ZONE 2 ISN’T ENOUGH: WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG | Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast 586
Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast - Presented by TrainerRoad
TrainerRoad
4.9 • 4.6K Ratings
🗓️ 21 May 2026
⏱️ 51 minutes
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Summary
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// TOPICS COVERED
(00:00) Welcome!
(02:44) Training Time Distribution Across Power Zones
(06:10) Comparing Structured vs Unstructured Workouts
(09:03) The Impact of Training Volume on Intensity
(11:49) Erg Mode vs Resistance Mode in Training
(15:05) Exploring Durability in Cycling Training
(26:56) Balancing Intensity and Endurance in Training
(28:50) Understanding Durability and Power Output
(38:09) Training for Leadville: Strategies and Insights
(50:34) Preparing for Elevation: Nutrition and Equipment Choices
In this episode of the Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast, Coach Jonathan Lee uses TrainerRoad data to explore how cyclists who reached 3, 4, and 5 watts per kilogram distributed their training intensity across more than 140,000 rides. He also covers how ERG mode may improve indoor workout completion, what the data suggests about cycling durability, and how late-ride power relates to intensity, endurance volume, and fatigue. The episode wraps with Jonathan’s Leadville 100 MTB training update, including race prep, nutrition testing, equipment choices, heat training, and altitude preparation.
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | We've heard for years what time in zone looks like for a very small selection of elite |
| 0:05.2 | endurance athletes in different sports and in some cases cycling. |
| 0:08.8 | But what if we actually look at real athletes and at a huge scale so then we can get an |
| 0:13.1 | actual representation of what real athletes are doing and see if that can help us understand |
| 0:17.4 | where we should be spending our training time. |
| 0:19.2 | We're going to look into that using our massive database of over 350 million activities here at Trainer Road. I'm Coach |
| 0:25.0 | Lee, and this is the Ask a Cycling Coach podcast. We're also going to look into the effects |
| 0:29.9 | of erg mode on workouts, which will probably be surprising for some of you. And then also we're |
| 0:35.2 | going to look into kind of an exploration into durability. |
| 0:38.6 | It's a topic that is always talked about. We've talked about it on the podcast plenty of times before. |
| 0:43.8 | And maybe there are some inferences that you could draw from other analyses. And I know that |
| 0:48.4 | people will be tempted to do that or infer from their own individual experiences. But I want to be |
| 0:53.3 | clear that all we're doing in this |
| 0:54.6 | case is we're just looking at analyses that are looking at a subset of our data set, |
| 0:59.9 | so specific athletes, and that's what it is. So in some cases, if you hear this, |
| 1:04.8 | don't try to connect things that you've heard me say in the past because these are isolated |
| 1:10.0 | instances and analyses that we're looking at. These aren't scientific studies. We aren't proving causal relationships. |
| 1:16.3 | We're simply these are observational analyses where we can see correlations that exist. |
| 1:22.4 | So with that hefty grain of salt handy, let's look into some really interesting stuff. |
| 1:27.2 | I'll share my |
| 1:27.7 | screens and then we can actually see what we're looking at here. And when we're looking at this, |
| 1:32.0 | for those of you, we got a lot of people that drop down questions that they would like us to ask of |
... |
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