L’Etape du Tour de France Training Club: Phase 4 – Preparation

ZWIFT COMMUNITY | on 28 maggio 2019 by Matt Noble
L’Etape du Tour de France Training Club: Phase 4 – Preparation
Phase 4: Preparation 

We’re finally here. The “Preparation” phase of our L’Etape du Tour de France training plan. Our focus here is all about getting you ready for the demands of the event. There’s a considerable amount of climbing involved in the L’Etape du Tour de France, so this phase dials in on Zone 3 power with low-cadence work. Be prepared for long intervals, the same kind you’ll experience in the climbs of the L’Etape du Tour de France.

Along with structured workouts, you should complete one of Zwift’s long climbs in a free ride every week. During this ride, focus on finding your comfortable climbing rhythm and target power (Zone 3 – green // Zone 4 – yellow).

We’ll add some unstructured intensity to your final preparation using Zwift races. Challenge yourself here by moving up a racing category, and go deep in the red!

You’ve prepared well for the L’Etape du Tour de France. Good luck!

If you can’t make the real-life event in France, we’re hosting the Zwift x L’Etape du Tour de France 2019 Sportive, an in-game challenge on July 21st. Go the distance, and you’ll unlock the exclusive Rapha x L’Etape 2019 kit.

2019 Zwift x L’Etape du Tour de France 2019 Sportive:

Just like the real-life L’Etape du Tour de France, the event on Zwift will test your endurance. You’ll cover nearly the same distance with half the climbing as the IRL event, on every road in Watopia. Be prepared for a long day of riding.

  • Date: July 21st, 2019
  • Route: The Uber Pretzel
  • Distance: 126.1km // 78.4mi
  • Elevation: 2,362m // 7,748ft
  • Unlock: Rapha x L’Etape 2019 kit
  • Sign up: Coming soon
Preparation Phase Training Schedule

This training schedule will help map out which days you do what. Use it as a guide, but feel free to switch up the days to best suit your schedule. Remember, recovery is just as important as training. If you’re feeling sick or stressed, resting is usually the best option.  These workouts aren’t date-restricted. Feel free to do them at whatever time best suits you after June 17.

Workouts:

  • Workouts highlighted in Yellow must be finished to count towards completion for in-game unlocks. They can be found on Zwift starting June 17th, in the Training tab of the Workouts dropdown, listed as “L’Etape du Tour Training Club.” 

Other events (these don’t count towards unlock progression but do count towards fitness progression):

  • L’Etape du Tour de France Training Race – Schedule here
  • L’Etape du Tour de France Endurance Training Event – Schedule here

