REDEFINING EASY

It’s well known that easy riding is the bedrock of endurance, but what exactly do we mean by ‘easy’? Charlie Allenby seeks clarification

- Charlie Allenby

Most cyclists are time-poor. After taking care of the full-time job, the family, the household chores, as well as keeping alive some semblance of a social life, the hours remaining to us to spend in the saddle are few. Each minute on the bike feels precious and not to be wasted. This lack of time can lead us to feel we need to push hard on every ride – the relaxed cafe spin seems far too inefficient compared to the fast and furious intensity session. We assume that more intensity means greater gains, but the truth is more complicated.

For long-term improvements in cycling endurance, high-intensity sessions should form only a small proportion of your training time. The rest of your riding should be easy – but what exactly do we mean by ‘easy’? Many riders equate ‘easy’ with the fabled Zone 2 (55%-75% of FTP), but at its higher end – and depending on your state of fitness – it’s easy to stray above genuinely easy effort level. So it’s time to redefine easy.

In layman’s terms, easy should be regarded as riding within your comfort zone. At this intensity, you are adding to your training volume without inducing fatigue that could impact subsequent sessions. Duration of easy rides varies widely from a 30-minute active recovery spin to a six-hour endurance-building ride. What matters is getting the intensity right.

Easy versus Zone 2