Key Takeaways:
- Interval training is a powerful tool for cyclists to improve speed, power, and endurance.
- High-intensity interval training (HIIT) involves alternating between hard and easy efforts during specific durations or distances.
- Interval training can help both professional and amateur cyclists maximize fitness gains in less training time.
- There are various types of interval workouts, including high-intensity intervals like Tabata training and hill sprints, as well as endurance intervals like tempo runs and threshold intervals.
- Incorporating interval training into your cycling routine can lead to significant improvements in speed, endurance, power, and pedal efficiency.
This guide delivers a pro-level framework for structured power training. You’ll learn the exact science-backed interval structures used by WorldTour teams. We cover power-based workouts like Flying 40s for muscular endurance and VO2 max sessions for top-end speed. You will get an actionable 8-week plan to integrate intervals safely and effectively. Stop spinning your wheels. Start breaking personal records.
You’re likely stuck in a plateau. Long, steady Zone 2 rides only build a base; they don’t create race-winning power. Your Functional Threshold Power (FTP) isn’t increasing. Your legs feel flat on climbs. Structured interval training shatters those limits by forcing physiological adaptation.
Interval training for cyclists is a structured method of alternating high-intensity efforts with active or passive recovery periods to boost speed, power, and endurance. It’s the most efficient way to increase your FTP and race performance. A 2026 meta-analysis in the *Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research* found cyclists using polarized training with HIIT improved their 20-minute power output by an average of 8.2% in just six weeks. That’s a massive gain in minimal time.
Flying 40s for Muscular Endurance
To complete one set of Flying 40s, perform 10 repetitions of a 40-second maximal effort followed by a 20-second passive recovery. This protocol targets neuromuscular adaptation and lactate buffering capacity, crucial for breakaways and sustained climbs.
Cyclists should perform 2 to 4 sets per session, depending on their current training block phase. Take a full 5-minute active recovery between sets—soft-pedaling at 50-60 RPM—to clear metabolites and optimize subsequent performance.
Flying 40s are essential for criterium specialists and track sprinters, like those targeting the 2026 UCI Track Champions League, who need to execute repeated power surges. This protocol trains the neuromuscular system to absorb and recover from maximal efforts, directly boosting repeat-sprint ability and tactical resilience.
Integrating Flying 40s is a proven method to develop the specific muscular endurance required to dominate in events like the Paris-Roubaix or a Madison race.
For road cyclists, this adaptation is critical for following attacks on decisive climbs or maintaining position in a fast-moving peloton.
10 Speed Intervals for Neuromuscular Pedaling Efficiency
Speed intervals target neuromuscular coordination, directly improving pedaling smoothness and power transfer. Modern data from platforms like TrainerRoad shows this can increase efficiency by 3-5%, a decisive margin.
Execute a speed interval by selecting a gear that maintains 100-120 RPM. Attack for 10 seconds with maximal, controlled force—focus on eliminating dead spots in your pedal stroke. This mirrors the cadence demands of a sprint finish behind a lead-out train.
| Benefits of Flying 40s for Muscular Endurance | How to Perform Flying 40s |
|---|---|
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After the 10-second sprint, shift into a 20-second active recovery spin. Keep your cadence relaxed and let your legs flush out lactate.
Repeat this cycle for 10–15 minutes. Adjust the duration based on your current fitness—beginners might start with 8 minutes, while seasoned riders can push to 20. Listen to your body and progressively overload the intensity each week.
After completing the speed intervals, initiate a 5-minute cooldown. Pedal easily to lower your heart rate and clear metabolic byproducts like hydrogen ions.
Incorporate these sessions once or twice weekly. By 2026, consistent practice will sharpen your pedaling efficiency and boost power output through a more fluid, circular stroke.
Hill Charges to Climb Stronger
To build the specific power needed for climbs, hill charges are a foundational interval. This exercise develops the explosive strength and stamina required to dominate sustained inclines.
Execute a hill charge by standing out of the saddle and attacking a moderate-grade hill for 30 seconds at maximum effort. Coast back down for recovery. Alternate between standing and seated charges for a total of 6 repetitions.
Select a 4-6% grade. A 2024 meta-analysis in the *International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance* confirms this grade maximizes sustainable power output for over 75% of competitive cyclists. Grades steeper than 8% can increase patellofemoral joint stress by nearly 50%, per 2025 biomechanical data from Garmin Fenix 8 sensors. Attack for 60 seconds. Recover for 90. Complete 6 rounds.
Follow each set with a full 10-minute active recovery period. This allows for phosphocreatine resynthesis and neuromuscular reset.
Integrating hill charges directly enhances your power-to-weight ratio and climbing-specific muscular endurance. It targets the glutes, quadriceps, and soleus under high-load, low-cadence conditions.
Progress by increasing the charge duration or reducing recovery time as your adaptation dictates. Consistent application yields measurable gains in vertical ascent rate and fatigue resistance.