WEEK 13: 
  • Monday: Workout – Depleting 20’s – 59min (TSS 62)
    • This session focuses on two areas: sub-threshold intervals and accelerations.
    • After a good warm-up, we’ll head straight into two 10min sub-threshold intervals and eight 20sec accelerations.
    • The accelerations will follow the first group of sub-threshold intervals, and are aimed at depleting your intramuscular glycogen stores.
  • Tuesday: Rest Day
  • Wednesday: Zwift L’Etape du Tour de France Training Race
    • Find a L’Etape du Tour de France Training Race in the events calendar here or on Zwift Companion. Go hard. See how you stack up.
  • Thursday: Rest Day or 30–45min of Zone 1**
  • Friday: Workout – Explosive Climb #1  –  59min (TSS 66)
    • Today, we’re going hard at the base of the climbs.
    • By performing a high-powered effort at the start of the climb, you’ll build up some lactate before completing a Zone 4 effort.
    • Today is all about high-crank torque, which means low-cadence efforts.
  • Saturday: Free Ride
    • Zwift Ride: Aim to ride 3 hours with a total climb of 3,000ft or higher.
    • Or
    • IRL Ride: Aim for 4 hours with a total climb of 3,000ft or higher. Join a friend or local group to get in some solid miles. Don’t worry about managing your efforts, just go with the flow and have fun.
    • Zwift Tip: Schedule and join a Community Group Ride you’ve never ridden before using Zwift Companion. Learn how to join an event here.
  • Sunday: Rest Day or 30–45min of Zone 1
WEEK 14: 
  • Monday: Workout – Depleting 4’s –  57min (TSS 65)
    • This session focuses on two areas: sub-threshold intervals and VO2 max efforts.
    • After a good warm-up, we’ll head straight into two 5min sub-threshold intervals and three 4min VO2 max efforts.
    • The VO2 max efforts will follow the first group of sub-threshold intervals, and are aimed at depleting your intramuscular glycogen stores.
  • Tuesday: Rest Day or 30–45min of Zone 1**
  • Wednesday: Community Race
    • Find any Community Group Race in the events calendar or check on the Zwift Companion app. Go hard. See how you stack up.
  • Thursday: Rest Day or 30–45min of Zone 1**
  • Friday: Workout – Explosive Climb #2 –  58min (TSS 64)
    • Today, we’re going hard at the base of the climbs.
    • By performing a high-powered effort at the start of the climb, you’ll build up some lactate, which then becomes your primary fuel source.
    • Today is all about long low-cadence efforts, the kind you’ll perform in the L’Etape du Tour de France.
  • Saturday: Free Ride
    • Zwift Ride: Aim for 3 hours with a total climb of 3,000ft or higher. Spend a good amount of time at sub-threshold. Try to keep the pace steady but high throughout.
    • Or
    • IRL Ride: Aim for 4 hours with a total climb of 3,000ft or higher. Join a friend or local group to get in some solid miles. Don’t worry about managing your efforts, just go with the flow and have fun.
    • Zwift Tip: Schedule and join a Community Group Ride you’ve never ridden before using Zwift Companion. Learn how to join an event here.
  • Sunday: Rest Day or 30–45min of Zone 1
WEEK 15: 
  • Monday: Workout – Intensive Aerobic –  60min (TSS 61)
    • Today’s session begins with the longest and hardest effort before the intervals reduce in duration and intensity.
    • Think your legs will recover enough before the next effort?
  • Tuesday: Rest Day
  • Wednesday: Zwift L’Etape du Tour de France Training Race
    • Find a Zwift L’Etape du Tour de France Training Race in the events calendar here or check on the Zwift Companion app. Go hard. See how you stack up. Use this to measure your fitness.
  • Thursday: Rest Day or 30–45min of Zone 1**
  • Friday: Workout – Tempo Climbing #1 –  61min (TSS 70)
    • The basis of today’s session is to simulate long tempo climbs.
    • Each interval will be completed at a different high-intensity effort.
    • The tempo portion of each interval should be performed at a low climbing cadence, before closing out at a self-selected cadence.
  • Saturday: Free Ride
    • Zwift Ride: Aim for 3+ hours with a total climb of 3,000ft or higher. Look to spend some more time at threshold on the climbs but always look to keep pressure on the pedals at endurance/tempo in between the climbs.
    • Or
    • Outside Ride: Aim for 4 hours with a total climb of 3,000ft or higher. Look to spend some more time at threshold on the climbs but always look to keep pressure on the pedals at endurance/tempo in between the climbs.
    • Zwift Tip: Schedule and join a Community Group Ride you’ve never ridden before using Zwift Companion. Learn how to join an event here.
  • Sunday: Rest Day or 30–45min of Zone 1
WEEK 16 (REST WEEK): 
  • Monday: Rest Day
  • Tuesday: Workout – Steady Climbing –  58min (TSS 60)
    • Today’s session focuses on simulating the demands of extended climbing.
    • We start at the lower end of Zone 3 and finish in Zone 4. Target a cadence similar to one you’d use while climbing.
  • Wednesday: Free Ride
    • Ride a route you haven’t done before in Zwift. Enjoy the ride. Keep any hard sprints and long efforts to a minimum.
    • Zwift Tip: Schedule and join a Community Group Ride you’ve never ridden before using Zwift Companion. Learn how to join an event here.
  • Thursday: 30–45min of Zone 1
  • Friday: Free Ride
    • Find a route on Zwift and ride at an endurance pace. You can prepare for the Endurance Training event yourself, or join a community group ride.
  • Saturday: Rest Day
  • Sunday: L’Etape du Tour de France Endurance Training Event
    • Join and ride the L’Etape du Tour de France Endurance Training event here. Test your legs against hundreds of others or sit in and focus on pacing.

Notes:

**If you perform a recovery ride on Tuesday, then you should use Thursday as a rest day or vice-versa.

Log into Zwift to access these workouts.

Welcome to the 2019 Zwift L’Etape du Tour de France Training Club.

16 weeks. 4 blocks of distinct training phases. This plan will shape you into the best cycling version of yourself. You’ll need it to take on all 135km // 83.8mi of the 2019 L’Etape du Tour de France and its 4,563m // 14,970ft of climbing.

Each of the four training blocks carries a specific focus. Geared toward leveling up your fitness in tangible ways, you’ll come out of every block fitter, faster, and ready to ride.

View more details about the L’Etape du Tour de France Training Club here.