ANGELS 2015 FEATURED RACE

ANGELS 2015 FEATURED RACE

02 LENGTH 56 minutes TYPE Climbing WHAT IT S ABOUT 3 x 8 minute climbs with lots of attacks FEATURED RACES Liège-Bastogne-Liège (Belgium) Criterium du Dauphine (France) Paris-Nice (France) Paris Tours (France) La Vuelta - Tour of Spain FEATURED RIDERS Alberto Contador, Chris Froome, Simon Gerrans, Chris Horner, Vincenzo Nibali, Richie Porte, Andrew Talansky, Thomas Voeckler

03 STRUCTURE 6:30 Warm-up 10:00 / threshold intervals 3:00 Recovery 8:00 Climb 1: Liège-Bastogne-Liège 4:00 Recovery 8:00 Climb 2: Criterium du Dauphine 4:00 Recovery 8:00 Climb 3: The mother of all climbs; the Angliru 3:00 Cool-down

04 EFFORT SCALE All Sufferfest videos work off perceived effort. We use a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is lying on the couch and 10 is a flat out sprint. This table has more detail on each effort level so you can describe effectively to your class: 10 Flat out sprint. Something you could only hold for 5-15 seconds. 09 Nearly a sprint, but could be held for 15 seconds to 1 minute. 08 Very uncomfortable, with very high heart rate and breathing. Speaking isn t possible, but effort can be maintained for 3 to 8 minutes. 07 A base effort, this is just slightly below what s called a rider s threshold. Threshold is a strong, uncomfortable effort where speaking isn t pleasant but where the effort could be held for up to an hour certainly no more. 06 A steady effort that requires some concentration, but where speaking is easy(ish). 05 Moderate effort that requires little concentration. 04 Extremely easy range with little to no effort on 02 TO the pedals. 01 Couch, beer, pizza.

05 MAIN STORY If you were eating lunch, 8 minutes wouldn t seem like a lot of time. If you were on a beach, it would be cruel to only be there 8 minutes. But during the 8 minute climbs in Angels, you ll swear to every god you can think of that it s never going to end. What other cycling workout video anywhere pits you against Vincenzo Nibali and Chris Horner in the Vuelta, puts you in a break with Thomas Voeckler in Paris-Tours or asks you to sprint against Simon Gerrans at the end of Liège- Bastogne-Liège? Angels is one of The Sufferfest s most popular workouts. This is the newly mastered version, created in December 2014. TRUE, I AM IN LOVE WITH SUFFERING SAINT IGNATIUS POINTS TO NOTE Angels is all about climbing, which means it s all about using big, solid gears. Challenge your riders to get out of their comfort zones when it comes to the steep climbing sections; they can replicate the feel of a climb by significantly increasing resistance, and paying close attention to cadence. Great form is ALWAYS important, but even more than usual in a strength workout like Angels. Continually scan the room and remind your riders to focus on a strong, still upper body (engaged core); flat back; relaxed shoulders and arms; and smooth, circular pedal strokes. There are plenty of standing cues in this workout. We don t want to see hunched shoulders, excessive sideways movement or riders putting all their weight into their hands; it s definitely worth reviewing the climbing section in Elements of Style for tips on standing climbs. Your riders should use their core to lift themselves up out of the saddle tense abs, flatten back and lift from the glutes. Then once they re up, they should stay focused on maintaining that strong core as long as they re out of the saddle. Shoulders should stay relaxed, and use the glutes to drive the pedals down; don t just stomp down using the quads.

