I like tempo. It just feels right. Has anyone trained using 2-3 tempo rides/wk as a winter base?
Can TR progress these meaningfully without ramping up into SS within a few weeks?
I find even SSbase LV too taxing for this time of year.
I’m also a fan of tempo riding so I’ve done quite a few of TR’s tempo workouts, never exclusively though. What kinds of durations are you looking to do? TR maxes out “pure tempo” at 2 hours (Polar Bear). Everything longer than that is endurance + tempo.
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i’ve been doing lots of 2-3 hr tempo rides with IF 0.73-0.75. it feels like high Z2 to me and my heart rate reflects it. i’m hoping to get some lactate testing done soon to confirm. i’m going to continue this, with 1 high intensity effort each week, for the next 3 months. i find it builds real stamina after trying it last winter. rest weeks are vital. i don’t do plans as such. i make my own on about 11 -12 hrs a week. (i do the ftp estimate regularly)
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2hrs is more than enough. 1 - 1.5hrs is plenty if indoors.
I should have added that I’m doing around 3 runs a week plus gym work. That’s why I’m looking for easy but hopefully productive bike sessions.
Running is my main focus right now but id like to maintain some degree of ability on the bike so i can enjoy some mtb racing next summer.
I’d say that it’s not the ideal place to ride. However, technically SS is high tempo so if you are working at 90% then I do like that for pushing out TTE, but not 3 days a week. I did two longish tempo rides this weekend and had a rough go of it this morning, so I’d say it’s fatiguing, but I’m not sure the benefit outweighs the cost.
@cagiva_wmx125 .73-75 is zone 2 for me, not tempo. I’d say this is what I would do instead of tempo, but I also wouldn’t do this 3 days a week either if I’m throwing in a SS or VO2 workout into the mix. I’d throw a .6-.65 in there instead.
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Agree with @russell.r.sage
Spinkling in some Tempo is fine but wouldn’t make that the exclusive plan. Focusing more on the less fatiguing Z2 rides to build that solid base and get the aerobic adaptions, and then mixing in the high end stuff is likely going to yield better long term results.
@brendanhousler has a nice blog post on Tempo here: What is a Tempo Bike Ride: Cycling Tempo Workout Plans | EVOQ.BIKE
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Yeah, I totally understand your points.
I’m in a tricky situation. Have a humongous base from decades of riding and other sports. I’ve been getting more and more into running and am training towards mountain racing with a 3 day evert this coming May.
Feel guilty for neglecting my bikes and do want to be tuned enough to enjoy a bit of xc next season.
HOWEVER, I know I wont have the willpower to tough out hard sessions on the turbo plus I’m struggling to motivate myself to go out for long z2. I know my local area like the back of my hand through countless rides over the years.
Am getting lots of aerobic conditioning from long runs plus am doing some vo2 max track sessions.
So what should I do on the turbo for 2 days a week?
I know you kind of contradict this with what you are saying, but I would do one hard workout, 60-90 minutes and one z2 ride 60-120 minutes. That hard could vary depending on what you are doing at the time. You might want to extend your TTE with some SS or Threshold progression or you may want to raise your ceiling with a VO2 block.
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@russell.r.sage i tend to associate outdoor steady effort rides (Z2) with a TR workout, and the 0.75 rides tie in with tempo in TR speak
yeah, I get that. The TR zones are obviously universal for all users. However, Z2 is not universal for all individuals so it’s easy to get into a terminology debate.