How to Bring Your A-Game to the Train for a Tour Series (Part 1/3)
If you’re familiar with the cycling world and follow European racing, you may have come across both myself and the team I coach, the UAE Team Emirates. I’m Kevin Poulton and have coached for nearly 25 years, specializing in Spring Classics riders and sprinters. In that time, I’ve been fortunate to coach elite World Tour professionals and work with some of the best teams in the sport. My athletes have secured victories in Paris-Roubaix, Tour de France stage wins, World Championship Road Race podiums, and multiple Spring Classics podiums.
And now, you’re my next athlete!
The Series Structure
I designed the Train for a Tour Series much like the programs I use at UAE Team Emirates’ training camps. Over six weeks, your iFIT Trainers (all of which are pro cyclists themselves) will run you through an immersive World Tour pre-season experience. You’ll train in Mallorca, Spain, as it is the ultimate training destination for professionals. Every winter, World Tour teams flock to the island for their pre-season camps, and for good reason. The terrain is incredibly diverse, offering long, steady climbs, rolling hills, and flat coastal roads—exactly what’s needed to develop all aspects of cycling fitness.
The Train for a Tour Series gradually builds in intensity, taking you from controlled endurance efforts to high-powered, race-specific efforts. The workouts follow a carefully structured progression:
- Early Weeks: Lower-intensity, steady-state efforts with proper recovery, laying the foundation for improved aerobic endurance and efficiency.
- Mid-Series: More focused interval work, targeting different energy systems, including fast-twitch muscle activation, anaerobic power, and high-intensity efforts.
- Final Weeks: Race-like sessions, including VO2 max intervals, lactate tolerance efforts, and short recoveries, mimicking the demands of competition.
If you follow my training program as I’ve laid out (and you ensure that the SmartAdjust™ feature on your bike is on), you can expect to see improvements in your cycling performance, endurance, and ability to sustain high-intensity efforts.
Check out more articles on training like the pros:
Part 2: leveraging data
Part 3: how to avoid beginner mistakes
Good luck and enjoy the ride,
Kevin Poulton
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