Tag: Cycling Physiology
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Zone 2 Cycling Guide: Why It’s a State of Adaptation, Not Just a Percentage
What is the true purpose of Zone 2 training? “Zone 2 training is a metabolic state where the body builds aerobic capacity without triggering a stress response. Unlike percentages, true Zone 2 is defined by parasympathetic dominance, allowing for mitochondrial growth and better fat oxidation.” Lab Notes: Quick Summary • The Content: • Zone 2…
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Experience Doesn’t Mean Your Training Makes Sense
Most training mistakes aren’t made by beginners. They’re made by experienced cyclists doing what feels familiar, disciplined, and responsible. The problem isn’t a lack of knowledge. It’s that experience creates confidence — and confidence creates momentum. And momentum can carry you in the wrong direction for a very long time. Experience teaches you how to…
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The Science of Steady
How Real Endurance Is Built — SMART Rider Series, Part 2 Last time, in Base: Where Slow Becomes Fast, we explored why patient base work builds the foundation for every season that follows. Now, in Part 2, we move beyond patience and into precision — the difference between logging hours and creating adaptation. Ride Slow…
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BASE: Where Slow Becomes Fast
The Forgotten Art of Building the Engine — SMART Rider Edition Part 1 Most riders know how to train hard. Few know how to train smart when the season’s over. The base season — that quiet stretch between rest and rebuild — is where champions are made, even if nobody’s watching. It’s when the ambitious…
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Masters Misguided: Why Older Athletes Need More Rest, Not More Intensity
Every fall, the same message starts circulating through Masters cycling circles: “You can’t afford to take too much time off.” The reasoning sounds logical — “Older athletes lose fitness faster,” “it’s harder to rebuild base after 40,” or “you need to keep the engine running.” It’s become an accepted truth in modern endurance culture: that…
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Why the Smartest Cyclists Rest When Everyone Else Trains
Every fall, the same conversation starts circling through group rides and coaching groups: “Don’t take too much time off.” Some programs even claim the off-season is where you “get ahead,” or that you can only afford one real break a year if you want to keep progressing. It sounds logical. It feels productive. But it’s…
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Durability Wins Races — The Untapped Power After FTP
Why the real advantage starts when your FTP stops working. The Race That Taught Me What Really Wins It was the final lap of the 2025 Canadian Masters National Road Race — an attritional day stacked with climbs, heat, and surges that felt more like trench warfare than sport. By the third hour, everyone was…
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Building the Launch Pad: My System for 2026
From the Lab Series Recap In Part 1 — FTP Isn’t a Ceiling, It’s a Launch Pad, I challenged the idea that FTP is a finish line. It’s not a number to hold — it’s a system to launch from. That post reframed performance as metabolic integration: the ability to surge, clear, and sustain above…
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The FTP Paradox: When Higher Isn’t Better
Part 2 The Pursuit of “More” Every cyclist wants to see that FTP number climb. 330. 340. 350. It’s intoxicating. But after years of chasing it, I discovered the hard truth: sometimes, more power on paper means less power in the race. In 2021–2022, my FTP was testing around 335–340W, and I felt strong —…
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FTP Isn’t a Ceiling — It’s a Launch Pad
Part 1 The Ceiling Myth For most riders, FTP is the number. The one they test, brag about, and chase like a badge of identity. But the more I trained and tested, the clearer it became: FTP isn’t a ceiling — it’s a launch pad. When I used to train to FTP — building up…