last significant

climb of the race, Lance said something to

Wiens hed never said to anyone in a race

before: You go, Im done. Wiens, displaying

a spirit of camaraderie rarely seen in road

racing, urged Lance to stay with him, but

at nearly six hours into the race Lance was

well beyond the longest ride hed completed

since the 2005 Tour de France. In the end,

Wiens crossed the finish line to capture his

sixth consecutive Leadville 100 title, taking

another 13 minutes off the record hed set

the previous year when he won in front of

Floyd Landis. Lance finished only about two

minutes later.

To rebuild Lances endurance, I set him

up with a schedule that called for three-day

blocks of four-, five- and six-hour rides, and

within a few months he was able to complete

these rides at an average power output of

between 280 and 320 watts. Lance would

take one or two days of shorter, easier rides

between these blocks in order to recover and

prepare for the next one.

inTensiTY

Covering the distance is only part of the

challenge of racing the Tour de Franceor

meeting any cycling goal for that matter

and I knew we had to also prepare Lance to

handle the intensity of racing for 21 days in

July, initiating and responding to attacks, and

going for the win. To do this, I started Lance

on interval training early on in his comeback

training, starting with longer Tempo and

SteadyState Intervals and progressing to

shorter, more intense PowerIntervals.

From my years of coaching everyday

cyclists who have very limited time available

for training, I also knew that short, high-

intensity interval training was also an

effective way to build a strong aerobic engine,

so I incorporated elements of the trainingprograms that work for time-strapped

amateurs into Lances Tour de France

preparation.

bodY ComPosiTion

In the three years since Lance had last

raced professionally, he had kept busy with

a significant amount of strength training.

While he had done some strength training

during his Tour de France years, he was

always mindful not to gain too much upper-

reCovery on a grand SCale

a

fter nearly 20 years of working with Lance, I understood what an extraordinary ath-lete he was, but even I was surprised by Lances rapid fitness progression betweenthe fall of 2008 and the spring of 2009. Looking back through Lances training logs, I

realized that the only other time he had made similarly impressive gains was in the winterbetween 1998 and 1999. Another similarity between his two comebacks: his high levels ofdedication, focus and enthusiasm. Whats abundantly clear is that no one had truly realizedhow tired Lance had been at the end of his historic Tour de France run.

It occurred to me that perhaps the three years away from professional cycling couldprove to be more beneficial to Lances performance in 2009 than detrimental. One of themost important principles in training is that of overload and recovery. For a system to adaptand grow stronger it must first be overloaded and then allowed time to recover. On thesmallest scale, this is the reason there are recovery periods between hard efforts duringinterval workouts. From there the principle expands to include rest days during hard train-ing weeks, a recovery week within a month of training, and finally a longer recovery periodlasting several weeks at the end of a long season.

But what about a recovery period on a grander scale? Lance began his career as aprofessional triathlete at age 16. He transitioned to cycling and turned pro in 1992 afterthe Olympic Games. And even though he missed the 1997 season as he battled cancer, he

still approached life then as a professional cyclist. Lance devoted his life, year in and yearout, to being a pro athlete from 1992 through 2005, so you could look at his three yearsaway from the sport as an extended recovery period.

Regardless of Lances results in 2009, I believe the concept of a grand recoveryperiod has implications for athletes of all ability levels. Amateur racers and recreationalcyclists frequently train and participate in events for several years and then turn theirattention to other things. Maybe you were a Cat 3 five years ago, or an avid century rider,but your bike has been collecting dust or youve resigned yourself to weekend spins tostay moderately fit. It took Lance three years to want to get back into the game. Maybe ithas taken you more time, or less, but once again Lance is showing us that all comebacksare possible. My advice? Follow Lances lead and create your own comeback.C.C.

Becuase time was short, I incorporatedelements of the training programs that

work for time-strapped amateurs intoLances Tour de France preparation.


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body weight, as this increased muscle mass

would inevitably reduce his power-to-weight

ratio. Like many athletes, Lance packs on

muscle rapidly, and by the time he began his

comeback training he had added about 10

pounds of lean muscle mass to his frame. To

make matters worse, most of that muscle was

on his upper body, where it would do him little

good in terms of powering his bicycle uphill.At the same time, Lance had remained

quite lean. In the summer of 2008 his body-

fat percentage was not as low as it had been

during his Tour de France victories, but it

was still below 12 percent. This presented a

challenge because it meant that getting down

to Tour de France weight would require Lance

stripping muscle off his body and not just fat.

But rather than stay out of the gym, it was

actually important for Lance to intensify his

strength training. Cyclists rely on a strong

core to provide a solid platform that their

powerful legs can push against, and a weak

core leads to a lot of wasted energy. As strong

as Lances legs were, he needed to focus on

building even more strength with cycling-

specific lower-body resistance exercises.

For the specifics of his strength program,

Lance enlisted the help of Peter Park, owner

of Platinum Fitness, in Santa Barbara,

California. Parks program included dynamic

strength-training movements, including

kettleball swings, lateral lunges, step-ups with

weights and Bulgarian split-squats.

