Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast - Presented by TrainerRoad

Donate to Hannah’s World Bicycle Relief Fundraiser: https://beyond-the-summit.raiselysite.com/ 

🚀 Try TrainerRoad risk-free! 👉 ⁠www.TrainerRoad.com

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iTunes: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/apple2⁠ 
Spotify: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/spotify2⁠
Google Podcasts: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/google⁠

// TOPICS COVERED
(00:00:00) Which Workouts Do Cyclists Struggle With the Most?
(00:05:01) Life TSS: When to Push Through and When to Back Off
(00:06:21) Inside the Data: A Filtered Sample of 60,000+ Athletes
(00:12:35) 85% of AI-Prescribed Workouts Went to Plan (vs Picking Your Own)
(00:16:33) Why Recovery Rides Go Wrong More Than Endurance Rides
(00:20:21) The Hardest Workout Type (and Where Over-Unders Really Rank)
(00:28:08) Why Sweet Spot Workouts Rarely Go Wrong
(00:30:34) Why Steady Training Weeks Beat Big Spikes
(00:42:11) Longer Workouts Go Wrong More Often, but Not Equally
(00:44:29) Race Pacing: Treat Every Climb Like an Interval
(00:47:46) What Cyclists Actually Do When They Skip a Workout
(00:57:15) Worlds to Chequamegon in 6 Days: Hannah's Lesson on the Confidence to Rest
(01:02:24) Hannah's Kilimanjaro Record Attempt: Up and Down by Bike in One Day
(01:14:01) Soldier Hollow World Cup and NICA Racing

What's the hardest type of cycling workout? We looked at TrainerRoad data from a filtered sample of over 60,000 athletes and 12 months of planned workouts to find out. Pro cyclist Hannah Otto joins Coach Jonathan to break it down.
Anaerobic attacks top the list, followed by threshold hard starts and threshold sustained power workouts. Threshold over-unders, the workout everyone loves to hate, landed right in the middle. Sweet spot workouts sat near the bottom, with fewer problems than any threshold, VO2 max, or anaerobic workout. The surprise was recovery rides. They went off track more often than endurance rides. And when athletes swapped a recovery ride for an unstructured one, the median ride came in at nearly three times the planned TSS.
We also cover why longer VO2 max and anaerobic workouts get riskier past the 75 to 120 minute mark and how to use that to pace your races. We talk about why consistent training weeks beat big spikes, and how Hannah recovered between Marathon World Championships and Chequamegon. Plus, she explains her attempt to set the women's record for riding up and down Kilimanjaro in a single day, which is also a fundraiser for World Bicycle Relief.

// RESOURCES MENTIONED
- Sign up for TrainerRoad! ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/GetFaster⁠
- Follow TrainerRoad on Instagram 📸 https://www.instagram.com/TrainerRoad 

// TRY TRAINERROAD RISK FREE FOR 30 DAYS!
https://trainerroad.cc/GetFaster⁠ TrainerRoad is the #1 cycling training app. No other cycling app is more effective. Over 17,000 positive reviews, a 4.9 star App Store rating.

// HELPFUL LINKS
- Have a question for the podcast? Ask here: https://www.TrainerRoad.com/podcast 
- TrainerRoad on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/trainerroad/⁠
- TrainerRoad Forum: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3uHvLnE⁠
- TrainerRoad on Strava: ⁠https://www.strava.com/clubs/trainerroad⁠
- TrainerRoad on Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/TrainerRd⁠
- TrainerRoad on X: ⁠https://www.x.com/TrainerRoad⁠ 
- Learn more about TrainerRoad: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3LBb5Ur⁠⁠ 
- Listen to the Successful Athletes Podcast: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3JmKrN5⁠
- Listen to the Science of Getting Faster Podcast: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3LpuIhP⁠
- Training Blog: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3gCdNdN

🚀 Try TrainerRoad risk-free! 👉 ⁠www.TrainerRoad.com⁠

// SHARE AND RATE THE PODCAST!
iTunes: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/apple2⁠ 
Spotify: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/spotify2⁠
Google Podcasts: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/google⁠

