Sell your Peloton on craigslist. Get a proper smart trainer and Trainerroad subscription instead.

Matt Wilpers is my favorite. I've done an IM and 2 - 70.3 races and only rode on my bike about 10x's.

I second Matt Wilpers. Most of his classes are based on power zones so you can get some long steady state workouts with his endurance rides.

Thanks, that's exactly what I needed.

I'll second those who are saying Matt Wilpers. Christine D'Ercole also has some similarly structured classes. I love the 90 minute ones.

Keep in mind you are free to do anything you want: pick whatever work and recovery zones you wish. I do that a lot too.

Enjoy!

-Eric

I have 13 weeks before my second half iron. Weather is still not the best for biking (which is my weakest sport). I’m primarily a runner. I can complete 13 miles. Did a long grueling 50k over December. Haven’t done much serious training lately. I want to use my peloton to start training for my half. I was encouraged at the positive response to using it for training. I do understand the bike trainer option being better but I want to use the peloton as it motivates me more right now. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Peloton is a very good option. Power zone workouts can be as hard as you want it to be. Depending on weather, available time, motivation, I combine Peloton with outdoor rides and trainer rides.

There is a 2x20 min PZ workout in June 2019 if you filter and scroll. I use it a lot.

Wilpers, as well as the older Christian Van Der Velde classes.

The other PZ instructors aren't bad--but for whatever reason, I feel like a better student with those two. More adherence their instruction vs just going off and racing the leaderboard.

There are some great Vande Velve and Hincapie sessions. Set the filters to PRO CYCLIST and you will see them all. I'm pretty sure though they have removed all the Hincapie sessions though :(

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Cheers, Ray

I have been having amazing improvements using the power zones classes. I do mostly power zones endurance workouts that are 30 minutes to an hour long 3-4 times a week. These workouts are usually zone 3 efforts with zone 2 recoveries. Make sure you do the 20 minute FTP test and set up your zones. Just doing this I have had this improvement - in October, off of decent bike fitness, my 20 minute power test was 225 watts. This corresponded to exactly what my test was the last time I did one, which was on a computrainer in about 2005. In January, I managed 267 watts average for 20 minutes. I just took it again last week and averaged 290 watts. I'm sure a lot of people will say 'Peloton is not for real triathletes', 'sell it and get a smart trainer', 'it;s not accurate' etc. etc, but my FTP has gone from 3.16 to 3.88 in 5 months and my heart rates in the different power zones are corresponding. Now I am anxious to see if it translates to racing next month.

Everyone will be different. Everyone will have their own opinion. I've been on Trainer Road for what feels like a decade. I bought a Peloton for variation and have also enjoyed it. If I do 4 indoor rides a week, 2 or 3 of them are on the Peloton, one on my trainer. Typically my long ride is on the trainer to achieve time in aero position and test my power. I've seen gains.

I haven't raced using this tactic being I got the Peloton during the covid times but will be interested in seeing the results this year. Part of training is enjoying it.

Because I know I'll get beat up based off the above... done two full distance races. Went 10:02 in texas a few years ago. You do you.

your 20 min power increase sure is good,

But I’d bet Your FTP hasn’t gone up that much...

I think it'd be nearly impossible to increase 20 min power without increasing FTP by a similar amount.

I’ve always had much easier time raising my 20 min power than my 60

Rarely do I have enough time / focus to train 60 mins ... but when I do I see decent gains

95% of 20 min isnt super accurate for me vs a full hour test.

I've never been able to bring myself to do a full hour FTP test. Mental block. Can't do it. But of the 5-6 40K TT's I do per year (I have zero issue *racing* for an hour) , power correlates pretty well with ramp test, 20 min test, mFTP, etc.

I don't understand why these days anyone would bother with the awful 60min test. So many easier alternatives. Just use WKO mFTP or similar and call it good. But that's just me.

But people who still like the standalone full-hour FTP test, power to 'em.

Unless it is a mental concentration thing over a 60 min test vs a 20 min test, you are bang on. But assuming one could then 60 min power just a percentage degradation of 20 min power.

for the question from the OP, it really does not matter what type of bike you ride...peloton, gravel, road, spin bike with zero metrics, TT bike etc etc etc. Pedaling is pedaling so as long as you increase your fitness pedaling, it will translate fairly quickly to TT position power. Just keep your hip angle on your peloton set up as closed as on your TT bike and it literally will take not much more than 5-10x rides outdoors in the TT position to get set for racing (at least up to a half IM distance....IM distance is another animal due to the long duration of concentration and digesting fuel)

Yeah, I agree there. I no longer judge. Whatever gets you turning the cranks consistently, that's good training. If it's Peloton, go all-in with Peloton.

I train similar to you

But someone who’s doing 20-30 min classes on peloton, probably isn’t seeing equivalent 60 min gains like a person properly training for a 40k TT

I agree as well. I’ve had a (dumb) trainer ready to go, albeit not in a dedicated space, with two very lovely bikes to choose from, and it’s just WAY more convenient and faster to get on the Peloton. I’ve ridden more in the past month than I have in the past year. And so much quieter.

I’m not really training for anything any longer but I am still training with an eye on Olympic or 70.3 fitness. I like to do my own workouts that I have stored in TrainerRoad 3x/week, and then 1-2 classes each week in between. Wilpers has an Alpe d’Huez “simulation” from 3/6/20 that is pretty brutal, and I do like his PZ classes too. CDE is much more low key than so many others that are more the cheerleading types, and Christian Van de Velde has some good ones too just for general fitness. I’m always on the lookout for something interesting to try.

I 2nd Christian Van Der Velde classes. Training is very dependent on the person training. If you have to train indoors I would invest in a trainer that actually uses the bike your would race on.

I'm doing 45-60 minute power zone endurance classes, 2-4 per week.

I'm also doing a 10 minute total body stretch every single night.

It is interesting that I am more comfortable on my tri bike (on the trainer) and putting out similar power to when I did all of my training on the tri bike. I can stay in aero for 60-90 minutes on the trainer which I could never do in the past. I'm attributing it to subtle tweaks in fit and the increased flexibility from stretching.

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Jason
None of the secrets of success will work unless you do.

But ... are CVV and GH any good without Bobke and Lance to goof on, respectively?

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

haha, that would be a sweet session to ride. Riding and diggin' on eachother at the same time. Epic.

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Cheers, Ray