Long or short outdoors rides?

I am confused as I use to do a 4-5 hours ride once on the weekend. And I use to follow a TR plan during the week. Almost all year long, excepting some weeks because holidays, work traveling… And then I see many friends that only make 2-3 outdoors rides maximum 1.5-2 hours each one, and 3-4 hours weekend. They don’t follow any training plan…and they are beasts. A whole world apart. Difference is hughe. And I keep training with TR as a pig during several years, month after month, and I can’t see gap is reduced. Should I go for a polarized plan? Maybe is better for me as I won’t spend so many hours on threshold as I used with previous TR plans and I will be more time on “easy time”?

People are different and have different ceilings and training response. Maybe you will never be able to reduce the gap, as your friends will never reduce the gap to pro cyclists. Some people simply won a better genes in the lottery. The only solution would be rebirth and choosing your parents carefully during the process.

You should see improvemnts with your training. If improvements stop, it’s probably time to introduce other stimulus (volume or type of intensity). If you are following the tr plan year after year, probably you are doing exactly the same thing for years - so similar volume or type of intensity. If you do not see any changes, maybe it’s a good time to introduce some new kind of progression. Maybe add volume or maybe more threshold and vo2 max work (depends what is your current limiter).

But no matter as good you are, there always be someone better, sometimes someone who started to ride a bike last week :slight_smile: it is your training and your journey, do not compare to other people.

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