Running Reimagined: Smart Plans for Athletes [6f67]

As one of the most powerful star cyclists in the current road cycling field, Peter Sagan from Slovakia, who currently rides for the Bora-Hansgrohe team, has attracted a large number of fans around the world with his absolute strength and unique personal charm. As the 'Sprint King' of the Tour de France for five consecutive years from 2012 to 2016 (disqualified in 2017 due to an elbowing incident), the three-time World Road Cycling Champion from 2015 to 2017, and the winner of numerous road cycling race awards, Sagan's achievements are by no means an overnight success.

Today, Bass Cat brings you an absolute blockbuster gift—Sagan's weekly personal training plan! If you want to train like your idol, you can start after reading this article.

Monday—2 hours of low-intensity cycling and basic fitness classes

As the first day of the week, Sagan does not engage in high-intensity training on Mondays. On Monday mornings, Sagan goes for about two hours of low-intensity relaxed cycling, mainly to give his legs a thorough 'warm-up' and maintain a good state for the evening training. In the evening, Sagan schedules a fitness class for himself, which includes high-cadence, high-intensity cycling trainer workouts. The purpose of this training is to make all muscle fibers in the body work together, get fully exercised, and enhance his endurance.

Tuesday—3.5 hours of cycling training

On Tuesday, the training on the bike becomes more specific. During the 3.5 hours of cycling training, Sagan will perform 4-6 sets of high-intensity aerobic cycling, each set lasting 10 minutes at 85% of his maximum exercise capacity. The rest of the 3.5 hours will be spent on steady-paced adjustments.

Wednesday—4.5 hours of cycling training, including climbing

On Wednesday, Sagan's training intensity reaches a peak. During the 4-4.5 hours of cycling training, Sagan schedules 2-3 climbing sessions for himself, performing these climbs at 90% of his maximum aerobic capacity. Generally, Sagan spends 10-20 minutes on each climbing segment. However, Wednesday's mountain training is not the highest intensity of the week.

Thursday—Recovery day does not mean complete relaxation

After three consecutive days of training, Sagan schedules a certain degree of recovery rest on Thursday. However, this does not mean complete relaxation but rather 'active recovery.' In the morning, Sagan takes 1.5 hours to enjoy some coffee. After a nap, he heads back to the gym for a fitness workout almost identical to Monday's.

Friday—3.5 hours of high-intensity cycling training

After Thursday's relaxation training, Sagan undergoes another high-intensity training session on Friday. Sagan spends 3-3.5 hours on cycling training. These sessions aim to improve his aerobic capacity. During this time, Sagan performs 12 sets of short-distance sprints at 100-105% of his maximum aerobic capacity, with a two-minute rest between each set, aiming to train his high-speed sprints under extreme conditions. The training route is chosen in undulating hilly areas.

Saturday—Long-distance ride

Saturday is the weekly endurance training, lasting about 4-5 hours to simulate a real long-distance race. Sagan usually trains with his friends to avoid boredom and mutually encourage and motivate each other. During the climbing segments of the long-distance training, Sagan adjusts his cadence by shifting gears: riding for about 3 minutes at a cadence of 50-60rpm in a 'heavier' gear, then riding for about 2 minutes at a cadence of 90rpm in a 'lighter' gear, alternating like this to improve his leg strength and aerobic capacity.

Sunday—Rest day

After six consecutive days of training, Sagan is usually exhausted. Sunday is a rest day, which is very important for Sagan because he needs this day to fully recover his physical condition and smoothly activate his exercise state at the beginning of the next week. Sagan says, 'On the rest day, I will appropriately increase my sleep time, watch a movie, read a book, play some video games, and spend quality time with my family.'

Although this is a very comprehensive training plan for Sagan, it is not realistic for most cyclists to spend so much time on cycling training. Therefore, if cyclists want to imitate Sagan's training mode but cannot find the time or their physical condition does not meet such training intensity, they can flexibly adjust the training time and intensity of each subject according to their actual situation, such as halving the time.

After all, starting from reality, enjoying the fun of cycling, and maintaining a good mindset and full energy like Sagan is the top priority for amateur cycling enthusiasts!