Agreed n=1 (no idea if actual science supports this claim).
For a couple weeks during this summer I was doing long rides only on the weekends (4-5hrs). During the week I turned my commute into an endurance ride – 1hr before work and 1-1.5hr after work. Even though these short rides didn’t elicit maximal endurance adaptations, they still provided ~10hr of TiZ and really helped underpin my ability to do those long rides.
@Captain_Doughnutman that’s been my rationale, just getting time in zone. I commute on the bike when I can, usually 2/3times a week to add a little more, ride to running club then ride back etc etc. It all helps, just not ideal by min/maxing standards. Thanks all
just saw a youtube video from Sports Uni of Cologne folks on two methods for making endurance rides more effective. Since I got scolded here for linking videos above a certain length just a high level summary (well … and the video is in German anyway):
priming (in the first part of the ride): https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.14814/phy2.12864
sprints during a ride (Weber/Lorang)
They speak of 2h endurance rides
Edit: can you explain what the picture is showing. Brain not properly computing at this hour.
Isn’t that what would sort of happen naturally on a ‘just’ ride ride? Couple of short climbs/bridges for ‘priming’, and a couple of sprints to make the lights, catch up someone, or just for fun?
To the OP, I do wonder if your aerobic base isn’t better than you think, due to your running. Running builds aerobic base, but it obviously doesn’t build cycling-specific muscular endurance. I would do base and and then general build, I’ve just been through short power build myself and feel the same lack of sustainable power.
There is only one German word in that picture!
It’s late ok! Haha
@splash it’s definitely getting better, but I suppose like everyone it could improve. I’ve only been running for a couple of years, half marathons have got easier (my conversational pace is almost my last half marathon time) 5k races are 2mins faster, all helped by the work on bike.
It probably is down to muscular endurance, but I know it’s hand in hand
I totally get that. I used to have to spit in a bucket to make the 120kg weight limit at strength events. Dropped to 75kg for a while just so I could say I lost 100lbs but settled into the 80-85 range. All other things equal, I’d much rather still be competing in Strongman/Weightlifting! But nothing goes on forever.
I don’t think you need to do a ton of endurance work to achieve your goals. My guess is your TR-MAP derived FTP is not something you could hold for an hour. I’d try something like Echo -1 & see how it goes…monkey around with the intensity until you can finish the workout without seeing your HR drift up to something too high. Just do it once a week & keeping progressively improving either your duration or intensity.
This is also the suggestion from another famous cologne alumnus jan albrecht. Runners have been doing short fartleks and strides in their workouts for years, appears to be really effective at improving aerobic capacity utilizing both fast and slow twitch aerobic adaptations.