Signed up yesterday but unsure if it will help me in my situation. I’ve been cycling since 2023 with just over 7000 km under my belt. As I prepared for a HM last october and a full Marathon this may I only cycled like 1.200-1.300 km since last october.
According to Garmin my stats are:
Male 28
Weight 79-80 kg
FTP 263w
3.27 w/kg
Vo2Max 55
Why did I register on TR? Well I used Runna and Garmin coach for running but realized now I never done anything similar for cycling. If I cycle during the week its just 19 km or 33 km outside or if it’s too hot or rainy I do a Z1 or Z2 on zwift for 40-50 min. If I have time on weekends I do 40-70 km on weekends. But like I said not much cycling this year. I go to the gym 4x per week (in the morning) and 1-2 runs per week (after work). Rest is cycling or hiking.
Now I talked to gemini and chatgpt with my stats etc and they came to the conclussion that TR will not really be worth it as I’m mostly lacking miles on the bike and my fitness is really good because of my running. I should first incrase milage and then come back to TR.
Currently my plan is to do the daily AI workouts and maybe do a workout plan during winter. What would you do in my situations?
For me… TR has always been about convenience. The more convenient it is to ride, the more you will. Bang for your buck, the best cycling value you can buy IMO.
Yeah, there’s things I don’t agree with but the workout player and easy to use app make it worth it.
I would agree. You do not do much cycling, sre no targetting snything, and other sports seem to be your priorities. Just enjoy riding when you can. You do not need to train.
Well I tried. First of all I had a 24h team race this past saturday/sunday and the AI Train now suggests a 1h easy ride around 130 w which sounds good but I think it’s a bit hard to do that outdoor especially in a hilly area that I have. Weather is too nice to stay inside that’s one of the reason I never did any structured training plan.
I was curious and created a plan. AI recommended 2 days per week but I also tried 3 times per week but I only get 3 (or 2 when choosing 2 days) “hard intervals” workouts. Nothing else. I choose today as the start of the plan and then it switches out the Ai Train now easy ride to the hard intervals despite my 24h race 2 days ago.
Maybe it’s better to come back during winter where i don’t mind to do only structured workouts. I think it’s hard to do it intentionally outside with running I have no problems
Well coming from a running standpoint it seems logical to me that I lack base work. Like I said above if I create a plan it only gives me 2-3 hard intervall workouts and no Z1 or Z2 stuff. Isn’t that also important for cycling?
I don’t really have a specific goal. Obviously faster, better FTP etc but I realize if it’s not my main sport it’s hard to be “good” at it.
Running definitely feeds into cycling, and a good amount of your fitness will transfer over to cycling, but there is a fair bit of cycling specificity that you need to be a really good cyclist.
Base training isn’t all about easy riding anymore. There are maybe some elite-level cyclists who spend small amounts of time each year only riding easy, but I don’t think that’s super common these days. This is especially true if you’re not riding elite-level volume. You’re likely leaving a lot of gains on the table and creating a smaller base with only easy riding.
If you’re really just looking to use cycling as cross-training for running right now, I’d ask what your run training looks like. Are you doing structured work? If you’re doing a bunch of structured workouts and some hard running, then Z1, 2, and maybe 3 are all you might need on the bike. If you’re not doing a bunch of hard workouts when you’re running, then it might be beneficial to do some structured bike workouts to top off your aerobic engine. Then running is just in place to keep your mechanical strength and fitness in place. That’s how I trained for my first HM.
TrainerRoad can help either way, but if you’re on the side of really only doing easy, unstructured rides, then I’d be less enthusiastic about encouraging you to sign up, though there may still be benefits. If there’s any part of you that wants to have some structure to your training and get more aerobically fit, while building bike-specific fitness (that would also apply to running), then TR is really a no-brainer.
Let me know if you have any other questions. Getting a plan set up is easy, but if you need help getting things in place how you’d like them, I’d be happy to help. We make initial recommendations based on your recent training history (make sure to sync that over), but ultimately, it’s in your hands to design the plan you want.
