Actual Training Week — Pre-Wollongong T100 (Week 2 of 2 at Gold Coast)
This is Mika's real week from his two-week Gold Coast training block before T100 Wollongong, where he finished 2nd. He described it in exact detail in the interview. The week totalled just over 26 hours and ended 6 days before the race.
The Gym Block — Most Unique Feature in This Series
Between every race, Mika spends 4–5 days at his physiotherapist near Munich doing 4–5 hours of gym work per day. "When most people in triathlon think about gym, they think about some easy planks. But this block is really focused on gym training — it's barely any aerobic work." Sessions are anaerobic, Tabata-style (20–40 seconds on, 6 seconds off), with complex exercises like jump lunges with resistance bands pulling to one side. "It feels like doing 30/60 efforts on the bike — for three hours constantly." This gym block is a deliberate hyper-stimulus that prepares his body for the aerobic training block to follow. During the normal training block, he maintains 3 gym sessions per week: 2 intense (1 hr each) + 1 stability/mobility session.
70% Gravel Bike Training
Almost all easy riding is done on gravel or mountain bike — not TT bike, not road bike. "In training, I don't really like to ride the TT — it's too fast and dangerous." Only key sessions on TT bike.
No Race-Day Power Meter
Mika races without a power meter or bike computer. "I can go basically all out without having the fear of blowing up. I'd rather risk it for the biscuit." Weight saving + mental freedom + body-feel development.
Inter-Race Gym Blocks
4–5 day intensive gym block between every race. 4–5 hrs/day of Tabata-style training with physiotherapist in Munich. A unique recovery-to-stimulus protocol not seen elsewhere in this series.
Intensity Distribution — Mika's Model
Easy riding at 180–230W (roughly 50% of threshold). Race power estimated at 340–360W. Threshold in the high 300s–low 400s. The easy days are genuinely easy — gravel bike, no power meter, mentally switched off. The hard days include VO2 work even close to race.
Mika's Exact Key Sessions
Every session below comes directly from Mika's own words in the interview. These are his actual pre-Wollongong sessions. The week before this, he trained 30+ hours — the sample week above was his sharpening block.
3×6' decreasing (2' over + 4' race pace) → 2×15' over/under (1' over + 4' under threshold)
Mika's key race-specific bike session from the Wollongong block. The 3×6' decreasing intervals start 2 minutes at slightly above race pace, then settle into race pace for 4 minutes — simulating the surges that happen in T100 racing and then holding on. After a 15-minute recovery, the 2×15' over/under work (1 minute above threshold, 4 minutes just under) builds tolerance at the red line. "The bike is basically constantly just below threshold in T100 racing." Note: done on TT bike in race position, but upright on base bar for the shortest hardest efforts. Gold Coast terrain made it harder than planned — small ramps and corners created involuntary torque spikes.
10×200 alternating VO2 / easy recovery · Heavy paddle work
Mika joined the Wollongong swim squad for his Tuesday afternoon session. The Australians "call it threshold, but the coach screams all out, now all out" — so one 200 genuinely all out, followed by 200 easy, five times through. 10×200 total main set. Followed by substantial paddle work. This is Mika's typical harder swim format — shorter, more intense efforts rather than the longer LT2-building sets. Separately, his other hard swim session uses longer 500–800m open water efforts built from LT1 pace to LT2, which he prefers in open water in summer. Weekly swim volume: 25–28K across 5–6 sessions, typically ~90 minutes each.
5×1K starting at race pace → 8×400 finishing at VO2 speed (~65 sec)
Mika's key run interval session from the Wollongong block. The 5×1K starts at T100 race pace, the 8×400 push into VO2 territory — 65 seconds per 400m. "Hard, but also not all out." This session reflects Mika's philosophy of having something left in the tank. He runs four times per week, ~50K total, with two harder sessions. Easy runs: 4:00–4:30/km. Hard work mostly done on tarmac (not track) — "we're mostly racing on tarmac." The run volume is conservatively managed given his history of long running breaks from bike crash injuries — three crashes causing 12–15 week run breaks each time.
3×3K building from 3:18 to 3:12/km · 400m (2 min) recovery between
Mika's final race-specific run sharpener one week before T100 Wollongong. Ben gave him two options — race pace or LT1 efforts depending on how he felt. He warmed up and felt OK, so chose the race efforts. Building from 3:18 to 3:12/km across three reps, with only 400m easy jog recovery (~2 minutes). Below threshold but at race effort. This session was done in the morning, then followed by a 2h40 TT bike session in the afternoon — two hard sessions on the same day, one week out. "He gives me the flexibility to decide mid-warmup."