06 ANGELS Section Time Duration RPE RPM Story Instructor Cues Start 0 2m 3 80 Welcome to Angels, one of The Sufferfest s most popular videos ever, now re-mastered with new footage of the epic moments from La Vuelta Espana (Tour of Spain), Criterium du Dauphine and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Angels is all about CLIMBING. It will make your riders fitter, stronger and more powerful and it will test every fibre of their being as they take on the world s best cyclists over 3 epic 8 minute climbs. For the first couple of minutes, have your riders start to roll their legs over in an easy gear. After about 90 seconds the on-screen instructions will appear - explain to your class that the cadence and RPE they should be riding at will always appear in the top right corner of the screen. Warm-Up 2:00 1m 30s 4 90 The coast of France isn t it magnifique?! That man in yellow? None other than Australia s Richie Porte one of the best time trialists going around. Increase cadence to 90 RPM as we start to warm-up. We now preview what lies ahead; the ride profile will appear 3 minutes into the video. After warming up, we ll be going into some over/under threshold intervals, followed by 3 x 8 minute climbs. Now is the time to talk your riders through the Suffer-scale. Remember 7.5 out of 10 is threshold; a strong, uncomfortable effort that your riders could maintain for no longer than an hour. Most of today s ride will be spent ABOVE threshold, so prepare to SUFFER! Let s Move 3:30 1m 6 90 Roll out with Richie for a scenic time trial. We re at the Paris-Nice, a one week stage race held in March. Increase resistance and effort a couple of notches as we start to really warm-up the legs. A Little More 4:30 1m 18s 6.5 90 The road and the pace are starting to go UP; stay in control here, the tough stuff is yet to come. The rider on-screen is demonstrating perfect aerodynamic form - his core is strong and engaged, keeping his upper body perfectly still, and allowing him to focus his power on strong, smooth pedal strokes. Concentrate on circular strokes rather than stomping down on the pedals. Ramp It Up! 5:48 1m 7 100 Now just below your threshold, you should be feeling a bit warmer now. Up another notch for the next minute or so increase cadence by 10 RPM. Accelerate! 6:48 21s 8 100 Let s go a bit harder here to really warm up your lungs and legs. More resistance as we head into our first effort above threshold - this one s only for 20 seconds, a good chance to test out the legs. Catch Your Breath 7:09 41s 7 100 Bring it back down. Ease off the gearing SLIGHTLY - but maintain that high cadence. Calm Down 7:50 41s 6 90 Richie is working harder than you! That s okay, bring it down another notch and brace yourself for the Suffering ahead. Ease off again, and reduce cadence back to 90 for a brief respite. We re about to head into our over/under threshold intervals. Think of an imaginary line that equates to threshold; you ll be spending one minute just below that line, then one minute just above, for the next 10 minutes. The unders are NOT recoveries; they re painful but bearable, whereas the overs are heading into serious hurt territory. Your riders will be at the same cadence throughout (100 RPM), so they ll need to adjust their gears to match the effort. (1/10) 8:31 1m 7 100 Nice and steady. Oh, and a crash! Good news though, you re near the front so you can steer clear of this type of drama. Get into a good solid rhythm here; the aim is to maintain that great form over the next 10 minutes. It s a focused effort that will have your riders well and truly primed for climbing! (2/10) 9:31 1m 8 100 Close that gap! No Sufferlandrian can be known as a gap opener! Tuck in for a tough ride with Thomas Voeckler and friends. First big effort above threshold. While we don t want to see anyone taking it easy, we also don t want your riders blowing up; it s not an all-out sprint, but it s a big solid effort that they ll be coming back to 4 more times. (3/10) 10:31 1m 7 100 Ah, and back down. Stay towards the front but not in the wind. Reduce the effort slightly back below that threshold line. How s everyone looking so far? (4/10) 11:31 1m 8 100 Back in the breakaway rolling turns. This hurts, but in a delightful way. Another big effort. Stay with the group onscreen - you can see that they re Suffering! (5/10) 12:31 1m 7 100 This is a bit easier, but not too easy - cover that attack and stay on the wheel up this climb! Remember this is NOT a recovery! It s just slightly less painful than when we go back over threshold! (6/10) 13:31 1m 8 100 Your old friends are really hammering towards the line, work hard with them! Back above that line stay focused! (7/10) 14:31 1m 7 100 Don t exchange pleasantries with these guys - they don t speak Sufferlandrian anyway and they wouldn t understand. Ease off just slightly - only 2 more big efforts to go! Keep that cadence nice and high focus on powerful, even pedal strokes. (8/10) 15:31 1m 8 100 The Red Kite?! That means 1km to the line. Keep grinding! Your riders will be seriously hurting by now. Really encourage