Train easier. Finish stronger.

Across a full season of semi-pro cyclists, riders who improved durability the most also shifted toward higher carbohydrate oxidation when fatigued. Late-ride power held up better when the system could keep burning carbs, not fat. Fresh lab numbers didn’t tell the full story. Field durability did.

What this means

Durability is the ability to keep producing power after hours of work. Fuel helps, but the limiter is whether you can still access that fuel and recruit muscle effectively late. So you need to 1) arrive with carbs available and 2) train the nervous–muscular system to use them under fatigue.

Fuel to enable

• Key days: 90–110 g CHO/h from minute 0. If gut-trained and event demands it, push higher. Keep sodium consistent.
• Pre-ride: 2–3 g/kg CHO in the 3–4 h window. Small top-up 15 min before hard starts.

Measure

• Track 10–20 min power after 2–3 h versus fresh.
• Watch Pw:HR drift on fixed-power endurance.
• If the gap narrows for two consecutive weeks and drift falls, your durability is improving.

Bottom line

Keep carbs flowing and train recruitment in the tired state. That combination moves durability, not just your fresh numbers.

Source

• Ørtenblad N. et al. 2024. Substrate utilisation and durability during prolonged intermittent cycling in elite road cyclists. Eur J Appl Physiol.

On my mindFind Your People

I’ve coached riders who’ve gone from mid-pack to world-class.

What separated them wasn’t genetics (Once you've chosen good parents), luck, or fancy gear. It was this.

They treated the boring work — recovery rides, strength progressions, fueling logs — like the big work.

They showed up for the tiny details that no one else cared about.

And when race day came, those details made the difference between holding on and breaking away.

You can do the same.

Start treating your “small” tasks — consistency, sleep, nutrition — like championship work.

Because they are.

Damian