Reigning two-time U.S. national nordic-combined champion Bryan Fletcher shares a cycling workout (which can also be done skiing or running) that he recommends doing once a month. “It works on both your VO2 max zone and Threshold zone," he explains. "Or Level 3/4 zone depending on what system you use."
There are workouts where you finish battered and beaten, muscles packed with lactate. And then, there are days when you just go out and ride your bike. Unlike some of the more painful sessions one might do on foot or in the gym, former U.S. Ski Team member Tad Elliott calls this road ride a “free workout” — its psychological toll is minimal.
Taylor Fletcher is not a master blaster, but the 24-year-old U.S. Nordic Combined skier does like to get out for a hard, group road ride a few times a month. Here's an example of a 2 to 2.5-hour workout, or race, depending on your viewpoint, called Wednesday Night Worlds.
The average adult makes somewhere around 35,000 decisions per day. Before setting out for a road ride on Sunday, three retired Olympians made a couple of casual ones. First, former Canadian national-team members Robin Clegg (biathlon), Jason Myslicki (nordic combined) and Sean Crooks (cross-country skiing) decided to ride between 80 to 100 kilometers just outside Calgary, Alberta. Second, they picked a quiet township road, which would lead them to a coffee shop in the suburb...