1. This week’s profile correlates with the start of the Vuelta Espana, the third and last grand tour. Along with the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia, these three-week races are a true test of endurance.

Red is the overall leader. Polka dot, best climber, green is the points classification (best sprinter.. kinda), and white is the best rider under 25.

2. The jerseys of each grand tour differ. The leader of the Vuelta wears the red jersey -- recently switched to match the colors of their main sponsor.

3. This week, we ride a profile based on stage 20 from the 2013 edition of the race. Stage 20 is the queen stage, the hardest day of the race, and typically the day that determines the winner.

4. Lots of hills. And hills aren’t 40 seconds and run out of breath. In an article “Is Riding a Spin Bike the Same As Riding a Bike Outdoors?”, the author advises that engaging more muscles means getting more of a total-body workout than on an indoor bike. Climbs are about consistent effort (watts) over prolonged durations. Having the discipline to maintain effort over time means staying in an aerobic zone and effectively recruiting muscle.

5. Last week, our profile contained four 9-minute efforts. We’ve committed to varying the energy zones we work on in class —not just staying in the anaerobic space. Finding that 'sweet spot' is something all endurance athletes crave. Sweet spot training is essentially our second-half 2025 goal. I will try my best to simplify it when I coach a class. Read more on sweet spot training here or here. We also touched on this concept back in April.

A Vuelta Inspired Profile