Big Base Day
210 min · 124-151 TSS · IF 0.62 · 55-70% FTP · Zone 2
What this workout does
A long day out that builds deep aerobic fitness. Duration is the workout - steady, unhurried riding for hours teaches your body to burn fat efficiently and resist fatigue.
Multi-hour riding at 58-68% FTP is the strongest stimulus there is for fat-burning capacity, glycogen sparing, and fatigue resistance in the slow-twitch fibers that carry you through long events. The final hour, ridden on tired legs, is where much of the adaptation happens. Place it on your biggest free day, with an easy day to follow.
How to ride it
Indoor / trainer
Ride 3.5 hours at 58-68% FTP. Eat something every 45 minutes from the first hour, drink constantly, and hold the same controlled effort in hour three as in hour one.
Outside
Plan a big loop with refill stops and settle in at 58-68% FTP. Pace the first hour like you are saving up for the last one - because you are. Spin home easy at the end.
Workout structure (210 min)
- Warm-up 15m ramp 50-62% - Steady 1h 30m 63% - Steady 1h 35m 63% - finish 10m 54%
Targets are a percentage of FTP. This is the same shorthand the free workout builder understands — paste it there to edit any step, or download the workout for Zwift, Garmin or any smart trainer.
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