Lance made progress rapidly, and by

December 2008 Johan Bruyneelthe team

director who had guided Lance to all seven

of his Tour de France victories and who

would again be his team director when Lance

returned to the pelotonand I recommended

that he reduce his focus on strength training

in preference for more race-specific training

on the bike.

inTo The Wind Tunnel

Lance won 11 of the 19 individual time trials

held during his seven-year Tour de France

reign, but he hadnt been on a time-trial bikesince Stage 20 in 2005. His strength against

the clock was crucial to every one of his

Tour victories, so getting Lance back onto a

time-trial bike was a high priority. It was so

important that one of the first calls made

after Lance committed to the comeback was

to the Low Speed Wind Tunnel, in San Diego.

Wind-tunnel testing had been an annual

event for Lance during his career, and he

had formed a team of engineers, designers,

aerodynamics experts and coaches to

optimize not only his position on the bike but

also the design of his equipment. Referred to

as the F1 Group, the team that gathered in

San Diego in November consisted of three of

us from CTS as well as representatives from

Trek, SRAM, SRM, Bontrager, Giro, Oakley

and Nikeall suppliers of equipment and

clothing Lance would use during time trials.

For aerodynamics, the team relied on SteveHed, the aerodynamics guru who was one of

Lances first sponsors when he was a triathlete

and the creator of the three-spoke carbon

wheels Lance and his teammates frequently

rode during Tour de France time trials.

The week before the wind-tunnel visit,

Lance had competed in an individual and

a two-man team time trial at the Tour de

Gruene, in Texas. During the individual time

trial he used a brand-new riding position, and

although he won he reported that he didnt

feel like he had access to all his speed in that

position. The position was adjusted so it was

more like his 2005 time-trial position for the

following days team time trial. He won the

race with longtime friend John Korioth and

took that setup with him to the wind tunnel.

To get some baseline numbers, Lance was

first tested on a bike set up exactly like his

2005 position. He was then tested on the bike

with the new position. The data showed that

the 2005 bike was very fast, but that adding

a few features of the new position reduced

Lances drag numbers even further.

The following day, Lance traveled to

the velodrome at the ADT Event Center in

Los Angeles to confirm that the positions

that looked best in the wind tunnel were

actually the best in the real world. He rodetwo-kilometer efforts (eight laps) at constant

speeds (50kmh) and the team downloaded

power data each time he returned. If an

aerodynamic position was truly superior,

Lance would be able to maintain 50kmh

using less power. (In a racing situation this

would translate to riding at his maximum

sustainable power and going faster.) Accuracy

was crucial, because the difference between

the best aero position and a good one could

be as little as four to six watts. SRM was in

charge of ensuring accuracy, so the company

brought a laboratory-grade power meter

with 20 strain gaugesone of only four in

existence. For comparison, the Pro version of

an SRM has four strain gauges and is accurate

within 1 percent. When asked about the

accuracy percentage of the lab-grade power

meter, SRMs Daniel Gillespie simply replied,

Its accurate. Period.But its one thing to determine the optimal

balance among aerodynamics, comfort and

power production in the wind tunnel and on

the velodrome, and something else to actually

ride full-gas in that position for an hour at the

Tour de France. Since it would take a while for

Lance to get used to riding a time-trial bike

again, I started prescribing interval workouts

in the aero position immediately following

the trip to California.

measuring The Progress

Lance had little trouble getting back into the

routine of training as a professional athlete,

but the big question was whether his body

would adapt after the three-year layoff. I

monitored Lances training by analyzing

power files downloaded from his power meter

and set up a schedule of performance tests

to gather scientific data. The first test was in

mid-November, a few weeks before Lance was

scheduled to travel to Tenerife, Spain, for his

teams first training camp.

The test was a standard lactate threshold

test, during which Lance progressed through

a series of steps. At the end of each three-

minute stage, the resistance Lance was

pedaling against was increased by 25 watts,

and his finger was pricked so a small sampleof blood could be tested to see how much

lactate it contained. At intensities below

lactate threshold, an athletes blood lactate

levels remain low, and they start to rise as

the athlete gets closer to threshold. When an

athlete crosses his threshold, his blood lactate

levels increase dramatical ly, and coaches

and sports scientists can plot the levels on a

graph and determine the point where lactate

threshold was reached. More importantly,

they can determine how much power the

Cyclists rely on a strong core to providea solid platform that their powerful legscan push against, and a weak core leads

to a lot of wasted energy.


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athlete was producing at threshold, as this is

the key determinant of how fast an athlete

can ride for prolonged periods of timeas in

time trials and long mountain climbs. In the

mid-November test, Lances lactate threshold

power was determined to be 400 watts.