// TOPICS COVERED
(00:00:00) Why Consistency Is the Key to Getting Faster
(00:01:33) What Is Training Variability? The Formula Explained
(00:02:28) Training Variability Scores: Steady, Moderate, Uneven, Erratic
(00:03:19) How We Analyzed 30,000 Everyday Cyclists
(00:06:54) What Steady vs Erratic Training Looks Like
(00:08:25) Steady Riders Gain More FTP at Every Training Volume
(00:10:46) Consistency vs More Training Hours: Which Raises FTP More?
(00:12:11) Erratic Training Makes You 3 to 4x More Likely to Lose FTP
(00:13:02) Does It Hold Up for 20 and 60 Minute Power?
(00:13:37) Steady vs Erratic Training Over 12 Months
(00:14:57) Why Big Training Weeks and Training Camps Can Backfire
(00:17:28) One Long Ride vs Three Rides Per Week
(00:19:43) How to Calculate Your Training Variability Score
(00:20:16) Key Takeaways: Steady Low Hours Beat Erratic High Hours
(00:20:39) Do Recovery Weeks Hurt Your Consistency Score?
(00:22:05) What Helps Cyclists Train More Consistently
(00:23:18) Real Athlete Tips for Staying Consistent

Training variability is a new way to measure training consistency, and it may be the reason your FTP is stuck. Coach Jonathan Lee looks at a sample of more than 30,000 everyday cyclists to show how closely steady training weeks are linked to FTP gains, and why both skipped weeks and huge weeks come with worse results.
You'll learn what training variability is, how to calculate your own score from your last 12 weeks of riding, what a good score looks like, and why recovery weeks don't count against you. Plus, real tips from TrainerRoad athletes on how to train more consistently.
This is a correlational analysis of TrainerRoad athlete data, not a controlled experiment. The same pattern showed up in 20 and 60 minute power, not just FTP.

// RESOURCES MENTIONED
- Sign up for TrainerRoad! ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/GetFaster⁠
- Follow TrainerRoad on Instagram 📸 https://www.instagram.com/TrainerRoad 

// TRY TRAINERROAD RISK FREE FOR 30 DAYS!
https://trainerroad.cc/GetFaster⁠ TrainerRoad is the #1 cycling training app. No other cycling app is more effective. Over 17,000 positive reviews, a 4.9 star App Store rating.

// HELPFUL LINKS
- Have a question for the podcast? Ask here: https://www.TrainerRoad.com/podcast 
- TrainerRoad on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/trainerroad/⁠
- TrainerRoad Forum: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3uHvLnE⁠
- TrainerRoad on Strava: ⁠https://www.strava.com/clubs/trainerroad⁠
- TrainerRoad on Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/TrainerRd⁠
- TrainerRoad on X: ⁠https://www.x.com/TrainerRoad⁠ 
- Learn more about TrainerRoad: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3LBb5Ur⁠⁠ 
- Listen to the Successful Athletes Podcast: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3JmKrN5⁠
- Listen to the Science of Getting Faster Podcast: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3LpuIhP⁠
- Training Blog: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3gCdNdN

🚀 Try TrainerRoad risk-free! 👉 ⁠www.TrainerRoad.com⁠

// SHARE AND RATE THE PODCAST!
iTunes: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/apple2⁠ 
Spotify: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/spotify2⁠
Google Podcasts: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/google⁠

// TOPICS COVERED
(00:00:00) Two Hard Days vs Three Hard Days Per Week
(00:01:41) What Hard Training Does Inside Your Muscles
(00:03:53) Why the Fitness Signal Fades Within 24 Hours
(00:07:21) How Much Recovery You Need Between Hard Days
(00:08:47) Where the Two Hard Days Rule Came From
(00:11:20) Research on Three Hard Days for Low Volume Riders
(00:14:48) What the Research Says Overall
(00:16:12) TrainerRoad Data: Two vs Three Hard Days
(00:18:51) Does Age Change the Answer?
(00:20:14) Does Training Volume Change the Answer?
(00:20:58) Do Three Hard Days Cause More Skipped or Failed Workouts?
(00:22:36) What the Data Says for Most Riders
(00:24:00) How to Add a Third Hard Day

