Red zone and how to survive

jgsi

Anyone got any favourite trainng routines to help survive when (racing scenario)
you are pushed into the red after 4 minutes then barely 90 seconds later you are pushed again but this time mercifully for a shorter time than the first, but still seeing life disappearing before your eyes... if you are still on, then you get a massive recovery.
I know I have just written the solution myself but always keen to hear others.

inseine

Well, firstly, if you're pushed into the red after 4mins you better make sure you're well warmed up. It's impressive how the pros really push themselves for a long session on the turbo before a TT when they know they are going to have to hit it full gas.
For the rest, just replicate the racing, so short recovery itervals, though if you're racing often enough like this you'll just come on naturally.
I assume you're riding crits (?) and if this is the case make sure you're well positioned because a lot of the effort is from being wrongly placed in the bunch.

Pross

I look forward to the advice as this is the sort of riding I always struggle with. Mainly crits where the first lap pace is unsustainable but sometimes in road races too when the flag goes down and some riders think they can win it in the first mile!

jgsi

Road race... but a godawful climb followed by the other one.. same elastic effect though.
To clarify there is a decent enough lead in to this sector of about 8 miles.. the ramping up 1 st time , just re checked, is at 7 minutes, followed on swiftly by that 90 second effort.

I will have the turbo in the car for next time

cyco2

If you want to see one of the most fastest starts in cycling then watch a Cyclocross start. They are totally manic and agony, just to blow off the opposition. But good training for Crits.. Mostly I trained for RR and Crits. on my own and found a HRM very useful. After a warm up get to a good steady pace say 30 beats below max and start a pyramid session of sprints. Resting in between at a very low pace to get the HR down. Then when you have got 'used to it' do some sprints from a near max HR. That one is very similar to what happens in a race when a couple of guys fire off the front a chase ensues a gap develops and you just catch up and it goes again. Great fun!
This is good for Crits. and short circuits but for them you do need to do lots and lots of out of saddle accelerations. I should think a session on the flat would need at least 50 short ones to assimilate cornering because the ones at the front can corner at full speed and you get stuck in the jam down the field.
It 'aint all about riding fast but just really hard.
If you ride with others and they don't mind you dropping off the back a few hundred metres and sprinting to catch up. Keep doing that until you've enough left in the tank to get home.
On the track I do that when the bunch is going around at 25mph, so for some of you it must be easy