With the arrival of summer, and with it those long evenings and warm weather we’ve all been dreaming of, it’s time to get ready for those big events you have planned over the months ahead. The same events that kept you motivated all winter.

In this article we are going to look at some key training sessions to convert the work you have done over the winter and spring into race-ready form, so you can hit your summer events, whether they be criteriums, sportives or group rides, at full gas.

– How a polarised training plan could transform your fitness –

Hopefully by now you have managed to get a good amount of training under your belt and are relatively fit. This means you are coping fine on longer rides and are recovering well from sessions, but you are possibly still missing that last few per cent compared to last season. Or perhaps you are looking to knock a few more seconds off on your favourite Strava segment.

To work on that last few per cent – the bit that matters when it comes to transforming general fitness into razor-sharp form – you need to be doing some hard interval sessions, as they give your body a really strong stimulus to improve, rebuild and grow stronger. When you do an interval session, especially one where you really have to go all out to complete the interval, you are working on how well you can convert the oxygen you are taking in into power on the bike.

– How to train with a power meter –

All those long miles over the winter will have built up a strong cardiovascular system and the likelihood now is that you can supply your muscles with plenty of oxygen, but you aren’t quite getting every last watt available out of burning that same oxygen.

These sessions should help you to hit top form so you can smash your summer events. Some of these sessions refer to your training zones to ensure you are working at the right intensity. You can read one of my previous articles to find out how to set your zones.