TOP CYCLING COACH TELLS HOW TO TRAIN

Right now, Max Testa is training Levi Leipheimer for the Olympics. Another of his athletes, George Hincapie, is riding in the Tour de France. He's also helping cyclist Dave Zabriskie recover from a broken back so he can compete in Beijing. Testa, an MD who describes himself as a Sports Medicine Specialist, is considered one of the top cycling coaches in the world. But his advice is good for anyone on two wheels.

"The general rule of training is the same for a beginner as for a Tour de France champion. You must start slowly to give your body time to adjust. The problem with attacking hard right away, (even) with a good fitness level, is you will not achieve the same value at your peak as you would if you build more gradually," says Testa, who is based in Salt Lake City.

He explains that the body adjusts better to training if you give it longer. If you train or ride hard without giving the body time to adapt, you can get knee or back pain, or an injury.

Leipheimer, who was considered a contender for the Tour de France win until his team was arbitrarily banned by Tour race organizers, is currently living in Park City, Utah. It's part of the cutting edge of elite athletic training: live high, train low. Living at the altitude of 7,000 feet in Park City, Leipheimer's body will make more red blood cells to compensate for the thinner air. Testa explains that it will give his blood more ability to carry oxygen to his muscles. In addition, low intensity riding at altitude helps recovery. Then, going to a lower altitude like Salt Lake to train hard allows him to push himself to a higher level of conditioning.

You can use this same concept to train, even if you don't live near mountains. Spend as much time as possible in hills or at higher elevations. Testa advises going up to elevation five or six days a month. "You will accumulate some of the benefits. To get the full benefit, live at altitude 15 days or longer," he says.

He also tells how to become a better climber: climb. "If you want to improve your climbing ability on the bicycle, you must spend time climbing. Use different modalities. Start out climbing low grades, keeping your cadence up high, 80-plus RPM, especially for beginners. If you start on too steep climbs, it forces you to drop the cadence," Testa says.

He advises all cyclists to work on their cadence, the speed of their pedaling. "You have to remember Lance Armstrong was climbing at a much higher cadence than the other riders. When you first start, go on low grade climbs, keeping the cadence above 80 RPM. Gradually go for longer and longer climbs. Start at 10-15 minutes, then build up to an hour. Go up 10-15 percent every week, so it should take you six-eight weeks to build up to an hour of climbing.

Once you can keep a good cadence while climbing, you can start riding hard at altitude several times a week, but only for short periods. Again, you have to allow your body time to adapt to hard training up high.

Leipheimer, who is training without the grueling miles of the Tour, will go to Beijing fresh and ready. But the top Tour champions may have problems. Tour stars that are going for the win have to ride their best every day for three weeks. Testa says, "The ones that have to win sometimes come out mentally empty and worn out."

The Olympics begins a week and a half after the end of the Tour de France. Many of those racers will begin a quick version of the live high, train low for recuperation, hoping to be in shape by Beijing. For those cyclists not on the Olympic team, use the same method, adapting it to your local geography, and giving your body time to adapt to even slight changes in altitude. In other words, don't head for the highest hills at the beginning. The best part about training the Testa way is that, although you may not ride as fast as Tour riders and Olympians, you are working out the same way they do, meaning you will reach your potential and be able to ride better than you ever thought you could.