How to get more speed on flats and descents

By Sean Coffey

Sam Chiba is a good climber. At 5940 and 127 pounds, he flies up hills, but when it comes to flats, the bigger guys easily catch him. "My skills are good--I'm always the last to start walking technical sections. But my skills and climbing ability don't make up for my lack of power," says the 28-year-old software engineer. "Last year I did well on the hilly sections of a mountain bike tri-athlon, but as soon as we hit the flats, the big guys beat me. This year, power is key."

To help Sam boost his power, we recruited USA Cycling Elite Coach Bill Edwards, who has been involved in competitive cycling for more than 50 years and is still racing at age 69. He's currently the team director of the Houston-based Southern Elite Cycling Race Team.

"For Sam, increasing power means leg-specific workouts in the gym and on the bike," says Edwards. "Power is the force applied to the pedals (leg strength) multiplied by the velocity of the pedals (leg speed). You need both-strength and speed-to develop power. Get strength at the gym with squats, leg presses or lunges. The leg strength you develop in the gym is absolutely necessary, but it's not enough to generate power on the bike because the exercise speed is very low (about 10 repetitions per minute). To be powerful on the bike, you must develop speed-specific leg strength by working on leg strength at the desired leg speed with power intervals. You may have huge, muscled legs, but if you don't develop the leg speed, you'll never keep up."

You, too, can follow Edwards's program for more power. Just follow these five steps.

1. Consult a certified trainer before hitting the weights. There's a right way and a wrong way to lift, and the wrong way could lead to some nasty injuries. Warm up on a stationary bike for 10 minutes, then stretch. Stretching before a workout will minimize wear and tear on your body.

2. Select a weight that lets you easily do 12 reps. Note the difficulty each time you lift, and when it feels like you can increase effort for two consecutive workouts, raise the weight one notch.

3. Remember, muscle pain is part of the fun. When you hit the gym, you'll pay for it when you ride. Rest on rest days, and don't expect to have the same pep you had before you started the program. Be patient, stick with the plan and you'll see results in six to eight weeks.

4. Take a break every fourth week, and don't do the program more than three times. After three weeks, take an entire week of easy, recovery-day-type riding with only one gym day, then resume the program at a cadence 5 rpm higher than before. After following this program for three months, you should be plenty buff and ready for a new challenge.

5. Check your progress. The low-tech, inaccurate way to check is to compare your speed on flats and descents to the big guys'. For a precise, high-tech measurement, use a CompuTrainer ($1,199; 800/522-3610; www.computrainer.com).

"The development of strength and power must be sport-specific," says Edwards. "Training is more effective if you can accurately measure your progress. One of the best tools for developing cycling-specific strength is the CompuTrainer. You can easily design workouts that are tailored exactly to your needs and that provide a progressive resistance power-development program."