At the training camp, team director Johan

Bruyneel observed that Lance was one of the

three strongest riders, an impressive featconsidering he had been training seriously

for only about three months. But it was

still too early to deem Lances comeback a

complete success. Lance had been training

hard while the other cyclists on the team had

been finishing up their racing seasons and

taking some well-deserved time off. Dean

Golich, a coach and sports scientist who has

worked with Lance and me since the early

90s when Dean and I coached together at

USA Cycling and Lance was a member of the

US National Team, summed up the situation

well by commenting that Lances fitness was

about 10 percent better than expected and

his teammates power outputs were about 10

percent below their peak racing fitness.

A few days after Lance returned from

Tenerife, Dean and I traveled to Austin, Texas,

to test Lances lactate threshold in the Pedal

Harder Performance Center located inside

Lances Mellow Johnnys bike shop. Lances

former teammate, Kevin Livingston, runs

the center and was in charge of administering

the test and gathering the blood lactate data.

The positive training impact of the team

training camp was immediately apparent:

Lance reached lactate threshold later in the

test and his new lactate threshold power was

measured at 425 watts. He had improved by25 watts in just two weeks.

As impressive as his power improvement

was, Dean and I noted that his blood lactate

levels throughout the test were also lower

than they had been during the previous test.

Lactate is made when an athlete produces

power using the anaerobic energy system, and

lower lactate levels indicate that the aerobic

engine has become stronger. That told me

that Lance was adapting well to his training

because it meant his body was getting more

energy by burning fat through his aerobic

system.

baCk To raCing

Bolstered by encouraging test results, Lance

readied himself for the first race of his

comeback: the six-stage Tour Down Under,

in Australia. He traveled first to Hawaii for

a two-week training camp that consisted ofmore three-day training blocks, this time

with only one day of active recovery between

each. And I joined him in Hawaii to put him

behind the motorbike for a handful of one-

hour motorpacing sessions. Lances power

output showed he was ready to race, but he

and I both knew it was also important for

him to get reacquainted with the 40 to 60

kilometer-per-hour (25 to 40 mph) pace of

professional racing.

Lance had chosen the Tour Down Under as

the launching point of his comeback for a few

reasons. First of all, it was a great opportunity

to bring the Livestrong message to another

continent. And from a racing standpoint, it

was important for Lance to get back into the

fray. You need great fitness to win the Tour

de France, but you also need to race shoulder-

to-shoulder with nearly 200 other racers

day after day. The professional peloton is a

hostile and unforgiving environment, one

that demands an athletes complete attention

in order to stay safe, let alone win. Along

these lines, Lances main objective was not

to win the Tour Down Under, but to use the

race to get used to the rhythm and routine of

professional racing.

For me, the Tour Down Under was also

an important component of Lances training.During his Tour de France years Lance never

raced in January, preferring to train and wait

until later in the spring to start competing.

But my comeback plan included an earlier

start to Lances racing season as well as

more races than normal, because there is

no better way to gain race-winning fitness

than to race. It is impossible to replicate the

demands of racing in training, because the

intense efforts in races are unpredictable and

extreme, and often come one after another

in rapid succession without adequate time

to recover. To get Lance ready for the 2009

Tour de France, I encouraged him to enter

the Tour Down Under in January, the Tour

of California in February, Castilla y Leon in

March, and for the first time in his career, the

three-week Tour of Italy in May.

Lance performed well in the Tour Down

Under and even tested himself a few timeswith accelerations off the front of the peloton.

It was a good first step because, although the

race is difficult, it doesnt include either a

long individual time trial or a major climbing

stage. It was still a little early for those efforts,

but six days of high-quality racing in high

temperatures and gusty winds provided

Lance with a superb training stimulus.

In preparation for Februarys Tour of

California, Lance spent more time climbing

and continued to work on his time-trial

power. The work paid off and Lance was

more than capable of fulfilling his role

of superdomestique for his team leader,

Levi Leipheimer, who went on to win his

third Tour of California. Race fans had an

opportunity to observe a Lance Armstrong

they werent accustomed to seeing. Instead

of riding as the team leader at the back of a

long line of teammates, it was Lance who was

sitting at the front of the line setting the pace

for Levi. What was most impressive to me

was Lances ability to do so much pace-setting

work and still finish 14th in his first major

time trial since the 2005 Tour de France.

Fourteenth was a long way from being a

dominating performance, but when you put

it in the context of his comeback and his role

within the team during the preceding days of

racing, it was a performance that indicated his

form was right on target.

Racing is a great form of training, and we

used the Tour of California as the start of a

high-volume training block for Lance. Instead

of taking a recovery period right after the race,

Lance kept riding. For the next week, he piled

on the miles; we were taking advantage of

the training stress hed already accumulatedduring the Tour of California by heaping on

more volume. But in order for this block to be

effective, it was important to cut back on the

intensity and focus on long, steady hours in

the saddle. By the time Lance was done, he

had completed a massive two-week endurance

block that would build the stamina necessary

to return to competition in Europe.

The Tour of Italy was the race Lance was

building up to. Sure, the 2009 Tour de France

was the long-range goal, but the immediate

At the team training camp, Lance was oneof the three strongest riders, an impres-sive feat considering he had been trainingseriously for only about three months.


