Power-based training is without a doubt the best way to structure training for cycling, and FTP serves as a way to scale every workout to your current fitness level. But what is a good FTP, and how can you be sure that your FTP is accurate?
Time Trial Training: How To Be a Faster Time Trialist
Time trialists must effectively train the ability to pace their highest sustainable power over time trial distances and, along the way, build toughness, get accustomed to uncomfortable positioning, and ultimately get faster. This guide covers everything you need to be a faster time trialist.
Levi’s Gran Fondo 2021: 10 Best Tips to Prepare
We rode one of the most popular Gran Fondos in America, Levi’s Gran Fondo, to learn firsthand what riders need to do to best prepare for the race. Here are 10 tips for Levi’s Gran Fondo.
Time Trial Training: Practice Workouts Designed to Make Cyclists Faster
The 40k TT Specialty training plans include dedicated weekly Time Trial workouts to provide riders with opportunities to ride at their time trial pace, in their time trial position, at roughly time trial durations. These TT-focused workouts are specifically designed to help you achieve your fastest outcome on race day. Examples of Time Trial Workouts in…
How Do I Achieve the Proper Balance of Power, Aerodynamics, and Sustainability?
Answer: It’s a process, and every rider will come to a different balance that suits them. Every step in the process can yield more power, greater aerodynamics, and/or higher levels of sustainability. Who Knew There Was So Much to Time Trialing!? Going fast in a time trial is a marriage, if a polygamous one, of…
How Do I Train After I Finish My Specialty Plan and Have No Upcoming Events?
Answer: Typically two weeks of recovery is recommended, but that timeframe could vary depending on your level of fatigue and motivation. Based on the amount of downtime you take, you can restart a Base or Build plan. Decide How Much Downtime You Need If you’ve just completed a Specialty plan and are focused now on…
Get Faster Now Without Aero Equipment
Faster time trials doesn’t mean you need the most aerodynamic equipment. Getting faster starts with doing the right things with what you already have. Not everyone is ready to invest in the TT bike, the aero helmet, the aero bars, the aero everything … We’re here to tell you that purchasing all the aero gear isn’t…
Why Did My FTP Go Down Between Training Phases?
Answer: Testing days aren’t always your best days. Muscle fatigue, unpreparedness for the discomfort of testing, poor pacing, or low motivation can all lend to a lower FTP result. When you test at a lower FTP, it commonly comes down to one, or a combination, of four things: 1. You weren’t sufficiently recovered following your…
Why Is There a TSS Drop from High-Volume Sweet Spot Base to My Build Plan?
Answer: The High-Volume Sweet Spot Base plan has a very specific training load, in both volume and intensity. This allows for a very high TSS relative to all other training plans. This high training stress score does not translate directly to other plans, including those in the Build Phase. High-Volume Sweet Spot Base is in…
Why is TSS Reduced Between Training Phases?
Answer: FTP increases and applying different forms of training stress require small planned decreases in TSS to maximize training benefits. Reduce TSS Between Training Phases to Get Faster Within a progressively structured training plan, each new week sees a slight increase in the overall amount of stress (TSS), while each workout sees a similar bump…