CAT A

Innsbruck KOM After Party // 37.2km

Segments targeted:

• Sprint - Innsbruck sprint forward. 0.30km, ~15sec, Elevation gain 2m
• Kom - Innsbruck Kom. 7.43km, 15-20 min, Elevation gain 696m

Ready for trial by fire? You’re in the right place. This course will see you take on 3 laps on the flat Innsbruckring course before hitting the long climb of the Innsbruck KOM.

First up: the three laps of the Innsbruckring course. The goal? Hitting peak power on the sprint segment that comes just after the short ‘leg snapper’ climb. We have some advice: use the opening lap to warm up and test different gears, so when it’s go time, you know what you want to use.

You will have three opportunities to hit peak power. This effort should be about 15 seconds. After each sprint, make sure you recover in Zone 1/2, so you can give it your all on the next sprint.

After three laps, it’s time for the Innsbruck KOM that finishes at the summit. The goal is a maximal threshold effort on this 7.43KM climb. For a lot of Zwifters, this could take 20-30 minutes. Elite riders competing for the pro contract will likely knock this out in about 15-20 minutes.

This effort requires a perfect pacing strategy so you can maintain consistent, high power. Familiar with your FTP? You’ll push your limit. Not familiar with FTP? This effort should be challenging. We ask those women and men competing for the contract that your focus is on peak powers for the duration of each segment.

TL;DR: The goal here is maintaining peak power for each segment. And having fun. Good luck!

CAT B

Keith Hill After Party // 36.2km

Segments targeted:

• Sprint - The Mall sprint Forward. 0.18km, ~12sec, Elevation gain 3m
• Kom - Keith Hill. 4.20km, 17-25 min, Elevation gain 228m

Want the perfect lead in? You got it! You have 14km to warm up before you hit The Mall Sprint Forward. Keep your intensity at a moderate aerobic pace — around Zone 2. And most will want to include some short sprints, lasting no more than 6 seconds. This will help you test some gear selections and open up those neuromuscular pathways to help prepare you for the Mall Sprint.

During the Mall Sprint approach, make sure you are riding at a low intensity, so you can give it your all when the time comes. During the sprint, minimize gear changes to concentrate on peak power during this 10-20 second effort. After your sprint challenge, it’s time to head to the Keith Hill KOM. You’ll have ample time to rest during the 17km ride. Avoid high intensity during this section, so you recover. To do well during the Keith Hill KOM, you need to push as close as possible to threshold.

Pacing is crucial. Make sure to start at a pace that you can sustain for nearly 20 minutes. If, after 16 km, you still have reserves left in the tank, empty it all out during the last thousand meters for a strong finish. You will have the perfect lead in to your first segment challenge on this ride as you have 14km to warm up the body as you approach The Mall Sprint Forward. In this opening 14km make sure you keep your intensity at a moderate aerobic pace around Zone 2 but also look to include some short sprints lasting no more than 6sec within this time so to test some gear selections and open up those neuromuscular pathways to help you be fully ready for the Mall Sprint. On approach to the Mall Sprint make sure you are riding at a low intensity, so you have all your energy reserves. During the sprint aim to have as little gear changes as possible so you are just concentrating on peak power and high speed to set a PB time on this short 10-20sec effort.

After your sprint challenge your focus will turn to the Keith Hill KOM which will push your Threshold ability to it’s max. You will have 17km of easy pedalling from the Sprint segment to the bottom of Keith Hill, keep the pace low and avoid any high intensity during this time so you have all your reserves to set a peak threshold power on this long climb. Pacing will be crucial if you are to set a fast time so make sure you start at a pace which you feel you can sustain for nearly 20min, if you have any reserves left in the tank for the last 1km of the climb then empty it all on this section to really bring home a strong finish.