7/13



concern during March and April of 2009 was

preparing Lance for his first appearance at the

Giro dItalia. If Lance was adequately prepared

for the Giro, I reasoned, hed race well enough

to achieve a really big bump in his fitness

level. That meant Lance had to be a factor in

the race. He had to be near the front of the

peloton on major climbs, be a strong asset for

Levi Leipheimer and stay in the top 10 to 20places in the overall classification. In other

words, he needed to have the conditioning

to ride where the racing was most difficult,

because being there would supply the

stimulus necessary to take his fitness to the

next level. If all he could do was ride in the

back of the pack, hed get a three-week stage

race under his belt, but the training stimulus

wouldnt be enough to get him up to Tour de

France condition in time for July.

Through most of March, things were

looking great. Following a climbing training

camp in Italy and southern France, Lance had

a strong ride in the 256-kilometer Milan-

San Remo classic, and then moved on to the

Castilla y Leon stage race in Spain. I was really

looking forward to seeing his result from

the Stage 2 individual time trial, because his

power outputs going into the race were very

good and I was confident hed get a result

that would make his competitors take notice.

Unfortunately, Lances comeback came to an

abrupt halt during Stage 1, when he crashed

and broke his collarbone.

TWo sTePs forWard,

one sTeP baCk

Setbacks are part of the game in sports

and training, and throughout his cycling

career Lance was pretty lucky to avoid major

injuries. That this broken collarbone was

the first of his entire career was remarkable,

considering that a fractured clavicle is the

second-most common cycling injury (behind

skin abrasions). Nevertheless, he was headed

back to Austin to have surgery when he

should have been racing in Spain.

The nice thing about a brokencollarboneif theres anything nice about

breaking a boneis that you can typically

return to training reasonably quickly. Within

four days of his crash in Spain, Lance was on

a stationary bike. The workout wasnt that

important, but the act of getting back to

pedaling was. One thing Ive learned about

comebacks is that you have to maintain

forward momentum. An athlete, whether

its Lance or you, has to feel like the process

is moving forward, even if training has been

put on hold. If a comeback stalls, it often

stops altogether.

Within 10 days of his crash, Lance was

back to doing interval training on his own

bike on an indoor trainer. He wasnt putting

much weight on the handlebar because of his

collarbone injury, but thats another reason a

broken collarbone can be seen as a preferred

injury. Compared with anything involvingthe legs, hips, back and head, riders are

often able to maintain a higher training load

throughout their recoveries from shoulder,

arm or hand injuries.

By the time I joined Lance in Aspen,

Colorado, where he had gone for altitude

training, three weeks had passed since his

surgery and he was back out on the road.

Although he had some minor pain in his

collarbone still, he could pull on the handlebar

during climbs, ride on rough dirt roads and

descend with full confidence. All told, the

broken collarbone was a very minor setback

and it actually offered him the opportunity to

add a new race to his schedule.

Silver City, New Mexico, is one of the

secret gems of cycling in the United States.

Located at 5,895 feet above sea level and

surrounded by mountains, its a high-altitude

training ground thats far enough south to be

hospitable in winter and beautiful year-round.

For the past 23 years, riders have been going to

Silver City in late April for the Tour of the Gila,

and in 2009 the race made a perfect addition

to the altitude training Lance had been doing

in Aspen following his collarbone injury.

The Tour of the Gila may not be as well

known internationally as the Tirreno-

Adriatico stage race or other races used astune-ups to the Tour of Italy, but it offered a

unique training opportunity for Lance. Had

he chosen to go back to Europe for his final

pre-Giro tune-up race, he would have spent

his days sitting in the middle of the peloton.

At Gila, he was one of the main players in the

race, and he spent many miles setting a hard

tempo on the front of the pack. Considering

that his role at the Tour of Italy would be that

of domestique, the way he was able to race at

the Tour of the Gila made it a better option

than a European event.

Going into the Tour of Italy, Leipheimer

looked like he had the form necessary to

challenge for the pink leaders jersey, and Lance

was excited by the prospect of supporting his

teammate to a Grand Tour victory. For most of

the 2009 Giro dItalia, Leipheimer had a viable

chance of capturing the pink jersey, but fatigue

from a season that began with a win at theTour of California in February caught up with

him in the third week of the race.

For Lance, the first week was the

toughest. Unlike the Tour de France, which

tends to start with a few days of relatively flat

stages designed to showcase the speed of the

sprinters, the Giro dItalia mixes mountain

stages and sprinters stages right from the

start. And in 2009, the organizers included

two back-to-back long stages in the first week

that each topped 240 kilometers. By the end

of the first week, Lance was tired, and it was

time to see how his body would adapt. If the

training program had adequately prepared

him for the Giro, hed start feeling better

and stronger about halfway through the

second week of the race. If he didnt start

feeling better, that would mean his pre-Giro

conditioning was inadequate and that instead

of adapting to the stress of the race, he would

continue to get more and more fatigued. For a

few days, all we could do was wait and see.

