Bike

Finding Zone 2: Heart Rate, Lactate, Talk Test or Breathing Threshold?

Zone 2 is everywhere, but where it sits differs a lot between people. Why fixed heart-rate percentages misclassify many athletes, and how lab tests, lactate, the talk test and HRV-based methods compare.

Can the Turbo Replace the Long Ride? Indoor Volume and Winter Durability

Winter pushes most long rides indoors, and few triathletes will sit on a trainer for four hours. What durability research says about shorter, harder indoor sessions, what they can't replicate, and how to plan the winter.

Why Your Indoor Watts Are Lower: Heat, Fans and the Smart Trainer

Many riders hold fewer watts on the trainer than on the road. What indoor-versus-outdoor studies show, why still air and heat matter most, how accurate smart trainers are, and how to set up a cooler indoor ride.

Polarised, Pyramidal or Threshold: How to Spread Your Winter Intensity

Polarised training gets the headlines, but the biggest analyses find small or no differences between ways of spreading intensity across a week. What the trials show, who might benefit from which, and how to plan a winter.

High or Low Cadence Before the Run? What Bike Cadence Does to Your First Kilometres

Should you spin fast or push a bigger gear before T2? Small lab studies in triathletes disagree: cadence changes your first few hundred metres, but most found no clear effect on overall run time. What they show.

Big Gear, Low Cadence: Are Torque Intervals Strength Training on the Bike?

Low-cadence torque intervals are sold as strength work on the bike. Measured pedal forces stay well below gym loads, and training trials disagree. What the studies show, who they tested, and where big-gear work fits.

Raising FTP on 8 Hours a Week: Threshold, Sweet Spot or VO2max Intervals?

Threshold, sweet spot or VO2max: which intervals raise FTP fastest? Meta-analyses in trained cyclists find intervals help modestly, with no clear winner by type. What that means when you only have 8 hours a week.

Do 30-Second Sprints Belong in a Triathlete's Week?

All-out 30-second sprints raise aerobic fitness on very little training time. In trained men, though, longer intervals improved time trials more. What sprint interval research shows and where sprints fit for triathletes.

When the Leg Goes Numb: Iliac Artery Endofibrosis in Triathletes

Leg pain, weakness or numbness that appears only on hard efforts and fades within minutes can be a blood-flow problem, not a muscle one. What iliac artery endofibrosis is, who gets it and how it's diagnosed.

Not All Kilojoules Are Equal: Why Riding Above Threshold Costs You Twice

In male pro cyclists, work above critical power cut critical power by up to 16%; the same work below critical power cut it by nothing. Here's the mechanism behind why surging is expensive.

Aero Until It Hurts: When Your Position Starts Taking Watts Back

The steady-state aero-vs-power trade-off is settled. What happens to your position over hours of racing isn't — and the evidence stops well short of a 70.3 bike leg.

Durability, Resilience, Fatigability: What Sports Science Is Actually Arguing About

A live 2025-2026 scientific dispute over what to call late-race fatigue resistance, and the practical split between physiological and performance durability every age-grouper should know.

Your Durability Test Is Mostly Noise — How to Run One That Means Something

Most published durability tests were never checked for reliability once riders were actually fatigued. Here's the evidence on why, and a protocol built to survive that scrutiny.

How Long Does the Long Ride Actually Need to Be?

About 1,000 kJ is enough to expose real fade in amateur riders, and work above critical power — not raw kilojoules — is what degrades you. The popular 'intensity at the end' rule has never been tested against steady riding.

The W′ Bank: Why Every Surge Costs More Than You Get Back

W′ refills only ~46% in two minutes and ~59% in six — faster if you pedal genuinely soft — and the coaching-app model estimating it can be off by up to 30%. Here's what a surge really costs.

Why Watts Fade: It's Not Just an Empty Fuel Tank

The mechanisms behind late-ride power loss, honestly graded: fibre-level glycogen depletion, early central fatigue, rising oxygen cost, and a failed hunt for a single muscle marker.

Free Speed, Honestly Priced: What Aero Research Says to Change First

Aero research keeps pointing back to the rider, not the equipment. Here's the evidence-based order for what to change first — and why one field drag test shouldn't decide your next purchase.

Fresh Watts vs. Hour-Four Watts: Testing and Training Durability

Durability — how well your power holds up late into a long ride — is emerging as a fourth pillar of endurance fitness. Here's what the evidence says, and how to test it at home.

Is FTP “Dead”? What Critical Power Research Reveals

FTP isn't dead, but it's a rougher proxy than most training platforms suggest. Here's what Critical Power and W' research actually shows — and how to pace smarter without a lab.

The “Peak Carbs” Era — How Much Carbohydrate Should Age-Groupers Eat on the Bike?

Pros report 150g+ of carbs per hour on the bike. Here's what the exercise metabolism research actually supports for age-group triathletes — and how to build tolerance safely.

Zone 2 Isn't a Fixed Percentage of Max Heart Rate

Myth: Zone 2 is simply a set percentage of your maximum heart rate.

Polarised Training Isn't the Only Way to Get Faster

Myth: Polarised training is clearly better than any other way to spread intensity.

Short Turbo Sessions Can Build Durability Too

Myth: Only long rides build the durability you need for long races.

Lower Indoor Watts Don't Mean Lost Fitness

Myth: If you can't hold your outdoor watts on the turbo, you've lost fitness.

Does Bike Cadence Before T2 Change Your Run?

Myth: Spinning fast before T2 makes your run faster.

Are 30-Second Sprints a Shortcut to Endurance?

Myth: 30-second sprints are a shortcut to endurance.

Is Sweet Spot the Best Way to Raise FTP?

Myth: Sweet spot is the proven way to raise FTP.

Are Torque Intervals Strength Training on the Bike?

Myth: Torque intervals are strength training on the bike.

A dead leg on hard efforts isn't always a muscle problem

Myth: one leg dying on hard efforts is just a tight muscle.

Your watts aren't fading from an empty tank

Myth: late-ride power loss is just an empty fuel tank.

Durability and fatigue resistance aren't the same thing

Myth: "durability" and "fatigue resistance" mean the same thing.

Your durability test is mostly noise

Myth: a 1-minute all-out effort after a long ride tells you your durability.

Riding above threshold costs you twice

Myth: a smooth average power number means you rode smart.

Every surge costs more than you get back

Myth: a couple of easier minutes after a surge counts as recovery.

You don't need a 4-hour ride to expose fade

Myth: you need a pro's 4-hour monster ride to expose real fade.

Your aero position can start taking watts back

Myth: lock in your aero position — the trade-off is settled.

The most aero position isn't always fastest

Myth: the most aero position is always the fastest position.

Your FTP test is lying to you (a bit)

Myth: your fresh FTP test tells you your real race power.

Your FTP number is a guess, not a law

Myth: your FTP is a precise, fixed number.

60g/hour is outdated. Here's why

Myth: 60 grams of carbs an hour is still the right number for everyone.