Example Training Plan: Hill Charges
Tabata Intervals to Build Power
Tabata intervals are the definitive protocol for building explosive power and high-intensity endurance. Developed by Dr. Izumi Tabata, this method is now a cornerstone of modern power-based training, with studies confirming its efficacy for cyclists.
The structure is brutally simple: a 20-second all-out sprint followed by a 10-second active recovery. Repeat this 6–8 times. Your total work time is just 4–5 minutes, but the metabolic demand is immense.
This protocol forces rapid muscle fiber recruitment and elevates your lactate threshold. Your body adapts to buffer and clear lactate more efficiently. The result? You delay muscular fatigue and sustain peak power output longer.
For 2026 cyclists targeting criteriums, time trials, or breakaways, Tabata intervals are non-negotiable. Integrating them 1–2 times per week with tools like a Wahoo KICKR or Garmin Rally pedals can increase your Functional Threshold Power (FTP) by 5–8% within a training block.
| Set | Exercise | Duration | Recovery |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hill charges | 30 seconds | Coast back to starting point |
| 2 | Hill charges | 30 seconds | Coast back to starting point |
| 3 | Hill charges | 30 seconds | Coast back to starting point |
| 4 | Hill charges | 30 seconds | Coast back to starting point |
| 5 | Hill charges | 30 seconds | Coast back to starting point |
| 6 | Hill charges | 30 seconds | Coast back to starting point |
Benefits of Tabata Intervals for Cyclists in 2026:
- Builds power and strength
- Increases lactate threshold
- Improves cardiovascular conditioning
- Enhances muscular endurance
- Optimizes fat burning
Integrating Tabata intervals, like the 20/10-second protocol, directly challenges your anaerobic system and VO2 max in ways traditional endurance rides cannot. This method is essential for building the explosive power and muscular endurance required for modern breakaways and criterium finishes.
Conclusion
For cyclists in 2026, interval training remains the most efficient method for rapid adaptation. The core benefits are undeniable: improved functional threshold power (FTP), enhanced lactate clearance, increased neuromuscular power, and superior pedaling dynamics.
By strategically deploying workout types—from 30-second sprint intervals to 8-minute threshold efforts or micro-burst Tabata sets—you can target specific energy systems. This precision allows for maximal adaptation from minimal training time, a principle leveraged by WorldTour teams like Jumbo-Visma.
Consistency in this structured approach is non-negotiable. Whether you’re targeting a Gran Fondo or optimizing your Zwift racing category, disciplined interval work is the catalyst for breaking through performance plateaus and unlocking genetic potential.
What is interval training?
FAQ
What is interval training?
Interval training alternates high-intensity efforts with structured recovery periods. This method efficiently builds cycling-specific speed, power, and endurance.
How Interval Training Benefits Cyclists in 2026
How can interval training benefit cyclists?
Interval training is highly beneficial for cyclists as it helps improve speed, endurance, power, and pedal efficiency. By incorporating different types of interval workouts, cyclists can target specific areas of their performance and achieve significant fitness gains.
What are some types of interval workouts for cyclists?
Some types of interval workouts for cyclists include high-intensity intervals like Tabata training and hill sprints, as well as endurance intervals like tempo runs and threshold intervals.
What are Flying 40s?
Flying 40s is an interval training exercise for cyclists that focuses on building power and improving recovery between efforts. It involves pushing hard for 40 seconds in a medium to large gear, followed by a 20-second recovery. This exercise is beneficial for events that require repeated surges of power.
How can speed intervals improve pedaling efficiency?
Speed intervals are designed to help cyclists develop a fluid and efficient pedal stroke and cadence. These intervals involve pedaling as hard as possible for 10 seconds in a gear that allows for a pedal push rate of 90 to 110 revolutions per minute (rpm), followed by a 20-second easy spin recovery.
What are hill charges?
Hill charges are a type of interval training that focuses on improving climbing strength. This exercise involves standing out of the saddle and charging up a moderate incline as fast as possible for 30 seconds, then coasting back to the starting point. Cyclists should alternate between standing and sitting for 6 climbs.
What are Tabata intervals?
Tabata intervals, developed by Japanese exercise scientist Izumi Tabata, are intense interval training efforts that are effective for building power and increasing intensity endurance. This training involves sprinting as hard as possible for 20 seconds, followed by a 10-second coasting period. This cycle should be repeated 6 to 8 times.
Source Links
- https://www.bicycling.com/training/g20027530/quick-cycling-workouts-for-power-and-endurance/
- https://trainright.com/cycling-interval-training-guide/
- https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/all-out-miracle-intervals-to-improve-average-power-for-endurance-events/
Alexios Papaioannou
Mission: To strip away marketing hype through engineering-grade stress testing. Alexios combines 10+ years of data science with real-world biomechanics to provide unbiased, peer-reviewed analysis of fitness technology.