Part of what separates Grand Tour

champions from the rest of the peloton is the

way their bodies respond to the incredible

stress of a three-week race. Everyone fatigues

during a Grand Tour, but the handful of riders

in contention for the overall victory has the

ability to adapt to the stress, overcome thefatigue and get stronger during the third

week. Lance has long been one of those riders,

and despite being well behind the leaders

of the 2009 Giro dItalia, his individual

performances and sensations on the bike

indicated that he was getting stronger as the

race approached its final stage in Rome. He

finished the race in 12th place, which was a

strong showing for the second-oldest man in

the race and a guy who had been riding and

running only for fitness 10 months earlier.

Within four days of breaking his collar-bone, Lance was on a stationary bike. The

workout wasnt that important, but theact of getting back to pedaling was.


8/13



ibelieve there is an athlete in every body, and no matter how

long its been since you last considered yourself an active

cyclist, you have what it takes to get back out there and regain

your rightful place in the pack. If youre reading this, youre

a person who enjoys spending time on your bike. It doesnt

matter whether you want to race, ride centuries, go to the

local group ride, or just cruise the streets or trails. A comeback

doesnt need to be founded on high-pressure goals like winning races

or riding farther or faster than you ever have before. It can be, but it

doesnt have to be. A comeback is about being happy and accomplishing

personal goals that make you proud. Lance returned to professional

cycling because he wanted to engage a worldwide audience in the fight

against cancer and because he loves to train and race. He didnt launch

a comeback because he needs more yellow jerseys. If he wins another

one, thats great. If he doesnt win anything, but succeeds in raising

international awareness of the fight against cancer, then the comebackwill be a success.

Likewise, when I decided to launch my own comeback in 2005, I

didnt do it because I had dreams of winning the Leadville 100. I did it

because it has been a long time since Id felt the exhilaration of being

a powerful cyclist. My comeback was about remembering how great it

feels to be strong and fast, and rediscovering my love for training.

We are extremely fortunate to be cyclists. Its a sport and activity

that can be adapted to all manner of goals, and you can be a cyclist

from your early childhood all the way to your final days. The kind of

riding you do, the type of bike you ride, your average speed and the

events you participate in may change, but the beauty of our sport is

that it can evolve as you do. As long as you have two wheels and pedals,

everything else is semantics.

The programs in this guide are designed to get you back to the

cycling activities you love most, or get you started as a cyclist. And if

you already have years of riding in your legs, youll be happy to know

that even if youve been off the bike for a while, your body will still

adapt to training more quickly than if you were starting out as brand-

new rider. Ive included two 12-week training plans. The Back in the

Saddle Plan (page 12) is for riders who have been away from the bike

or barely ridden for at least the last six months, and the Performance

Plan (page 13) is for cyclists who have been riding regularly (two

or three times a week) but are looking to return to a higher level of

performance. Recognizing that the vast majority of people using these

programs will be working adults with families waiting for them at

home, Ive scheduled only three workouts per week on the Back in the

Saddle Plan and four workouts per week in the Performance Plan. Ifyoure using the Performance Plan and have more time to devote to

training, add an endurance ride on Wednesday, but maintain the rest

days on Monday and Friday. If youre using the Back in the Saddle Plan,

I dont recommend adding any additional training sessions, even if

you have the time. Like athletes who are just starting their training,

athletes who are returning to cycling after a long period of being

relatively sedentary have more problems dealing with volume (training

hours) than intensity. Even though some of the weekday workouts

contain difficult intervals, the intensity is governed by your field test

results so its appropriate for your fitness level. Adding more volume,

however, can lead to a training workload your body is not ready for.

your ComebaCk planA 12-week program to revitalize your fitness


9/13



ComPleTe The CTs field TesT

The CTS Field Test should be completed

before you begin either of the training

programs in this guide. When you view the

programs, youll notice that the CTS Field Test

is not included in the schedule. Rather than

work it into the program itself, I want you to

complete it a few days before you begin one of

the training programs.

The Field Test itself is two eight-minute

efforts, but when you get on the bike, youll

need time to complete the warm-up, the Field

Test and a good cooldown, so budget a total of

an hour for the whole Field Test workout.

CTs field TesT insTruCTions

When performing the CTS Field Test, collect

the following data:

>AverAge heArt rAte for eAch effort> MAx heArt rAte for eAch effort

>AverAge power for eAch effort(if you use A power Meter)

>AverAge cAdence for eAch effort>weAther conditions (wArM vs. cold,

windy vs. cAlM, etc.)

>course conditions (indoors vs. out-doors, flAt vs. hilly, point-to-point vs.

out And bAck, etc.)

>rAte of perceived exertion (rpe, orhow hArd you felt you were working)

for eAch effort.

Step 1: Find A Suitable CourseThe CTS Field

Test can be completed on an indoor trainer, or

you can find a relatively flat course or a coursethat is a consistent climb of about a 6 percent

grade. (A course with steep climbs or descents

will dictate your effort more than you will.)

