Tag: FTP
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The Lactate Clearance Secret
Why Some Cyclists Can Attack Again and Again While Others Explode There are secrets in cycling. No, I’m not talking about doping. Every time someone mentions “secrets” in endurance sports, that’s where people’s minds immediately go. What I’m talking about are the things that the best riders understand, either consciously or unconsciously, that many cyclists…
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The FTP Mirage: Why the Number You Worship Isn’t What Makes You Fast
Parsing power, physiology, and what actually matters when the race gets hard Most cyclists can name their FTP as casually as their height. It has become the sport’s shorthand identity marker — a metric that promises to define how strong we are, and how fast we should be. It is easy to test, simple 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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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…
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Why Watts Alone Don’t Win Races
Cyclists love numbers. FTP, VO₂ max, sprint power, average watts — we track them, chase them, compare them, and sometimes let them define us. I know, because I’ve been there. I’ve stared at my power meter convinced that hitting a certain number was the golden ticket to riding away from the pack. But here’s the…