I am at the end of LV SSB 1 and my prescribed threshold workouts usually look like this
Could someone enlighten me what the role of these endurance blocks at the start and the end might be?
Often they are following the warmup with a length of 20min, directly followed (without pause) by an 8min over-under-block.
That means at the end of the warmup I need to be at the start of a section which allows 20min easy riding directly followed by an ascent which allows at least for 8min monoton climbing allowing for a reasonable cadence.
Thats hard to find for me.
The following o-u-blocks are less of a problem, as I can use the scheduled pause to get to the start of another 8min ascend.
Just for the last ou block I suffer the same issue again, its directly followed by 20min endurance, forcing me into complicated terrain selection once more.
I checked workout alternatives, but most of them following a similar structure.
So I wonder, it’s called threshold workout. So why not doing warmup-threshold-cooldown?
If TR thinks I should add endurance work, I’d be happy to go on an endurance ride another time, no problem, I got plenty of terrain choice for that.
This workout is at Threshold 3.3, which is very low, with a duration of 90 minutes. At this level you will only be at threshold for so much time, so they add the zone 2 as a filler reach 90 minutes. As you advance the zone 2 time will be replaced with threshold and active recovery.
Thank you. Still I wonder why TR is insisting on these 90min then? If its just about filling time, I have plenty of other options available.
Zone 2 is useful for your performance, so it is not a waste of time. You will hopefully soon be at a higher level and then this will no longer be a concern. You can of course swap this for some other Threshold 3.3 +/- workouts of shorter duration with similar length of the threshold intervals.
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Indeed, if I check other durations than 90min I find more suitable alternatives.
I just wonder if I would somehow mess up my training or whatever idea TR might have for me when shortening the duration?
I see. Just swap it out if you want, and rate the new workout as easy if it really was. Then the next workout will be closer to a pure threshold workout. It takes some time to get at the right level when you start. I sometimes do a second (harder) threshold or VO2 workout the day after if the first one was rated easy. Eventually they become moderate or hard and then you know you are dialed in.
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I could be wrong, but my interpretation for these workouts has been how they translate into the real world. I often have events with timed segments, usually climbs. Going from z2 to threshold and vice versa challenges you to adapt at both ends without lower recovery intervals.
At least that is how I justify it in my mind. 
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