Above all, find a course thats safe, without

stop signs or traffic lights. For the sake of

being able to compare one test to another,

complete the test in weather conditions that

are reasonably common for your area.

Step 2: Begin Your First EffortBegin the ef-

fort from a standing start. Resist the urge to

start too fast; you should reach your top speed

about 45 to 60 seconds after you start, but not

before that.

Step 3: Find Your Pace And GearKeep acceler-

ating and shifting until you reach a speed you

feel you can barely maintain for the length

of the effort. Focus entirely on completing

this effort at the highest power output you

possibly can. Try to maintain a cadence above

90 rpm on flat ground or on an indoor trainer,

and above 85 rpm if youre completing the test

on a climb. When you get to the final minute

of the time trial, really open the throttle.

Step 4: Recover And Prepare For Effort #2

When you reach the end of Effort #1, you

should be completely drained, but keep pedal-

ing for the whole 10 minutes of recovery.

Step 5: Complete Effort #2After the 10-min-

ute recovery, begin Effort #2 from your start

point. Gradually increase your speed for 45

to 60 seconds, just like the first effort. Avoid

the temptation to pace yourself based on your

first effort.

Step 6: Cool Down And Record Your DataAll

thats left is to cool down with easy spinning

for 15 to 30 minutes. Record your CTS Field

Test data, and use the charts on page 10 to

calculate your training intensities.

CalCulaTing Training

inTensiTies for CTs WorkouTs

To calculate your individual training

intensities for CTS Workouts, you need to

know either the higher of the two average

power outputs or the higher of the two

average heart rates from your CTS Field Test.

If you have both pieces of information, you

should calculate both power and heart-rate

training intensities, but use the power ranges

to gauge your interval efforts whenever

possible.

WorkouT desCriPTionsThe workouts described below are used in the

training programs in this guide.

EnduranceMiles (EM)This is your moderate-

pace endurance intensity. The point is to stay

at an intensity below lactate threshold for the

vast majority of any time youre riding at EM

pace. The heart rate and power ranges for this

intensity are very broad in order to al low for

widely varying conditions. It is okay for your

power to dip on descents or in tailwinds, just

as it is expected that it wil l increase when you

climb small hills. One mistake some riders

make is to stay at the high end of their EM

range for their entire ride. As youll see from

the intensity ranges for Tempo workouts, the

upper end of EM overlaps with Tempo. If you

constantly ride in your Tempo range instead

of using that as a distinct interval intensity,

you may not have the power to complete high-

quality intervals when the time comes. Youre

better off keeping your power and/or heart

rate in the middle portion of your EM range

and allowing it to fluctuate up and down from

there as the terrain and wind dictate. Use

your gearing as you hit the hills to remain in

the saddle as you climb. Expect to keep your

geTTing STarTed

One mistake some riders make is to stay atthe high end of their EnduranceMiles

range for the entire rideyoure better offstaying in the middle of your range.


10/13

0



insTruCTions for CalCulaTing CTs Training inTensiTies

1. Find the higher of the two average power outputs, and/or the higher of the two average heart rates from your CTS Field Test.

2. Multiply this power output and/or heart rate by the percentages listed in the table below to establish the upper and lower limits of your

training ranges.

samPle: Training inTensiTies for Joe aThleTe

Lets say Joe Athlete completed the CTS Field Test and recorded average power outputs of 300 watts and 296 watts. During the same efforts, his

average heart rates were 172 and 175, respectively. He would use the 300 watts and the 175 heart rate to calculate his training intensities, eventhough they came from different efforts during the CTS Field Test.

The lower limit of Joes SteadyState intensity ranges would come out to 300 x 0.86 = 258 watts. The upper limit of his SteadyState

intensity range would come out to 300 x 0.90 = 270 watts. So Joe should complete SteadyState intervals at a power output between 258 and

270 watts. The table below has been filled out with all of Joe Athletes intensity ranges.

Your CTs Training inTensiTies:

workout nAMe priMAry trAining goAl

percent of cts field

test power

cts power intensity

rAnge (wAtts)

percent of cts field

test heArtrAte

cts heArt rAteintensity rAnge

(bpM)

endurAnce Miles Basic aerobic development 4573% 5091%

teMpo Improved aerobicendurance 8085% 8890%

steAdy stAte Increased power atlactate threshold 8690% 9294%

cliMbing repeAt Increased power atlactate threshold 95100% 9597%

powerintervAl

Increased powerat VO2 max

Max effort (101% atabsolute minimum) 100%max

workout nAMe priMAry trAining goAlpercent of cts fieldtest power

cts power intensityrAnge (wAtts)

percent of cts fieldtest heArtrAte

cts heArt rAteintensity rAnge(bpM)

endurAnce Miles Basic aerobic development 4573% 135-219 5091% 88159

teMpo Improved aerobicendurance 8085% 240255 8890% 154158

steAdy stAte Increased power atlactate threshold 8690% 258270 9294% 161165

cliMbing repeAt Increased power atlactate threshold 95100% 285300 9597% 166170

power intervAl Increased powerat VO2 maxMax effort (101% atabsolute minimum) 300+ 100%max 175max

workout nAMe priMAry trAining goAl percent of cts field test powerpercent of ctsfield test heArt rAte

endurAnce Miles Basic aerobic development 4573% 5091%

teMpo Improved aerobic endurance 8085% 8890%

steAdy stAte Increased power at lactate threshold 8690% 9294%

cliMbing repeAt Increased power at lactate threshold 95100% 9597%

power intervAl Increased power at VO2 max Max effort (101% at absolute minimum) 100%max


11/13



pedal speed up into the 85 to 95 RPM range.