Tabata-style anaerobic gym work · Complex movement patterns · 20–40 sec on / 6 sec off
The most distinctive element in Mika's entire training system. After each race (following a rest period based on travel and recovery), Mika spends 4–5 days at his physiotherapist Hansi Friedl near Munich. Each day: 4–5 hours of gym work, 1–2 treatment sessions. The exercises are complex — jump lunges with resistance bands pulling laterally, forcing upright posture and unilateral stability. "It feels like doing 30/60 bike efforts for three hours constantly." The work is genuinely anaerobic and exhausting. Benefits: injury prevention, better glute activation on the bike, improved run technique under fatigue, and systemic strength that carries over to the aerobic block. During regular training weeks: 3 gym sessions (2×1hr intense + 1×1hr stability).
4 hr @185W · Partial low-carb · Gravel roads / forest highways
Mika's Thursday easy ride from the Wollongong block — 4 hours at 185W on the gravel bike. "I wanted to do a bit of low carb on this one — I didn't fuel straight away, just 30g of slow carb (isomaltulose) throughout." Easy days are almost never done on the TT bike. "In easy sessions I want all my systems going easy — not stressed." The Darmstadt forest roads ("forest highways" in Germany) allow constant pedaling without cars, without stress hormones, and with some involuntary torque variation from the terrain. "People underestimate how much a dangerous road situation stresses the body." Easy riding: 180–230W (~50% of threshold).
4-Week Training Block — Between Races
Built from Mika's own description of his periodisation model. Every race is followed by rest, then a gym block, then an aerobic block building to race specificity. This is his standard inter-race cycle.
This gym block is not a standard "triathlete gym week" — it is a genuine high-intensity stimulus that Ben and Hansi have built over three years. The key is that it is done with an expert in the room at all times. "I couldn't do this whole block alone — the quality would be way lower." For coaches: this protocol is not replicable without the right expertise and equipment. The principle — a concentrated anaerobic stimulus between race-specific aerobic blocks — is the transferable lesson.
Mika's 70% gravel riding is not just a logistical preference — it is a training philosophy. "The gravel bike forces you to mix up your pedal stroke automatically without thinking about it." The involuntary torque variations from terrain changes stimulate different muscle activation patterns than constant TT or indoor riding. This is the physiological argument for what appears to most coaches as simply an unconventional choice. Combined with reduced stress hormones from safer road conditions, the gravel rides are genuinely more productive as easy sessions.
Mika's decision to race without a power meter is most relevant to understand here. "I've learned to go by feel in training to develop that internal body sense." The double hard Saturday works because Mika has trained the ability to regulate intensity by feel across a long day. Athletes who only train with power data may struggle to replicate this — they lack the reference framework when the data is absent. Building internal calibration through occasional data-free sessions is a deliberate part of Mika's preparation.
Mika's T100 race strategy contains a key insight that most non-T100 athletes miss: the 20-metre draft rule completely changes the psychological approach to the bike. "I see it as a time trial rather than having to follow someone." This mental reframe — from a tactical draft-legal race to a personal time trial — is what allowed him to break away from the group at San Francisco and ride for speed rather than position. The training adaptation that underpins this is the body-feel development from riding without data, which trains internal power calibration across race conditions.
Why It Works — Coaching Keynotes
Mika Noodt is one of the most distinctive training profiles in this series — a 25-year-old German Red Bull athlete who rides 70% gravel, races without a power meter, and does more gym work per week than most triathletes do per month. These keynotes explain the philosophy behind the choices.
Data Sources
All training data in this blueprint is sourced from the athlete's own public statements, verified interviews, and published race data. Nothing is inferred or fabricated.
That Triathlon Show (2025) — Mika Noodt Interview
The primary source for this blueprint. Mika describes training philosophy, methodology, key sessions, and race preparation in their own words. All quoted material and specific numbers in this blueprint trace directly to this interview.
Supplementary Research — Published Race & Training Data
Race results, split data, and training context cross-referenced from published race data. Used to verify the plausibility of stated training numbers and to contextualise the athlete's competitive trajectory. No training data comes solely from this source without primary-source corroboration.