Converting weight room power to cycling power and gaining power through on-the-bike workouts takes great dedication and effort. This is because the only way to gain this power is through interval training. Nobody considers hard interval training to be fun, but every experienced cyclist must consider it necessary in order to reach his or her potential.

In pursuing your fastest century, it is not necessary to complete a single 100-mile ride during preparations for the century. Doing a few intense interval sessions of 25-35 miles each, a few aerobic workouts and at least one 50+ mile ride each week, along with a recovery ride or two, will sufficiently prepare you for rides as long as 200 km. If time is a factor in your training, this should be encouraging. By focusing intently on your workouts and getting the most out of your time on the bicycle, you will achieve greater fitness than the cyclist who does 300-mile weeks with no intensity training.

Interval Workouts
There are a variety of interval workouts that you can choose between when planning your weekly schedule. In my last column, I mentioned time trial and attack workouts. I have discovered that sprinting workouts are also helpful, even when I'm concentrating on training for an ultramarathon event or a long tour. Sprint workouts loosen up the legs and build quadriceps, hamstrings, hip flexors as well as many of the upper body muscles that are neglected in all other cycling workouts. In Speed the Spontaneous Way Ed Pavelka describes some great ideas for speed training for those who can't muster the motivation to do strict interval training. However, those who have the enthusiasm and willpower to follow strict interval workouts will probably witness a faster return on their physical investment. For these people, I will provide some ideas for interval workouts that require a cyclocomputer and a heart rate monitor.

The most useful interval training for century preparation is the time trial, or lactate threshold, interval workout. This involves getting your heart rate up to 85-90% of your maximum heart rate, a level you should just be able to maintain for 10+ minutes, and holding it there. If you go any faster, you become anaerobic and loose all confidence in your ability to maintain the effort - any slower and you are comfortably aerobic and performing below your potential. Ride at a moderate aerobic pace except for 1 or 2 lactate threshold intervals. These intervals should be steady efforts of 10-20 minutes.

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Attack, or VO2 max, interval workouts are another very useful form of training. These involve getting your heart rate above your lactate threshold and holding it there for 30 seconds to 2 minutes. (How to estimate your lactate threshold.) These are purely anaerobic intervals and, I won't lie to you, they hurt like hell! The gain in power and speed is so great, however, that they are worth the pain. Just remember - if it doesn't feel like your legs are about to split open and burst into a disgusting burning mess, you aren't going hard enough. It is best to approach VO2 max interval training like weight training by doing 2-3 sets of 3 reps each.

Longer intervals of 2 to 4 minutes are a mixed anaerobic and aerobic effort These intervals are also useful and slightly less painful.

To attain these high heart rates during the intervals, you can ride into the wind, break speed records flying with the wind, hammer up long hills or motorpace behind your buddy's Beemer. The key is to get into the heart rate zone any way you can and stay at that intensity for the entire interval. If you do this, you will have the power to tackle hills even if you don't train on any.

Hopefully, the ideas presented in these columns will help you ride your fastest century ever. Once you set your new PR, come back here for my last column and we'll talk about the next step - progressing to the double century and 12- or 24-hour race. You have the fitness and callous tush. Now all you need is the confidence and drive to leap beyond the century.

Training for Centuries

• Part 1: Choosing A Century to Ride
• Part 2: Riding Fast Century
• Part 3: Strength Training
• Part 4: Planning Workouts
• Part 5: Power on the Bike
• Part 5: Power on the Bike
• Part 6: Moving to Longer Rides