them to hold that form and finish off strongly. They ll have a nice long break before we hit the mountains! (9/10) 16:31 1m 2 90 Back down, a bit. (10/10) 17:31 1m 8 100 DO NOT LOOK OVER YOUR SHOULDER. Last effort above threshold - for now! Make it your best. Get down low and drive those legs all the way to the finish. Your stronger riders may like to sprint to the line - GO FOR IT! Relax 18:31 3m 3 90 Ahhh, recovery! Enjoy the stunning footage courtesy of Mike Cotty at the Col Collective. Well done! Your riders have earned this 3 minute recovery. Make sure they use it wisely; re-hydrate and relax, but continue spinning the legs over in an easy gear. Next comes the serious work. 3 x 8 minute climbs. Each climb will have its share of attacks and standing cues, so it s important that your riders pay attention; novice riders may choose to sit out the attacks. Towards the end of the recovery, have your riders start to add gearing (increase resistance) as they prepare to CLIMB. Climb 1 21:31 34s 6.5 75 Get into a nice solid gear and find that lower cadence. The road goes up and you have to match the pace of your fellow riders. Climb 1: 8 minutes. The focus in our first climb will be on a slow, powerful cadence. It s the steepest of the 3 climbs so it s important that your riders get into a suitably solid gear, slowing down their leg speed to 75 RPM. It should feel heavy and hard. Scan the class to make sure everyone is settling into that climbing rhythm. Getting Steeper 22:05 51s 7.5 75 Same cadence, harder gear! Those people on the roadside? They came all the way from Sufferlandria to cheer you on so don t let them down! Add a bit more resistance as the climb gets steeper. This is a threshold effort so we re in uncomfortable territory for the next minute - and it s not getting any easier! Stay With Them 22:56 1m 2s 8 75 More pain! More resistance again! Watch for standing cues throughout this climb. This is a good time to do a form check it s super important to keep the core engaged when climbing, to protect your back as you push the big gears. Don t Let Them Get Your Wheel 23:58 48s 9 75 Drop these wheelsuckers! Agghhhh even harder!! We re almost at the top - just 45 seconds more before we have a semi-recovery Settle Down 24:46 34s 7 90 the hill with two other riders, the road flattens out and you get a bit of a respite. Lighten off the gears and increase cadence for a quick break - we re still at 7/10, so just below threshold - and we re not staying here for long! Back Up! 25:20 22s 7.5 75 But it doesn t last! The road goes up. Back to that threshold level. Gear up and straight out of the saddle for the start of this next steep section. Stay With The Attack! 25:42 35s 8.5 75 And up! Big load increase as the climb gets steeper again Steady Power 26:17 1m 31s 7.5 75 Settle in and settle down. This is the bottom of a steep hill, make sure you don t blow up at the base! Back off slightly and settle into a solid gear. This climb is all about power - drive those legs and don t just stomp down on the pedals. Keep it smooth and strong, and try to keep the upper body relaxed as we approach the final summit of this first climb. Arrrgh! 27:48 1m 27s 8 75 Accelerate! DIG IN! Up another gear - less than 2 minutes to go!! Your riders are going to have to get out of the saddle towards the end of this section - listen and watch for the standing cues. Sprint! 29:15 16s 10 90 SPRINT FOR HONOUR, GLORY & VICTORY! ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM EFFORT!! Don t change the resistance, but increase leg speed and give it everything for 15 seconds - recovery is next! Recover 29:31 4m 3 90 Sweet, merciful Grunter! A descent through the narrow roads of the Gavia, Italy. Paradise! 4 minute recovery. Check in with your riders - they have 2 more climbs to go. They won t be quite as steep, but there ll be a lot more attacks. Climb 2 33:31 8s 6.5 80 Out of the valleys and into the hills. The road goes up! You re now at the Criterium du Dauphine, one of the big form testers before the Tour de France. Climb 2: 8 minutes. For our second climb, we ll be spending most of our time above threshold. There ll be lots of pace changes, so it s important your riders stay alert. Get back into a big gear, where your riders can hold a cadence of 80 RPM reasonably comfortably. Attack! 33:39 12s 9 90 ATTACK! That s what Sufferlandrians do best! Straight into our first attack! Increase cadence by 10 RPM for 10 seconds Sit In 33:51 26s 7 90 Ouch - that hurt. Hold the wheel and get a bit of respite. Stay alert! Back off the gearing slightly and settle into a solid pace just below threshold, at 90 RPM. This 7/10 effort is as easy as it s going to get over the next 8 minutes enjoy it while it lasts! Chase Him! 34:17 2m 4s 7.5 80 Mark that attack and roll with the lads from Team Sky at your threshold. Increase resistance and slow the legs down as we get stuck into this climb. We re going to hold this threshold pace for the next 2 minutes. You re climbing with the worlds best riders here - Chris Froome, Vincenzo Nibali and Alberto Contador. Stay with them! Got Him 36:21 19s 7 80 You reeled that attack back in. Don t get too cocky though! Back off the gearing just slightly for our final mini-breather before this climb turns seriously nasty He s Going Again! 