I just find it hard to do structured training outside. Today easy 130w is not really possible with my hills around me. Also you often have to stop at redlights etc. And during summer I only want to ride inside if it’s raining or it has 40 degrees celsius outside. That takes somehow the fun away.
And like I said I created a 2 and 3 day per week plan and it’s only says “hard intervall” every day which I find weird.
Currently also not really structured but I do 1x Zone 2 run + 1x Norwegian 4x4 run to get time in Z4 and Z5.
It has my whole history of garmin and strava data so that’s cool. I just don’t understand why it suggests 2 or 3 hard intervall rides as my only option
If you’re only riding 2 or 3 days a week, then you’ll probably be better with harder workouts. It takes a lot of easy riding to move the needle.
I could see doing two hard workouts and one long ride, but again, with lower volume plans, you’ll likely be better served with some more intensity.
Obviously, it’s good to have a mix of easy and hard riding, but as you continue to pull more and more volume away, keeping the really productive stuff until the very end often brings the best bang for your buck.
As for outside workouts, they can be tricky when you’re surrounded by rolling hills. Do you have any longer sustained climbing nearby? That’s where you can get really steady riding in for harder intervals. It can be a challenge, but finding ways to keep steady power in your local terrain can be a good skill to have.
TR has its issues but the real value is that it makes it super easy to build out and adjust effective training plans. I don’t agree with the notion that you need to increase your mileage before TR is worth it. Consistent & intentional training with specific goals in mind is how you get stronger and faster. What the decision really comes down to is what your goals are - if you just enjoy riding and don’t care too much about getting stronger then maybe not. But I think you’d find that faster and stronger = more fun on the bike, and having a high level of fitness is great for your overall health too.
Can you help me to set something up? I know it will not be ideal but if I pay 20 bucks per month it should be worth it and I don’t want to mess things up.
On July 26th I have a cycling event. 175 km 2500m elevation (not a race but I want to go as hard as I can). Did that already the last 2 years so no issue but i dont want hard workouts the days prior
From July 28th till August 2nd I’m on vacation where I bring my bike with me but I don’t want to do workouts
From Aug. 29th till Sept. 20th I’m again on vacation but this time I don’t have my bike with me.
I think its worth it, i do similar training like yours and i am satisfied with TR approach. It takes into account running. You definitely need structured cycling workouts…intense ones like sweet spot and threshold. This will really transfer to running…at least in my case. You will increase blood volume, glycogen storage, pump volume. Generally cycling transfers to running better than running to cycling. I do low volume and i see really good progress /for that volume/ in my running and cycling. I dont think that riding around will make you much better runner. Structure is not only power targets, not at all. You can do simple hill repeats with different durations, RPE and rest.
It looks like your event and first vacation were already on your calendar. I just added the second one.
If you run through Plan Builder, you should be able to customize the plan however you’d like.
How long do you want your plan to be? Do you have any other events you’re going to attend? What are your other goals? How many days a week do you want to train, which days of the week are they, and for how long each day?
I think it’s worth it, too. My wife recently suffered a medical emergency and my training time went to zero. After a couple of months, I’m able to start getting 4- to 6-hours on the bike per week. I want to maximize that time with as much structure as possible. And TR provides that structure. I don’t have to think about the workout to ride… I just do what is on my calendar. And it is working for me.
I’m asking how 3-4 h on TR helps me more for my 175 km bike event? Like, don’t I have to do miles on the bike? You can also run 3 x per week for a marathon, but 3 x 60 min of interval work will not cut it for a marathon.
No hate, I’m just curious. The 175km is not a race, but everyone obviously wants to be as fast as possible.
As for the Trainnow feature: without a training plan it currently only suggests endurance rides. Doesn’t matter if I select 30 min or 150 min.
Definitely want to do more Intervall stuff during winter but for now I mostly ride outside. I start to push myself (garmin classified as tempo workouts) which feels nice. Only do my 1-1:30 easy workouts on Zwift just so I don’t push to hard as my area is hilly
