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Cycling isn’t one-size-fits-all. Each discipline—Road, Gravel, and MTB (Cross-Country in particular)—demands a unique combination of fitness traits, technical ability, and psychological resilience.
If you’re switching disciplines or training for multiple events in the same year, understanding the physiological demands and training priorities of each is essential. Let’s break it down, and then I’ll show you how to adjust your training with practical examples and action steps.
Core Training Adjustments by Discipline
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Road Cycling: Optimize Steady-State & Surges
Why It Matters:
Road cycling is all about managing intensity over long durations. Whether you're attacking, chasing, or sitting in a bunch, you need strong threshold power and the ability to handle short surges followed by immediate recovery. This applies to amateur gran fondos, club races, and national-level road events alike.
Training Priorities:
- Threshold & Tempo Work (Zone 3–4): Build a strong aerobic base with long sub-threshold efforts. These make up the majority of a race and help with energy efficiency.
- VO2Max & Anaerobic (Zone 5–6): Use interval sets to simulate the sharp efforts needed to close gaps or attack on climbs.
- Endurance Rides (Zone 2): Improve fuel efficiency, fat utilization, and overall time-in-saddle conditioning.
Example Workout: Over-Unders (4x12 min):
- 2 min @ 95% FTP
- 2 min @ 105% FTP
- Repeat for 12 min sets (x4) with 5 min recovery
- Coach’s Note: Over-unders improve lactate clearance and tolerance, which is vital for pack surges and climbs.
Practical Suggestions:
- Do your long rides fasted or low-carb occasionally to simulate late-race fatigue and enhance fat-burning.
- Incorporate group rides as race simulations—learn positioning, draft tactics, and how to conserve energy.
- Periodically test FTP every 6–8 weeks using our FTP calculator or 20-min field test to reset zones.
Gravel Racing: Train for Durability & Nutrition
Why It Matters:
Gravel races demand sustained output across wildly varied surfaces, often over 4+ hours. The biggest performance limiter is usually fatigue resistance and fueling, not peak power. Think of gravel as a blend of road and MTB: long aerobic demands + unpredictable terrain + mechanical and nutritional challenges.
Training Priorities:
- Sweet Spot & Tempo Work: Sustainably high workloads without burning through your glycogen stores.
- Gut Training: Practice digesting real food and liquids at race pace.
- Seated Power & Core Work: You’ll spend long hours grinding in the saddle, especially on loose or uphill sections.
Example Workout: 3.5-hr Endurance Ride + 3x30 min Sweet Spot
- After 60 mins warm-up, perform 3x30 min at 85–90% FTP
- 10–15 min Zone 2 recovery between
- Finish with final 30 mins steady Endurance
- Coach’s Note: Do this on mixed terrain or gravel if possible—test equipment, food, and pacing strategy.
Practical Suggestions:
- Ride your gravel bike in training with the same tire pressure and gear you’ll race with.
- Practice DIY hydration stops or “rolling refuels”—simulate real race pacing with only short pauses.
- Use our calorie calculator to fine-tune nutrition targets per hour.
MTB XC/XCM: Focus on Anaerobic Power & Repeatability
Why It Matters:
MTB events, particularly XC and marathon (XCM), involve short, repeated bursts at or above max aerobic power—think 20–90 second climbs, punchy accelerations, and coasting descents. You also need superior technical handling and neuromuscular conditioning to navigate terrain efficiently.
Training Priorities:
- VO2Max & Anaerobic Capacity: Intervals under 3 minutes at 110–150% FTP mimic real MTB efforts.
- Sprints & Starts: The opening 1–2 minutes of a race often determine your race outcome.
- Strength & Skills: Upper body strength, mobility, and bike-handling are crucial.
Example Workout: Short Track Simulation (6x3 min HARD + 5x30s)
- 3 min @ 120–140% FTP
- 3 min full recovery
- Finish with 5x30 sec all-out sprints
- Coach’s Note: Ride this on undulating trails or simulate starts from a complete stop. Include clip-ins.
Practical Suggestions:
- Train your core and upper body 1–2x/week (push-ups, planks, deadlifts).
- Ride technical trails even in your aerobic sessions—bike handling must be automatic.
- Perform occasional “equipment check rides” to ensure your MTB setup matches your training load.
What If You’re Training for All Three?
Training across Road, Gravel, and MTB in a single season (or even within a month) is absolutely doable—with the right structure.
Instead of training in isolated blocks for each discipline, I recommend a parallel exposure model:
Ride Every Bike Weekly
Aim to ride each of your three bikes—road, gravel, and MTB—at least once per week. This keeps:
- Technical comfort on your MTB sharp
- Aerobic efficiency from your road sessions strong
- Durability and fueling skills primed on gravel
This approach ensures you never lose touch with any key skill set, and you maintain adaptation to each bike’s feel, geometry, and handling demands.
Prioritize the Most Important Discipline
Use the rest of your weekly rides (2–4 sessions) to emphasize the discipline that aligns with your next big event. For example:
- If your A race is a gravel fondo in 3 weeks, stack longer mixed-terrain rides + sweet spot work
- If you're preparing for XCO Nationals, focus on anaerobic capacity, short trail efforts, and strength
- 2 Weeks Out = Full Focus
Two weeks before race day, shift your full focus to the event discipline:
- Match your training terrain to race conditions
- Dial in your bike setup, fueling, and tire pressure
- Run race simulations at the same time of day and duration as the actual event
Practical Example: Mark, the Multisurface Rider
Background:
Mark is a 40-year-old full-time professional who juggles a busy job with family commitments. He has around 8–10 hours per week to train. His event calendar includes local criteriums in March, a 100 km gravel race in June, and an MTB marathon (XCM) in September. Mark enjoys all types of riding and wants to stay proficient across disciplines without burning out.
Mark’s Year-Round Strategy
Instead of dedicating long seasonal blocks to a single discipline, Mark takes a blended training approach:
- Road rides (2x/week): Threshold intervals and group rides for aerobic conditioning
- MTB session (1x/week): Trail time for technical skills and anaerobic bursts
- Gravel ride (1–2x/week): Sweet spot training and nutrition testing on mixed surfaces
This model keeps his technical handling, endurance, and event-specific skills sharp year-round—without having to “rebuild” for each bike.
Focus Shifts Before Events
Two weeks before each major event, Mark increases specificity:
- Switches 3–4 sessions to the event bike (e.g. gravel for June’s fondo)
- Matches terrain, pacing, and fueling strategy to the race profile
- Tapers volume slightly while maintaining intensity
This short, discipline-specific block lets him fine-tune race readiness while maintaining broad fitness across the year.
Coach’s Takeaway:
Mark’s success comes from training across all bikes year-round, with short, focused discipline shifts before races. This method is ideal for time-limited athletes who want to stay versatile and avoid large peaks and valleys in fitness or skills.
👉 Want a plan tailored like Mark’s? Apply for Coaching and we’ll build you a sustainable structure that fits work, life, and your racing goals.
Take Action: Build Smarter for Your Discipline
Know Your Numbers
- Use our Power Zone Calculator and FTP tool to update zones monthly.
- Recalculate after illness, off-season, or performance plateau.
Use Testing & Analytics
- Book a 1-on-1 Consultation to review your power profile, fatigue trends, and technical weaknesses.
- Learn how to use WKO5 and Strava data to pinpoint specific targets.
Get Expert Coaching
Apply for 1-on-1 Coaching designed around your event calendar, discipline transitions, and available time. Our coaches work with you to balance road, gravel, and MTB goals while adapting to your life schedule and training availability.