Note: When a workout calls for 60 minutes

EM with three 8-minute SteadyState Inter-

vals, the 60 minutes is your total ride time.

Your warm-up, SteadyState Intervals, recov-

ery periods between intervals and cooldown

are all to be included within that 60 minutes.

> rAte of perceived exertion (=eAsy, 0=As

hArd As you cAn go): hr: 0-% of highestfield test AverAgepower: -% of highestfield test AverAge

FastPedal (FP)This workout should be

performed on a relatively flat section of road.

The gearing should be light, with low pedal re-

sistance. Begin slowly and increase your pedal

speed, starting out with around 15 or 16 pedal

revolutions per 10-second count. This equates

to a cadence of 90 to 96 RPM. While stay-

ing in the saddle, increase your pedal speed,

keeping your hips smooth with no rocking.

Concentrate on pulling through the bottom

of the pedal stroke and over the top. After one

minute of FastPedal, you should be maintain-

ing 18 to 20 pedal revolutions per 10-second

count, or a cadence of 108 to 120 RPM for

the entire amount of time prescribed for the

workout. Your heart rate will climb while do-

ing this workout, but dont use it to judge your

training intensity. It is important that you

try to ride the entire length of the FastPedal

workout with as few interruptions as possible,

because it should consist of consecutive riding

at the prescribed training intensity. > rpe:

hr: nA power: nA

Tempo (T) Tempo is an excellent workout

for developing aerobic power and endurance.

The intensity is well below lactate threshold,

but hard enough so that you are generating a

significant amount of lactate and forcing your

body to buffer and process it. The intervals

are long (15 minutes at a minimum, and they

can last as long as two hours for pros), and

youll want your gearing to be relatively large,

with a goal of having your cadence come down

to about 70 to 75 RPM. This helps increasepedal resistance and strengthen leg muscles.

Also, be sure and try to stay in the saddle

when you hit hills during your Tempo work-

outs. It is important that you try to ride the

entire length of the Tempo workout with as

few interruptions as possibletempo work-

outs should consist of consecutive riding at

the prescribed intensity to achieve maximum

benefit. > rpe: hr: -% of highest field

test AverAge power: -% of highest field

test AverAge

SteadyState Intervals (SS)These intervals

are great for increasing a cyclists maximum

sustainable power because the intensity is

below lactate threshold but relatively close to

it. As you accumulate time at this intensity,

you are forcing your body to deal with a lot

of lactate for a relatively prolonged period of

time. These intervals are best performed on

relatively flat roads and small rolling hills. Ifyou end up doing them on a sustained climb,

you should really bump the intensity up to

ClimbingRepeat range, which reflects the

grades added contribution to your effort. Do

your best to complete these intervals without

interruptions from stoplights, etc. and main-

tain a cadence of 85 to 95 RPM. In this case,

maintaining the training zone intensity is

the most important factor, not pedal cadence.

SteadyState intervals are meant to be slightly

below your individual time trial pace, so dont

make the mistake of riding at your time-trial

pace during the SteadyState intervals. Re-

covery time between SteadyState intervals is

typically about half the length of the interval

itself. > rpe: hr: -% of highest field

test AverAge power: -0% of highest

field test AverAge

ClimbingRepeats (CR)This workout should

be performed on a road with a long, steady

climb. The training intensity is designed to be

similar to that of a SteadyState interval but

reflect the additional workload necessary to

ride uphill. The intensity is just below your

lactate threshold power and/or heart rate and

its critical that you maintain this intensity

for the length of the CR. Pedal cadence for CR

intervals while climbing should be 70 to 85

RPM. Maintaining the training intensity is

the most important factor, not pedal cadence.

It is very important to avoid interruptions

while doing these intervals. Recovery time

between intervals is typically about half the

length of the interval itself. > rpe: hr: -

% of highest field test power: -00% of

highest field test AverAge

OverUnder Intervals (OU)OverUnder Inter-

vals are a more advanced form of SteadyState

Intervals. The Under intensity is your

SteadyState range, and the Over intensity

is your ClimbingRepeat range. By alternating

between these two intensity levels during a

sustained interval, you develop the agility

to handle changes in pace. This workout can

be performed on a flat road, rolling hills or a

sustained climb thats relatively gradual (3 to

6% grade). Your gearing should be moderate

and pedal cadence high (100 RPM or higher)

if youre riding on flat ground or rolling hills.

