Off-Road Surges 12 x 40 s
Twelve 40-second efforts at 130 to 145% of FTP with 80 seconds easy, short repeated surges for cyclocross, MTB and gravel racing.
- Duration
- 49 min
- Effort
- 45
- Level
- Intermediate
- Focus zone
- Anaerobic
Your values
Targets relative to your threshold values. Enter your values to see absolute numbers.
| # | Step | Length | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warm-upEndurance Easy spin, build gradually | 10 min | 45 → 72% FTP54 → 74% HRmax |
| 2 | Warm-upEndurance Steady and easy | 5 min | 60-70% FTP65-78% HRmax |
| 12 ×Repeat these steps | |||
| 3.1 | IntervalAnaerobic Hard surge, quick start | 40 s | 130-145% FTP90-100% HRmax |
| 3.2 | RecoveryRecovery Easy spin | 80 s | 45-55% FTP75-90% HRmax |
| 4 | Cool-downRecovery Easy spin, let the legs settle | 10 min | 60 → 40% FTP65 → 50% HRmax |
About this workout
Off-road racing is full of short, hard efforts out of corners, up steep ramps and over rough sections. This session copies that pattern with twelve efforts of 40 seconds at 130 to 145% of FTP, each followed by 80 seconds of easy spinning.
The 1 to 2 ratio of work to rest lets you hold a high power across all repeats while heart rate stays high. The total work is 8 minutes, enough to train anaerobic capacity and repeatability without the long fatigue of 2 minute efforts.
It fits intermediate riders in the build phase, in particular cyclocross, mountain bike and gravel racers. Indoors, ride it in resistance mode and start some efforts with a quick acceleration out of the saddle. Outdoors, use a short climb or a loop with turns. Progress by adding a second block of six after a 6 minute break.
Tips
- Stand up for the first 5 seconds of every second effort to practice accelerations.
- Keep the recoveries steady at about 50% of FTP.
- Count the efforts in groups of four to stay focused.
Good forMountain bikeGravel
Season phaseBuildPeak