With a little inspiration, indoor cycling rides can be more than a mix of flats, climbs, runs, jumps and sprints. Use class time to practice skills and technique, such as cadence drills or upper body rhythm, or get a mental workout by recovering on the climbs and working on the flats. Keep in mind that indoor cycling classes are meant to accommodate participants with a variety of fitness levels.
Music Repeat
Use music to structure your class in a variety of ways, including making an all-request soundtrack in advance or doing a tribute to a single band or genre. To structure a ride around a music repeat, use the same 10- to 12-minute song loop, three to four times in a row.
After a five- to eight-minute warm-up, begin your first loop. It helps if your loop comprises two or three energizing, adaptable songs, each of which you could ride in any position, at any cadence and with any amount of resistance on the flywheel. Work progressively harder on each loop, and by the last one, your riders will know what to expect.
Cadence Drills
Cadence is how many pedal revolutions you complete per minute, also known as your pedal stroke RPM. It’s important to teach your participants what each range feels like. It helps ultra-fast climbers find the right resistance and brings slow riders up to pace. Seated or standing flats have a cadence range between 80 to 110 RPM, while hills have a cadence range from 60 to 80 RPM.
To figure out cadence, have your students count one leg each time it comes to the top of the pedal stroke, for 15 seconds. Tell them to multiply the number by four to get their RPM. Instruct them to make needed adjustments to get into the right range.
Climb the Alpe d’Huez
Use segments of the three Grand Tours of cycling, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia or the Vuelta a España to inspire students during a series of classes. The Alpe d’Huez, for example, is one of the main mountain stage finishes in the Tour de France. Play a video of the pros racing up the Alpe d’Huez. Simulate mountain switchbacks by climbing at 80 percent of maximum heart rate in the saddle, then increasing resistance, coming out of the saddle and climbing short, intense sections at 85 to 90 percent of maximum heart rate. Build in short periods of active recovery, and finish the ride with a summit sprint.
Road Reversal
Help your students master the ability to control their heart rates during various types of efforts. Construct an interval ride where the work takes place on the "easy" roads and recovery takes place on the "hard" roads. Work at 80 to 85 percent of maximum heart rate on a seated flat, for example, and recover on a steep, standing climb. This technique can help you rein in the students who ride flats with little or no resistance, and show others that they can get to the top of a hill with good climbing technique and controlled effort.
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