Sustained Power HV Sweet Spot workouts - can I sub these for endurance rides or will I lose too much benefit?

The other thing to keep in mind for endurance rides, is it isn’t just about mimicking the strain or stress or tss of the sweet spot ride. Yes, a 130 TSS endurance versus SS ride ride might produce less stimulus for adaptation, (or if you do it right, maybe just as much), but no matter what, it should also produce less fatigue, allowing for stronger intervals during the week, and more sustained training over the course of a season and years. Which is where real improvement comes, sustainability over years, not just about maximizing FTP over a single phase of your training.

I wish i knew the podcast Chad talked about this, but i believe the primary reason all/most plans don’t have a weekend long ride(s) is a logistical one, and the fact that most riders did not complete them when they were on the plans. not because it doesn’t provide greater physiological benefit.

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Those are some liberties you’re taking. Eclipse+3 is the hardest of the ss workouts, with the rest at .8 IF. 35-40 is really soft pedaling at 59 to 63% if you push that closer to 70% then a 3 hour ride isn’t all that different in tss.

I agree though that the two target different systems but we’re talking about 120 to 130 tss rides barring the eclipse example. So if you need to do your steady state workout at around .6, you would probably benefit from more endurance work.

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It was quick math :man_shrugging:

“Endurance” is a wide range. Yes, if OP can get a consistent and uninterrupted amount of 70-75% FTP TiZ outside for 3.5 hours, that might be enough to offset the SS workout. Realistically though, most people can’t accomplish that due to the nature of their terrain (or the general way that most people ride outside)

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After a week of indoor intervals, I often went outside on the weekends. I would go outside and ride 3-5hrs endurance w/a 20min tempo or sweet spot effort thrown in. The other option if I wasn’t too mental from the weekday workouts, life, etc., I would do the intervals indoors and then go outside and add on some easy mileage. Lastly, you can always take the intervals and do them outdoors. Whatever you do, make sure you do not overdo it and go into the following Tue VO2 too fatigued.

I would not worry about TSS. Go ride. Avoid/minimize any coasting. As @martinheadon said, “chain tight”. If you’re nailing the weekday workouts and get solid 3-5hr endurance rides maybe w/a 20min tempo or sweet spot effort thrown in on Sat and Sun, you will be fine.

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I’d say many people have a hard time holding .75 for three hours straight as few do it. It is difficult with stop signs and hills. I ride my fixed gear bike around a fairly flat 7 mile circuit that has minimal stops and it’s a great and safe way to train outside.

If you ride at the upper limit of endurance and hold it for 3-3.5 hours you’ll get as much benefit as a typical 2 hour at sweet spot trainer ride.

The issue is most don’t know how to ride like that and spend 30-50% of their time coasting or in active recovery during “endurance” rides.

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