Is it better to train hard two days a week or three? A 42-year-old listener has been told by his friends that three hard workouts a week is overtraining, yet he keeps getting faster while they stagnate. Coach Jonathan Lee digs into the research and a filtered sample of over 14,000 TrainerRoad athletes to settle it.
You will learn what a hard session actually does inside your muscles, why the adaptation signal fades within about 24 hours, where the two-hard-days rule came from, and how power PRs from 5 to 60 minutes compare for riders doing two versus three hard workouts per week, broken down by age and training volume. Plus, how to add a third hard day without digging a hole.
Topics: interval training frequency, VO2 max, threshold, sweet spot, recovery, mitochondria, low volume training, masters cyclists.

// RESOURCES MENTIONED
- Sign up for TrainerRoad! ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/GetFaster⁠
- Follow TrainerRoad on Instagram 📸 https://www.instagram.com/TrainerRoad 

// TRY TRAINERROAD RISK FREE FOR 30 DAYS!
https://trainerroad.cc/GetFaster⁠ TrainerRoad is the #1 cycling training app. No other cycling app is more effective. Over 17,000 positive reviews, a 4.9 star App Store rating.

// HELPFUL LINKS
- Have a question for the podcast? Ask here: https://www.TrainerRoad.com/podcast 
- TrainerRoad on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/trainerroad/⁠
- TrainerRoad Forum: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3uHvLnE⁠
- TrainerRoad on Strava: ⁠https://www.strava.com/clubs/trainerroad⁠
- TrainerRoad on Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/TrainerRd⁠
- TrainerRoad on X: ⁠https://www.x.com/TrainerRoad⁠ 
- Learn more about TrainerRoad: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3LBb5Ur⁠⁠ 
- Listen to the Successful Athletes Podcast: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3JmKrN5⁠
- Listen to the Science of Getting Faster Podcast: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3LpuIhP⁠
- Training Blog: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3gCdNdN

🚀 Try TrainerRoad risk-free! 👉 ⁠www.TrainerRoad.com⁠

// SHARE AND RATE THE PODCAST!
iTunes: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/apple2⁠ 
Spotify: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/spotify2⁠
Google Podcasts: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/google⁠

// TOPICS COVERED
(00:00:00) Does Strength Training Make You Faster?  
(00:07:02) How Often Should Cyclists Strength Train?  
(00:10:43) Why Women May Gain More From Strength Training  
(00:13:57) Strength Training for Older Cyclists  
(00:23:28) Year-Round Strength Training Beats Cramming  
(00:28:44) How to Avoid Strength Training Soreness  
(00:38:25) Can Mathieu van der Poel Win MTB Worlds?  
(00:49:10) Do Pull-Ups Help Cyclists Sprint?  
(00:56:21) Is Tonal Worth It for Cyclists?  
(01:02:32) Strength Training for a Bigger Sprint
(01:16:40) How to Train Around a Broken Wrist

In this episode of the Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast, presented by TrainerRoad, Coach Jonathan Lee welcomes Derek Teel of Dialed Health to discuss strength training for cyclists. Jonathan shares an observational analysis of a filtered 24-month sample of more than 120,000 athletes, examining how strength-training frequency and year-round consistency correlate with FTP, watts per kilogram, and power across cycling durations. Derek explains how lighter, more frequent sessions can reduce soreness, how pull-ups and full-body strength may support sprinting, and what the data suggest for women and older cyclists. They also compare Tonal with kettlebells and free weights, cover injury prevention and limiting muscle loss during Jonathan’s wrist recovery, and assess Mathieu Van der Poel’s prospects at the Mountain Bike World Championships.

