Zone 2 Cycling: Is Your Endurance Zone Set Too High?

In this data-obsessed age, many riders are happy to grind along at 65-75% of FTP, assuming they’re riding in Zone 2 (endurance), just because TrainingPeaks says so.

But that’s often not the case.

We’re all unique athletes, built and responding differently to training stress.

It’s impossible to standardise us into neat little ranges, despite what the FTP/Zone model would have us believe.

While these models can be useful, they must also be challenged and adjusted to maximise your physiological potential.

What is Zone 2 in cycling?

Andy Coggan’s 7 standardised training zones were formalised, and it’s this model that is commonly referred to nowadays when cyclists talk about training in the correct zone.

But contrary to popular belief, zones are not some sort of solid physiological delineation, whereby you immediately change training adaptations when changing training zones.

They are an approximation of an underlying biochemistry, whereby specific effort causes a specific reaction.

For example, easy riding (z1-z2) triggers aerobic adaptation predominantly via fat metabolisation.

In other words, there’s plenty of wiggle room either side of them where you are still gaining the desired adaptation, but the trade-off is that you may also be accruing more fatigue (e.g. zone 3 riding during endurance workouts).

Remember, these zones are anchored to your FTP, which is itself an approximation of a biochemical tipping point that is constantly moving.

So the zones this creates are guidelines, not exact boundaries.

Is your Zone 2 too high?

Take, for example, coached rider Inigo Hawkings, who hit a series of power PBs, including exceeding 6 watts/kg for 20 minutes.

Inigo had been following the standard endurance zones in TrainingPeaks, sticking to 60-75% of FTP.

However, after analysing his endurance data in depth using WKO5, especially cardiac drift at certain wattages, we discovered that his LT1 (the point where lactate starts to rise consistently) was actually significantly lower than the traditional FTP zone model suggested.

We worked out that for Inigo to ride at HIS proper endurance power, he should be around 50-55% FTP.

Anything higher led to fatigue that outweighed the endurance benefits, impacting his breakthrough workouts later in the week.

After manually adjusting Inigo’s Zone 2 to just below the TP model, we waited to see the results.

Within a few months, he smashed his all-time power PBs across the board.

Why riding your easy days easier makes you faster

When we asked coach Andy Turner what had driven those gains, his answer was simple: Inigo had started riding his easy sessions easier, which allowed him to ride his hard sessions harder.

Those hard sessions drive the largest adaptations, so staying fresh for them is important.

How many of them a week you can absorb is its own question. We answer it in How Many Hard Sessions Can a Cyclist Over 50 Handle in a Week?

How do you find your real Zone 2?

The principle this illustrates goes beyond one athlete.

The FTP zone model is a useful starting point, not a biological constant.

For some riders, genuine endurance power is considerably lower than the standard model suggests. For others, the range is wider.

Without individual analysis, you may well be training too hard, or too easy, and thereby compromising progress.

This is why we harp on about the importance of RPE: being able to actually feel where your zones are on any given day, rather than blindly following what your Garmin says.

We all have unique physiological makeups. Your training must be adapted to these nuances if you really want to achieve your full potential.

If you’ve been following the standard TP zones without testing whether they’re actually correct for you, Book a free consultation with a DUCHY coach.