Higher power for longer in 4 weeks

Vo2 max intervals may be beneficial to athletes who already have a solid aerobic endurance base and who have reached a power plateau. Vo2 max training may give a competitive advantage in events which require higher power demands such as track endurance events, hill climbs and criteriums.

The stimulus of VO2 max intervals can improve power. The VO2 max program below is ideal to help athletes to cycle at a higher power for longer within 4 weeks. It starts with short VO2 max intervals to boost power and then works up to longer intervals to sustain it.

4-week VO2 max power training plan

The above 4-week VO2 max power plan is ideal to be applied after an endurance cycle such as per any of the below two plans:

4-week aerobic endurance plan ( 5-6h per week)

4-week aerobic endurance plan (6h – 7.5h)

Dial up aerobic fitness in four weeks

Aerobic fitness is key for cycling. Cycling events longer than a kilo on the track utilize aerobic energy. A well developed aerobic system will help a cyclist to ride at a higher intensity for longer.

The 4-week aerobic fitness programs in the links below can be used pre-season or at the start of a season. They can be applied to prepare for road, track, MTB and gravel disciplines.

6-7h per week aerobic fitness program

5-6h per week aerobic fitness program

Click here to view all programs by TrackCyclingSA coach, Jaco Scholtz.

The future looks bright at Bellville velodrome

The third round of the Western Province track league took place on Fri, 2 August, at Bellville velodrome. This event was back to back following the one on Friday, 26 July.

It was the second track event at Bellville velodrome under the new LED lights which replaced the existing 30-year old lights that that were at end of lifespan.

This upgrade solidified the Bellville velodrome as the top indoor cycling facility in Africa.

The program was fast and action packed. Racing started at 7pm and ended at 9.30pm. There was racing for category A to E and riders from under 11 up to 75 – 79 competed.

There were several highlights. Here is our top 5:

10km scooter scratch (30 laps scooter and 10 laps scratch) in 11min59s at 50kmh. Carl Bonthuys winning.

The Western Province elite team pursuit squad in action and closing in on 50kmh.

Imtiyaaz “Sparkles” Schultz first cat A win with a long sprint in the 8 laps scratch race.

The Cat D kids racing at 40kmh in their scooter scratch.

Cat E kids start list growing with 2 more riders joining in.

Here is the leader board:

WP track league #3 on 2 Aug 24 – resultsDownload
WP track league 2024 points table after after 3 of 4 eventsDownload

The next event is planned for Friday, 30 August, 2024. Follow WP track on Whatsapp for event updates.

Follow TrackCyclingSA on Facebook for news and updates about track cycling in South Africa.

Photos courtesy of Marc Pentz photography.

4-week aerobic program

by Jaco Scholtz

Hi everyone! Cape Town is experiencing one of its wettest and coldest spells, but we all know that the cycling season ramps up rapidly from September onwards. I’ve put together this program to help riders to boost their aerobic fitness before the season kicks off. The plan is on the TrainingPeaks app and includes a free TrainingPeaks basic account.

Click here for the plan.

Wp track league gets off to a flying start

The Western Province (Wp) track league got off to a flying start on Friday, 31 May 2024, at Bellville velodrome.

The program had racing for all categories frum under 11 to veterans. The event evening saw scooter scratch races winding speeds up to over 50kmh. The purpose of this is to increase the average speed of local racing.

Each race category had 3 races for the evening.

Here are the Category A to C and team competition leaders:

Photos by Marc Pentz.

Category A to C points table:

The next events at Bellville velodrome are on:

26 Jul – Wp league 2

2 Aug – Wp league 3

30 Aug – Wp league 4

All events are on a Friday from 7 to 10pm.

125th Paarl Boxing day

The 125th Paarl Boxing day track cycling challenge took place at the Faure street stadium, Paarl, on Tuesday 26 December.

This track cycling event started in 1897 with the open 25-mile race being the most prestigious event on the program. The winner of this races gets their name engraved on the Minnaar trophy that dates back to 1908.

90 riders participated this year ranging in categories from under 11 scholars to masters.

The elite field saw the professional rider, Jonas Rickaert, from Belgium lining up on the start line along side the top local track riders. He took top honours by winning the 25-mile and was also awarded the top rider of the day trophy.

Jonas Rickaert wins the 25-mile race. Photo Marc Pentz

Here are the results of all the races.

Track league goes back to the 80’s

The WP track league kicks off on Saturday, 20 May’23, at Bellville velodrome. The loadshedding schedule has been consulted and there is no impact on the event.

Entries close on 17 May’23. Click here for league and event details.

The maximum gear ratio is limited to 90-inches. This encourages rides to use leg speed. It is a fun way to get going again on the track after a break since the track nations in April.

Track cyclists ready to race

Track cyclists from across South Africa are ready to race at Maximum Velocity 7. This is the final event at Bellville velodrome before the national track cycling championships.

It takes place on the Cape Town Cycle Tour weekend. This allows visiting riders the chance to an outing on the track on Friday, 10 Nov, before the Cycle Tour.

The program is fast and action packed. It features a sprint invitation, a team pursuit and and endurance competition.

The sprint event is by invitation and these riders will entertain the crowds in a match sprint tournament.

The endurance events are there to sharpen the skills before the national championship. It features technical events such as the points, scooter scratch and elimination races. Riders in the Cape are familiar with the scooter scratch. This is an endurance race where the scooter paces the riders for a set amount of laps while they rotate. Riders may only sit behind the scooter for 1 lap. The scooter pulls of with a few laps to go and then it is a scratch race from there.

Spectator entry is free. There will be coffee and food on sale at the event.

Entries close on Tuesday, 7 March 2023. No late entries.

Sign-on and number collection closes at 6.30pm on race night. Racing starts at 7pm and finishes at 10pm.

Entry details are here: https://www.wpcycling.com/event/maximum-velocity-7-track-classic-bellville-velodrome/?instance_id=2526

The program is here: https://www.wpcycling.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/MV7-DRAFT-PROGRAM.pdf

WP track league #5

The WP track league is heating up after a super attendance at event 4.

The 5th of the 7 event series takes place tomorrow at the Bellville velodrome.

DSV leads the team competition with TrackCyclingSa in 2nd place with ASAP in 3rd. Tomorrow evening the teams will do battle in an 8-lap team pursuit where 4 riders of each team will aim to set the fastest time.

The leaders per category are:

Sprint tournament: Jordan September (Kinetic Pro)

CAT A: Ethan Kulsen (DSV)

CAT B: Theo Williams (DSV)

Women: Charlissa Schultz (Eden)

Veterans: Oswin Booysen (Bellville)

Visit https://www.wpcycling.com/event/wp-track-league-5-1/ for the detailed leaderboard

Click here for the program.