So I’ve been commuting for the past month with my bike .. standard gravel bike with roughly extra 5kg of weight from accessories and work equipment.
I was struggling initially with recovery notably because I was always pushing to go as fast as possible.
Just wanted to know which zone chart of my route to work looks better. Bear in mind I am thinking for the long haul and am not competing in anything just commuting. Also for reference I am male age 42.
What should I be thinking about ?
For the easier ride my average speed was 10.9km/h and for the faster ride it’s 16.2km/h
Travelling 7.6 km.
by Icy-Succotash7032
3 Comments
Zone 2 is generally accepted across endurance sports as a zone to spend lots of training time. Its combination of elevated heart rate but sub strenuous effort lends itself to consistency and subsequent results with minimal rest required. It can be replicated even when rest is poor.
In the context of commuting, it’s also a good idea. You need to commute every day, so you need to be able put in acceptable effort to make it to work on time.
That said, variety is the spice. 10-20% at higher zones of your training time is a good start if you’d like to push the envelope without being exhausted all week.
What app are you using to show this data?
How do you know your max HR? Zones are very individual. A good rule of thumb for Zone 2 is still beeing able to talk while riding.
The 2nd Picture is more effective for gaining endurance. Try not to think to much about speed, you‘ll become faster as you ride consistantly. I startet with 30mins for 11k, being really smashed. Now it takes me 22mins, and I‘m pretty relaxed.