36:40 14s 9 90 OFF THE FRONT AGAIN! Rip their legs off! ATTACK! Solid 15 second effort as we try to stay with Contador! Power Climb 36:54 1m 17s 8 80 Turn that big gear and stay with this group. Settle back into a solid rhythm here, working just above threshold for the next minute or so big gear, leg speed of 80 RPM, and plenty of standing as you power your way up this climb with the world s best cyclists. Fight 38:11 2m 17s 8.5 80 Is the 8 minutes over yet?! Fight on! Up another gear - 8.5 out 10!! Only 3 minutes to go but this is all about Suffering. Try to maintain that same cadence on the standing sections, keeping the abs engaged and remembering to use all of those big leg muscles glutes, hamstrings and quads to help drive you up that mountain. Crap! Attack! 40:28 12s 9 100 Your fellow rider puts in a nasty attack ATTACK!! Quick cadence increase to 100 RPM - 10 seconds of PAIN MISERY AGONY! Grovel 40:40 52s 8.5 80 Close this gap or go blind trying! Settle back just slightly - less than a minute to go. We re going to drive it all the way to the summit. Recover 41:32 3m 59s 3 90 Tears of absolute joy! 4 minutes, make em count. 4 minute recovery. Back into an easy gear but it s important to continue rolling the legs over as we prepare for the grand finale this next climb has plenty of attacks. Your riders have two options; less experienced riders can adjust intensity purely by following the cadence changes, however your regular riders should also increase resistance for each attack. Climb 3 45:31 28s 8 80 OK. You can do this. It s ONLY the toughest climb in all of Europe, the Angliru in Spain. Count your lucky stars it s not Mt. Sufferlandria! Climb 3: 8 minutes. The Angliru - the hardest climb in Europe. Accordingly, this entire climb will be ridden above threshold - so prepare your riders for epic Suffering. It s only 8 minutes after all! Straight into a solid gear, pushing the legs over at 80 RPM. Let s get back in to that great form right from the outset and commit to maintaining it all the way to the end. Attack! 45:59 15s 9 90 This is your climb, nothing gets away from you. Attack - out of the saddle! Big gear, increase leg speed Suck It Up 46:14 58s 8 80 Still steep but you ve settled into the misery for a bit. Back to that 8/10 effort. Stay alert for the standing cues. Close That Gap! 47:12 15s 8.5 80 Wow, just wow! Didn t know paved roads could get so steep! STEEPER!! Increase resistance and push even harder as we try to stay with these leaders Nice Work 47:27 24s 8 80 Yeah, this is nicer SLIGHT reduction in intensity, and settle back in to that steady 8/10 effort. Boom! 47:51 14s 9 90 ATTACK!!! Another attack! Push push push! No Crying! 48:05 34s 8 80 Drive it! Stay in that same gear but drop the cadence by 10 RPM. These next 5 minutes are going to hurt, but they re going to make your riders strong, fit, fast and lean stay with us!! Attack! 48:39 13s 9 90 PAIN Attack!! Settle 48:52 17s 8 80 MISERY Settle back in - but only briefly. Attack! 49:09 10s 9 90 AGONY! Attack - 10 seconds Settle 49:19 30s 8 80 Settle - 30 seconds WTF!? 49:49 11s 9 90 BLEEDING EYES! Attack - 10 seconds Get Control 50:00 14s 8 80 Settle - 15 seconds You re Blocked 50:14 14s 7 80 Oh no! You ve been blocked this is going to prove very costly. Whoa make the most of this very short recovery just below threshold only 3 minutes to go! Get Back To Them 50:28 38s 8.5 80 Get back up there you can t let this opportunity go. Sufferlandrians don t get dropped! Okay, now you ve got work to do. Get into a big gear and drive it as you work to catch up to the leaders once again. Get low, powerful and committed to finishing this climb off strongly. Work it! Pull It Together 51:06 26s 7.5 80 You did it! You re now riding with Vincenzo Nibali and Chris Horner. You re going to Suffer all the way to the top of the Angliru with these two climbing greats. You caught them! Back off the gearing slightly and take it back to threshold before our final 2 minutes of magnificent Suffering. Crush Them 51:32 1m 8 80 Look at the Suffering and determination etched on these riders faces it s a beautiful thing! Really dig deep here - only a couple more attacks, so be prepared for them The Joy of Suffering! 52:32 14s 9 90 HONOUR ATTACK!!!! Concentrate 52:46 24s 8 80 GLORY Stay in that gear, and get out of the saddle - less than 60 seconds to go!! Drop Him! 53:10 21s 9 90 VICTORY This is it - the final move - speed up those legs, we know it hurts! Cool Down 53:31 3m 23s 3 90 Who wants to do that again?! Noooo, don t cry! Congratulations! Your class have conquered one of the toughest climbs in the world. That s not the sort of effort you can pull out every day. Spend a few minutes spinning the legs over in an easy gear, and make sure you take your riders through some good leg stretches before they head off to share their tales of Suffering. Finish 56:54

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