// RESOURCES MENTIONED
- Sign up for TrainerRoad! ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/GetFaster⁠
- Follow TrainerRoad on Instagram 📸 https://www.instagram.com/TrainerRoad 
- Follow Dialed Health on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dialedhealth 
- Strength Training Blog Post: https://www.trainerroad.com/blog/how-often-should-you-strength-train-for-cycling/

// TRY TRAINERROAD RISK FREE FOR 30 DAYS!
https://trainerroad.cc/GetFaster⁠ TrainerRoad is the #1 cycling training app. No other cycling app is more effective. Over 17,000 positive reviews, a 4.9 star App Store rating.

// HELPFUL LINKS
- Have a question for the podcast? Ask here: https://www.TrainerRoad.com/podcast 
- TrainerRoad on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/trainerroad/⁠
- TrainerRoad Forum: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3uHvLnE⁠
- TrainerRoad on Strava: ⁠https://www.strava.com/clubs/trainerroad⁠
- TrainerRoad on Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/TrainerRd⁠
- TrainerRoad on X: ⁠https://www.x.com/TrainerRoad⁠ 
- Learn more about TrainerRoad: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3LBb5Ur⁠⁠ 
- Listen to the Successful Athletes Podcast: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3JmKrN5⁠
- Listen to the Science of Getting Faster Podcast: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3LpuIhP⁠
- Training Blog: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3gCdNdN

🚀 Try TrainerRoad risk-free! 👉 ⁠www.TrainerRoad.com⁠

- Donate to Jonathan’s Leadville Foundation Fundraiser: https://give.ltfoundation.org/leejonathan

// SHARE AND RATE THE PODCAST!
iTunes: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/apple2⁠ 
Spotify: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/spotify2⁠
Google Podcasts: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/google⁠

// TOPICS COVERED
(00:00:00) Jonathan’s Leadville Injury and Training Update
(00:12:20) Becoming a More Well-Rounded Athlete
(00:15:15) How the 2026 Leadville Course Changed
(00:19:25) The FTP and W/kg Needed for a Leadville Buckle
(00:24:05) How Rare Is Buckle-Level Fitness?
(00:26:45) How Much Altitude Acclimatization Helps
(00:28:15) Why Aerodynamics Matter More This Year
(00:31:10) Final Leadville Buckle Targets and Takeaways

The 2026 Leadville Trail 100 MTB course is shorter, climbs nearly 1,900 feet less, and has tighter belt-buckle cutoffs. Coach Jonathan Lee breaks down the FTP and watts per kilogram needed for the big and small Leadville buckles, how rare that fitness is by age and gender, and why altitude acclimatization and aerodynamics matter more than ever, plus why a fractured scaphoid ended his own Leadville race before it even began.

// RESOURCES MENTIONED
- Sign up for TrainerRoad! ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/GetFaster⁠
- Follow Keegan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keegels99 
- Specialized Off-Road Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/specialized_offroadracing 
- Donate to Jonathan’s Leadville Foundation Fundraiser: https://give.ltfoundation.org/leejonathan 
- Follow TrainerRoad on Instagram 📸 https://www.instagram.com/TrainerRoad 

// TRY TRAINERROAD RISK FREE FOR 30 DAYS!
https://trainerroad.cc/GetFaster⁠ TrainerRoad is the #1 cycling training app. No other cycling app is more effective. Over 17,000 positive reviews, a 4.9 star App Store rating.

// HELPFUL LINKS
- Have a question for the podcast? Ask here: https://www.TrainerRoad.com/podcast 
- TrainerRoad on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/trainerroad/⁠
- TrainerRoad Forum: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3uHvLnE⁠
- TrainerRoad on Strava: ⁠https://www.strava.com/clubs/trainerroad⁠
- TrainerRoad on Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/TrainerRd⁠
- TrainerRoad on X: ⁠https://www.x.com/TrainerRoad⁠ 
- Learn more about TrainerRoad: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3LBb5Ur⁠⁠ 
- Listen to the Successful Athletes Podcast: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3JmKrN5⁠
- Listen to the Science of Getting Faster Podcast: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3LpuIhP⁠
- Training Blog: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3gCdNdN