Pedal cadence should be above 85 RPM if

youre on a gradual climb.

To complete the interval, bring your

intensity up to your SteadyState range over

the first 45 to 60 seconds. Maintain this

intensity for the prescribed Under time and

then increase your intensity to your Overintensity for the prescribed time. At the end

of this Over time, return to your Under

intensity range and continue riding at this

effort level until its once again time to return

to your Over intensity. Continue alternating

this way until the end of the interval.

OverUnder Intervals always end with a period

at Over intensity. Recovery periods between

intervals are typically about half the length

of the work interval. Note: A more advanced

version of this interval would alternate

between SteadyState and PowerInterval

intensities instead of SteadyState and

ClimbingRepeat intensities. > rpe: hr: -

% of highest field test AverAge (under)

AlternAting with -% (over) power: -

0% of highest field test AverAge (under)

AlternAting with -00% (over)

PowerIntervals (PI) These short efforts are

the way youre going to apply the concepts of

high-intensity training to your program in or-

der to make bigger aerobic gains in less time.

These intervals are maximal efforts and can

be performed on any terrain except sustained

descents. Your gearing should be moderate so

you can maintain a relatively high pedal ca-

dence (100 or higher is best).

During these intervals you should try to

reach and maintain as high a power output

as possible for the duration of the interval.

Ideally, these efforts should look like flat

plateaus when you view your power files. Take

the first 30 to 45 seconds to gradually bring

your power up and then hold on for the rest of

the interval. The point here is to accumulate

as much time as possible at a relatively

constant and extremely high output.The rest periods between PowerIntervals

are purposely too short to provide complete

recovery, and completing subsequent

intervals in a partially recovered state is a key

part of what makes these efforts effective.

Typically, recovery times are equal to the

interval work time, which is sometimes

referred to as a 1:1 work-to-recovery ratio. >

rpe: 0 hr: 00-MAx power: 0+ of highest

field test AverAge (soMe intervAls MAy be

higher thAn this rAnge)


12/13


13/13


MondAy tuesdAy wednesdAy thursdAy fridAy sAturdAy sundAy

Week 1 60 min EM 60 minutes EM with3x3min FP, 5 minutesRest BetweenIntervals (RBI)

Rest Day 60 minutes EM with3x3min FP, 5 minutesRBI

Rest Day 90 minutes EM with15 min T

90-120 minutes EM inhilly terrain

Week 2 Rest Day 60 minutes EM with20 min T

Rest Dayor 60-90minutes EM

60 minutes EM with3x5min FP, 5 minutesRBI

Rest Day 90 minutes EM with20 min T

90-120 minutes EM orGroup Ride

Week 3 Rest Day 75 minutes EM with25 min T


75 minutes EM with25 min T

Rest Day 90-120 minutes EMwith 30 min T

90-120 minutes EM

Week 4 Rest Day Rest Day or45 minuteseasy spinning


60 minutes EM with3x5min FP, 5 minutesRBI

Rest Day 90-120 minutes EMwith 40 min T


Week 5 Rest Day 60-90 minutes EMwith 4x6min SS, 5minRBI


90 minutes EM with45 min T

Rest Day 90-120 minutes EMwith 3x8min SS,6 minutes RBI




60-90 minutes EM with3x8min SS, 5min RBI

Rest Day 90-150 minutes EM inhilly terrain



60-90 min-utes EM with3x8min SS,5min RBI

Rest Day Rest Day 90-150 minutes EMwith 3x12min SS,8 minutes RBI


Week 8 Rest Day 60 minutes EM with5x3min FP, 3 minutesRBI


90 minutes EM Rest Day 120-150 minutes EMwith 3x12min SS,8 minutes RBI


Week 9 Rest Day 60-90 minutes EMwith 3x6min OU (2Under, 1 Over), 5minRBI


90 minutes EM Rest Day 120-150 minutesEM with 4x6min OU(2 Under, 1 Over), 4minutes RBI

90-150 minutes EMwith 3x10min SS,6 minutes RBI

Week 10 Rest Day 60-90 minutes EMwith 3 sets of 3x2minPI, 2min RBI, 5 minRest Between Sets(RBS)


60-90 minutes EM with4x6min OU (1 Under, 1Over), 4min RBI

Rest Day 120-150 minutes EMwith 5x6min OU(1 Under, 1 Over),4 minutes RBI


Week 11 Rest Day 60-90 minutes EMwith 3 sets of 4x2minPI, 2min RBI, 5 minRBS


60-90 minutes EM with3 sets of 3x2min PI,2min RBI, 5 min RBS

Rest Day 120-150 minutes EMwith 6x6min OU(1 Under, 1 Over),4 minutes RBI


Week 12 Rest Day 60 minutes EM with1x6min SS

Rest Day 60 minutes EM with5x3min FP, 3 minutesRBI

Rest Day Race, Century, Group Ride, Epic mountain bikeride, you name ityoure ready for it.

performanCe plan

Dont just finish your goal eventcrush it

Documents

Comeback Training Plan