Durability for time crunched people

Training and Performance Fundamentals
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Wondering for input of some of the people on this forum.

I recently started looking into the concept of “durability”. A rather hot topic in cycling now. For the pros, it makes the difference between winning and being dropped. For us mere mortals, it makes the difference doing Gran Fondos that end with a big climb…

Now the “simple” advice is : go out and ride 3 hours each day in Z2, complimented with some other harder stuff. Which is pretty much the summary of a modern pro rider training schedule. For which most of us don’t have the time…

What are “best practices” if you have 1-1h30 during weekdays (most of if indoors) and longer rides in the weekend?

I’m experimenting a bit… Instead of doing 4 HIIT intervals after eachother, I’m doing 20 min of easy warmup, 2 HITT interval blocks, 45 minutes of Z2, then another 2 intervals and then cooldown. I also tried to do 60 min of Z2 first and then 4 interval blocks but euh… that was funny… didn’t really work out. Which shows exactly the concept of durability, because I can do these 4 interval 'fresh" …

Any suggestions ?

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Good question. I think the term is new enough that I am not sure it is fully agreed upon (or maybe it is) but I see it more as the idea to be able to handle your goal/duration intensities without falling apart… Meaning if your goal is Gran Fondo’s you should build durability that supports that. Which generally means lower tempo durability for most people. If you plan on keeping in the draft and you know there will be climbs that you might struggle to hold on, it might be durability of those climbs. I see HIIT as mostly the opposite of durability. I also see the logical progression of longer and longer intervals as the smartest way to increase durability. So what stops you from reaching your goals. Mental durability, (don’t like suffering) well maybe practice some suffering :slight_smile:

So I see this more as a new buzz word closely related to specificity although I like it, it brings out clarity. Let’s say you believe you can do a normalized power of 150w for a 7 hour gran fondo but it will be very hard… My believe is doing lots of 2 hour 130-140w rides could get you there without too much suffering. Instead of trying to do shorter intervals of 180w… Although depending on your personal weakness in durability it’s hard to say what is optimum for you.

I don’t know if this is all the most efficient training but to me it encompasses “durability.” Which I would prioritize duration over increased intensity.

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Mostly agree with @Alex .
During the shorter week workouts, I would focus on building time in Tempo/SS zone. Progressively more/longer intervals. That’s more specific to the Gran-Fondo goal.
If you have doubts on ‘durability’, there’s very little chance that you’re going to do an end-sprint or VO2mx attack, right?
Focus on what you will do and what will allow you to get to the end in a satisfactory way. Temp/SS improvements might make the difference to being able to hold on in a group on a climb so that after the climb you can tuck in again on the flats and recover. Being dropped on a climb, often means that you’re on your own to fight the wind when back on the flats. and that can mean a long and very hard day…

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We have been great at ice skating—so great that some of us took on another Nationality so they could still compete at the Olympics, WCs, ECs, etc. It is really annoying for us when someone else wins.

But a few years ago, there was Nils van der Poel. He came, he trained, and he was victorious. After an Olympic gold medal, he disappeared as quickly as he came. But he left us his training diary for the Olympics, called How to Win the Olympic 10K (the audacity).

His training schedule was straightforward. To win the 10k, he needed to skate rounds of 28 seconds, and that was all he did. Skate rounds doing 28 secs. He mixed that win zone 2 200-watt bike workouts.

Durability is the counterpart to FTP. For years, young pros were recruited for their high FTPs. But world tour riders don’t just need a high FTP, and many of these young guys failed, mainly because they lacked durability. Meaning, they were strong, but the longer the ride, the weaker they would get.

I always analyse the goal with the cyclist. Where is he most likely to get into trouble, or where can he make a difference?
That is the specificity I’ll build his training around. Often, a big, long climb has a small part that is so steep that it will drive you to zone 5 or 6. If you are not prepared, you will burn yourself and make the rest of the climb very tough. So even a big climb can need Zone 5 or 6 training. Belgium classics are all about short, intense efforts.

Gran Fondo Les Trois Ballons ends at La Planche des Belles Filles, where even the pros need to get out of the saddle to drag themselves over the finish line.

I think what Alex says is very important. If you are training for a Grand Fondo, you’ll need to ride long hours. I recommend at least 80% of your expected finish time.

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What would you guys suggest specifically for the weekday workouts if you’re going to do “intensity” on Tues/Thurs and your goal is a Gran Fondo and you’re limited to 60-90 minutes as Diederik said?

Dave

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Well, I’m looking at a couple of specific Gran Fondos. One of them is the “Col de la Loze”. Which does have something very specific. No matter the side of the climb you take (Méribel or Courchevel), the last 6k is where the “fun” begins. (yes, it’s the famous climb where even Pogi bunked a couple of years ago). you are above 2000m and while the first 20k of the climb is “only” around 8%, you suddenly get parts of 20%. After 3 hours of riding and above 2000m. Compare it with Mont Ventoux, the Bédoin side once you get above Chalet Renard. But worse :slight_smile: . I’m actually doing the Ventoux this year as well.
But anyway, I did this before and had made 2 crucial mistakes: fueling and training preparation. From a fueling point of view, I now know how much carbed up you need to be (no, your stomach doesn’t like that). From a training point of view, this is where my question comes from.
btw : to make it even more fun, the last time I did this, it as 30° at the top, above 2000m… hydration was another interesting story :slight_smile:

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I’m experimenting with splitting the intervals. e.g. I used to do a “tuesday SST” that was about an hour, a warmup and the something like to “over-unders”. Now I’m doing a warmup, some SST (let’s say 15-20 minutes), then 30-45 minutes zone 2, and then another block of SST. in the past I would have done the 2 blocks of SST with let’s say 5 minutes in between. I’m spreading it out now. The least I can say is that after “just” 45 minutes of Z2 indoors, the second interval is “interesting” :slight_smile:

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