The Base Training Secret: Why Slower Rides Make You Faster
We’ve all been here before, either at the start of training or the start of a race. The idea is to bust my tail to get in front of the pack as soon as possible and lead the race from start to finish. The end result is the same: somewhere around an hour or so in the race, we begin to fatigue and fall away from the lead pack.
Either through excitation or adrenaline, we decide that we can perform at Lactate Threshold (Zone 4) for the duration of the race.
This approach fails because sustaining Lactate Threshold output for extended periods is physiologically unsustainable for most riders. That early surge burns valuable glycogen stores too quickly, causing fatigue and performance drop-off. Riders often misunderstand their capacity at this intensity or underestimate the cost of riding above their aerobic base for too long.
What Is Zone 2?
Zone 2 is commonly referred to as the Aerobic Zone, or also known as the “Endurance Zone.” The Aerobic Zone sits above the Recovery Zone (Zone 1) and below the Tempo Zone (Zone 3). This corresponds to 55% to 75% of your Functional Threshold Power (FTP) or 60% to 70% of your Maximum Heart Rate. It’s the zone where the body primarily relies on aerobic metabolism, processing oxygen efficiently to fuel sustained efforts.
Zone 2 rides are endurance rides, typically ranging from one to five hours but can last even longer depending on the training phase and rider goals. Most riders spend the majority of their training time in Zone 2, as it closely matches a natural sustainable pace that can be maintained for extended periods without rapid fatigue.
These rides predominantly utilize Type I muscle fibers — slow-twitch fibers designed for endurance. The primary energy sources during Zone 2 are oxygen (O2) and adipose tissue (fat), which provides a slow but plentiful fuel supply compared to carbohydrates.
Benefits of Zone 2 Training
The primary objective of Zone 2 training is to build aerobic endurance. Aerobic endurance underpins all endurance performance by improving the body’s ability to supply energy efficiently over time. The key physiological benefits of aerobic endurance developed through Zone 2 training include:
Building aerobic fitness: This increases the cardiovascular system’s capacity to deliver oxygen-rich blood to working muscles, allowing you to sustain longer periods of exercise without fatigue.
Utilizing fat as an energy source: Training in Zone 2 trains the body to rely more heavily on fat metabolism, preserving limited glycogen stores for higher-intensity efforts. This shift benefits body composition and endurance by providing a larger and more sustainable fuel supply.
Promoting capillarization in muscle tissue: Capillaries are small blood vessels responsible for delivering oxygen and nutrients to muscle fibers. Increasing capillary density improves oxygen exchange and metabolic waste removal, enhancing muscular endurance.
Increasing mitochondrial volume density: Mitochondria are the powerhouses inside muscle cells that produce aerobic energy. More mitochondria mean a higher capacity to convert oxygen and fat into usable energy, delaying the onset of fatigue.
How Do Slow Rides Make You Faster?
Zone 2 training increases the efficiency of your aerobic system. Your body becomes better at converting oxygen and fat into usable energy, enabling you to sustain effort longer and recover faster. This allows glycogen, a limited and critical fuel source, to be conserved for higher-intensity bursts such as sprinting or climbing.
In addition, Zone 2 training improves the muscles’ ability to remove lactate and convert it into energy. Lactate is often viewed as a fatigue-causing byproduct, but with proper training, your body becomes more efficient at clearing and recycling it. This means you can sustain higher power outputs without accumulating fatigue-inducing lactate.
Because Zone 2 is classified as light to moderate intensity training, the risk of injury and overtraining is minimal compared to constant high-intensity workouts. This makes it sustainable over long periods and allows for progressive buildup of volume without overwhelming the body.
It also creates a solid aerobic foundation that supports future high-intensity training blocks by improving recovery capacity and metabolic flexibility.
The Challenge: Time and Commitment
One of the biggest obstacles with endurance training is that results often take time to show up or be felt. Two factors heavily influence this: time and commitment. Aerobic endurance develops slowly because it relies on physiological adaptations that require consistent training stress applied over weeks and months.
Building a strong aerobic base is a long-term process. It may take months or even years to reach your endurance goals. There are no shortcuts or quick fixes when it comes to base training. If you want to join the century-mile club, finish longer events strong, or compete at higher levels, you have to accumulate the necessary miles and hours on the bike.
Commitment breaks down into two critical questions: how committed are you to achieving your goal, and how much time can you realistically dedicate to training? Both influence how quickly and effectively you develop aerobic endurance. Training volume in Zone 2 is the driver of adaptation — without sufficient hours spent in this zone, progress stalls.
Avoiding Common Pitfalls
Most riders get impatient and push too hard too often, chasing speed and intensity while neglecting volume at the right intensity. This leads to burnout, injury, or plateauing. Success requires patience and discipline to stick with slower, longer rides that progressively increase aerobic capacity.
In practice, structured base training often involves several Zone 2 rides per week, lasting anywhere from one to five hours depending on fitness level and available time. Weekly totals can range from 8 to 12 hours or more, depending on the athlete’s goals and training phase.
Slower rides in Zone 2 build the physiological engine that powers all cycling performance. They train your body to burn fat efficiently, deliver oxygen effectively, clear lactate faster, and sustain longer efforts without premature fatigue. Without this foundation, high-intensity training and race efforts will be unsustainable.
If you want to improve endurance and overall cycling performance, build your base with Zone 2 training — steady, consistent, and intentional rides at the right intensity.
Are you ready to train with Trae Langley at Pedal Masters?