The Real Cost of a Climb — and Why Your Ride Average Hides It
We isolated 1,900+ hours of pure climbing, second by second. On the steep stuff you're pushing more watts and going half your flat speed — but your ride average quietly buries it.
Training
Training
13 posts
The VO2max Interval Blueprint: What the Latest Science Says About Raising Your Ceiling
New research clarifies exactly how long, how hard, and how often to do VO2max intervals — and why getting the protocol wrong is almost as bad as skipping them entirely.
You're Probably Losing 15% of Your Watts Right Here in Your Pedal Stroke
New biomechanics research shows even experienced cyclists waste up to 15% of their energy through inefficient force application — here's the science behind where those watts go and how to reclaim them.
Forget the Perfect Program: New Research Says Just Lift Something
The American College of Sports Medicine's first update in 17 years reveals that consistency beats complexity for strength training benefits.
Cardiac Drift in Zone 2: Why Your Heart Rate Creeps Up
New research explains the heart rate drift phenomenon during long Zone 2 rides and what it means for training intensity management.
Inside CycleLytic: Terrain-Categorized Analytics for Honest Performance Tracking
Strava, Garmin, TrainingPeaks all hand you raw averages with no context attached. CycleLytic builds terrain back in — so your weekly trend actually means something.
Beyond the 20-Minute FTP Test: New Protocols Gain Traction
Ramp tests, AI-estimated thresholds, and duration-curve analysis offer alternatives to traditional FTP testing for training zones.
Polarized Training Isn't a Prescription—It's What the Best Cyclists Naturally Converge On
Professor Stephen Seiler's research shows elite endurance athletes cluster around 80% easy, 20% hard—not by design, but through evolutionary selection in training methodology.
Heavy Strength Training Improves Cycling Performance—But the Effect Size Might Surprise You
New 2026 meta-analysis finds strength training benefits time to exhaustion and time trials, but with low certainty of evidence and high variability in individual response.
Lifting Heavy Makes You Faster on the Bike—Here's the New Data
A 2026 meta-analysis confirms what coaches have suspected: strength training improves time trial performance and time to exhaustion for endurance cyclists.
The 30/15 Protocol: How Cutting Your Recovery in Half Maximizes VO2max Gains
Recent training research shows that 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off intervals deliver more time above 90% VO2max than traditional 3- and 5-minute efforts.
You're Not Slowing Down Because of Age — Here's What the Science Says
Masters cyclists are setting power PRs in their 50s. The real decline rate is far smaller than most riders think.
Your Indoor Training Doesn't Stop in Spring — A Smarter Hybrid Plan
The weather's improving, but the smartest cyclists don't abandon the trainer. Here's how to split your week between indoor intervals and outdoor rides for maximum gains.