Originally Posted by
Tom Officer
It's almost impossible to answer a question like this without much context. I would just mention this as a very general guideline. If you're training more than 10 or 12 hrs per week on average, then a good rule of thumb would be to spend 60-70% of your time at an endurance pace (at or below AeT), 20-30% of your time at or just below LT and the balance, around 10% above LT. That would include any races that you're doing, keep in mind that as Doofus mentioned when you have minimal hours, less than 6 or so, you have to do more intensity....just like Carmichael talks about. You just won't be able to hold fitness as long, before you need a break. To be honest there is so much that goes into what I might recommend for someone, such as age, experience, goals, work situation, family stuff, local riding scene, social factors....everyone is a little bit different. The coaches job is to find the best way to improve performance. Sometimes there are several ways to get there. But what you're saying about doing too much tempo and LT is a very common issue. It's tough to ride with others without getting caught in that trap.