Sprint Triathlon Race Pace Turbo Session: 45 Minutes of Race-Specific Intensity

Session Overview

This 45-minute turbo trainer session replicates the intensity demands of a sprint triathlon bike leg — short, punchy, and at high power output. Use it in the 4–6 weeks before a sprint race to dial in your race effort and condition your body to hold high power before dismounting for the run.

What You’ll Need

• Turbo trainer or smart trainer
• Heart rate monitor or power meter
• Cycling kit and road bike or tri bike
• Fan — essential for indoor sessions to prevent overheating
• Water bottle: aim to drink 500ml during this session

Warm-Up (10 minutes)

Spin easy at Zone 2 effort (60–65% max HR) for 8 minutes, then complete 3 x 20-second accelerations building to 85% effort with 30 seconds easy between each. These short accelerations prime the neuromuscular system for the high-intensity intervals ahead without accumulating fatigue.

Main Set (28 minutes)

The main set consists of race-pace efforts at 90–95% of your FTP (hard, controlled effort you could just barely sustain for 20 minutes). Short rest intervals simulate the sustained intensity of a sprint triathlon bike leg without full recovery between efforts.

• 3 x 5 minutes at race pace (90–95% FTP / Zone 4), 2 minutes easy spinning between each
• 4 x 1 minute at maximal effort (100–105% FTP / Zone 5), 1 minute easy between each
• 2 minutes easy spinning before beginning cool-down

Cool-Down (7 minutes)

Spin very easy (50–60% max HR) for 5 minutes, then remove all resistance and continue for 2 more minutes. Your heart rate should drop below 120bpm before you dismount. Consider adding a 10–15 minute easy run immediately after this session to practise the bike-to-run transition under real fatigue.

Coaching Notes

• Target the same power on each of the 5-minute intervals — resist going out too hard on interval 1
• Common mistake: increasing cadence instead of power — keep cadence at 85–95rpm and drive the pedals
• Easier option: reduce the 5-minute intervals from 3 to 2, keeping the 1-minute maximal efforts the same
• Harder option: add a 4th 5-minute interval or increase them to 6 minutes
• RPE for the 5-minute blocks: 8 out of 10 — hard, controlled, not quite all-out