So this Tim Ferris bloke says you can do 80% of the training in 20% of the time, but doesn’t tell you how to do it!?
That’s just rubbish.

I’ve always found intervals get me up to speed quickest in the spring, but then I’m at the 22kph end of your range.

If you follow the 80-20 rule, only 20% of the competitors in your age group will be faster than you, surely.

No, you just need a bigger dosage when you’re older!

So what’s the question? You seem to know all about this 80:20 stuff, why not try it?

Not all the quickest guys are doing mega miles, I’d suggest if you’re just going out chasing average speeds you’re doing a lot of junk miles – start training, rather than just riding your bike and you’ll go faster.

Is this the same Tim Ferris who wrote the Four Hour Work Week?

I’d give him a wide berth personally.

Since the guys that are fastest (as in winning races/posting fastest times on strava) clock up some huge mileage (which I simply don’t have the time for) this would be ideal if i could put it into practice. I just dont know where to start and all the training articles seem to really focus on base miles which i know doesnt make you any faster.
I think you’re wrong about base miles not making you faster unfortunately – on their own no they won’t really, in conjunction with higher-intensity training they certainly do, and the 80-20 thing I’ll guess assumes you have a good base in the first place. Plus it’s a good selling point for someone’s training plan, we all want it easier/faster etc )
Good ‘base’ miles cause changes in the cardio system that mean harder training later has greater potential, as well as increasing endurance. According to some reputed guides I’ve read and some limited experience of altering my own riding on that basis anyway (for longer rides that is, not 1-2hr sprint races)

Those guys with 30 years on you are probably going faster as they have a better endurance base, built up over decades of miles. Never underestimate a weathered 60-year old roadie )

^ Interested yes, as I’m not doing any structured HI work at the mo, just riding a SS and steady road miles. Expecting to drop top-end rate ability but hoping I can gain that on the turbo between March-May and have a good base to work off.

Never underestimate a weathered 60-year old roadie, fell runner, climber, etc. etc.

fify 🙂

building the base of your training is the most important bit.

If you imagine your training as a triangle. the tip of this triangle is the peak of your fitness. The wider the base is the higher your peak is.
Therefore base miles create this foundation. Thats why the pros create a steady base all winter by riding slowly for a long time. This creates a bomb proof base enabling you to race all season. most people actually ride too hard thus not creating any base, slow controlled rides ideally 3 hours or more once a week.

http://www.fascatcoaching.com/sweetspotpartdeux.html

Aren’t some pros, inc Wiggins, now doing shorter high intensity work in the winter?

slow controlled rides ideally 3 hours or more once a week.
Is the base thought to be better/wider if you’re doing say 10-12hrs a week (3x4hrs, 2×5-6hrs etc) of base miles Jan-Feb, or is there a diminishing return? (assume you have time as well as getting a few shorter sharp-ish rides in)

If you’ve been doing sportives you’re probably already got a good base, so lots of long base level riding won’t bring you on too much.

Focus on intervals, based around what ever type of racing you want to do.

I find that doing 4 tabata sessions a week plus a longer steady state rides brings my fitness along in a big way.

I’ve had the time crunched cyclist recommended to me a few times and those that use it think it works well, each to their own though.

When I said minimum of 3hrs a week that was including loads of tempo stuff during the week.
I generally aim for 2x 4-5hrs a week then hill specific and mid tempo work.
Depends what you want out of your cycling and how long you want to train for though. I’m not imagining most people have 15-20 hrs a week.
Obviously though the high intensity comes in about feb then racing as well. But if you have the foundations you last longer.

Wiggo does plenty of 6 hr rides let me assure you. So does Dave millar. But they are paid to do it.

To sum it up, tabata and other HIIT increases your capacity to be miserable for short periods. Steady turbo miles increase your capacity to be miserable for longer. And long road miles are excellent for increasing your capacity for boredom. These are all much more important than who is 10% fitter- everyone knows that super-fit dude that breaks on the big hill.

Oh to have 15+ hours a week to train 🙁

as a non fit biker. Unless you are going to “WIN” surely the only thing that matters is that you improve regularly and keep improving and most of the time enjoy your riding.
if you are 5 seconds quicker every week and enjoy your riding isnt that better than not getting as close to the guy in front as you want and being disappointed.
if you want to be able to get closer to the guy in front, surely it then only matters what level that guy is ?
this might sound gobledegook but it makes sense to me 🙂

Indeed, ‘base’ no longer means Long Steady Distance, in fact it hasn’t really meant that for over a decade, instead the main focus of the base period is to increase Functional Threshold Power.

So to the OP, FTP is the key determinant of Sportive performance, wherein you focus on a stead state effort in order to achieve the best time you can. Therefore you should focus on ‘Sweet Spot’ efforts as these have been shown to offer significant increase in FTP for little physiological cost. Once you get to 8-6 weeks away from any events you might looks at more specific effort e.g 5 minute power, by improving FTP you be the default focus.

PS – you don’t need a power meter to improve FTP, 5 minute power etc, does make it easier though.

Link to explain sweetspot in more detail: http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/article/sweet-spot-training-for-cyclists-34902/

Ollie, useful info there. Was aware of and do some threshold work on the turbo but not the sweetspot zone, a good focus for road rides.