Reference: See here
In The News:
GCN Cycling News, Racing Results, Training, Tech & Guides | GCN
A crowdfunding campaign for the exercise bike, named HoloBike, has smashed its target, meaning holograms could soon be a part of indoor training
We rarely see the maglia rosa at the front of a sprint finish – UAE Team Emirates and Pogačar himself explain what happened
Rising Belgian star reveals kind words from 34-time Tour de France stage winner as he surprises himself with overall victory at Tour de Hongrie
Demi Vollering’s final-day exploits mean no other team has ever won a stage at the Spanish race, while the team are dominating once again after a mixed spring
More details: Found here
Dan Lloyd’s journey back to fitness and health: The importance of VO2 max | GCN
If you’re still sceptical (I would have been had I read this a year ago), please allow me to quote Peter Attia, one of the most respected longevity experts in the world. I’ve listened to a lot of his podcasts, and I’m most of the way through his book, Outlive: The Science ⁘ Art of Longevity. This is what he has to say on the subject of VO2 max:
“It is THE greatest predictor of lifespan. More strongly associated with reduced mortality risk than ANY other metric we know of.”
That’s not to say that the only thing we should be doing from here on in is trying to raise our VO2 max, it’s simply to highlight its importance. I’ll be covering the other things we should be paying attention to over the course of this series.
Reference: See here
Manon Lloyd heads back to the lab to find out how only riding at low intensity has shaped her fitness
No pain, no gain, right? For many years, that has been the philosophy followed by cyclists, leading to many gruelling hours on the bike.
Recent research has started to alter this perception, leading to the popularity of lower-intensity training methods, like polarised training, which sees riders spend the majority of their time riding at lower intensities, specifically zone 2. The concept is simple: training easier means training smarter.
We’ve previously spoken in depth about the virtues of zone 2 training with Tadej Pogačar’s coach, Iñigo San Millán , and while we’re in no position to question a man who has sculpted a two-time Tour de France winner, we wanted to find out just how effective zone 2 training actually is.
Those six weeks are now up, so it was time to find out what effect the training has had. Find out the results by watching the video at the top of this page, or read on for more background on the challenge.
Training zones are levels of intensity that can be calculated using a rider’s FTP or heart rate. There are varying training models available, but most include the same zone 2, which is often referred to as the endurance zone.
That’s because zone 2 is a lower intensity level that can be sustained for long periods of time. It’s for this reason that it is often swerved by cyclists, as people fall into the ‘no pain, no gain’ philosophy. As a result, many cyclists will only ride zone 2 at limited times in the year, usually in the winter when they want to build up their endurance, but neglect it the rest of the time.
As Iñigo San Millán explained when we interviewed him, though, the benefits of zone 2 riding go far beyond building endurance.
