Threshold cycling workouts

What threshold riding trains

Threshold sessions train the ability to sustain demanding aerobic work near functional threshold power. The emphasis is on holding a controlled effort as fatigue builds. Starting aggressively and struggling through the rest of a block changes that task: a steady effort gives you a clearer way to practise the sustained riding this type is intended for.

Functional threshold power is a practical reference for prescribing cycling effort. It is not a promise that a given target can be held for an identical duration by every rider. A threshold workout is also different from an assessment of FTP. Use the stated structure to understand the session, rather than interpreting a challenging block as a test result.

Placing threshold sessions in a plan

Threshold work fits a day reserved for sustained intensity, with enough recovery from previous demanding riding to maintain control. It can support preparation for efforts such as sustained climbs and steady, hard riding. The rest of the week still needs room for easier aerobic work and recovery, especially when long rides also contain hard sections.

Consider threshold and VO2max sessions together when arranging hard days. They have different emphases, but both add substantial demand. A plan can develop sustained effort before adding more specific work for an event; the order depends on the event and your experience. Do not use missed sessions as a reason to crowd several hard days together.

Extending work near threshold

At beginner level, the first task is learning what a controlled threshold effort feels like and completing separated blocks without a sharp fade. Intermediate work can extend the sustained efforts or the total work accumulated. Advanced and elite structures may lengthen blocks, add repetitions or use changing efforts around threshold that require more control as fatigue develops.

Progress the structure when the current work is repeatable and the following training remains manageable. A higher target is not the only way to make threshold training harder. More time at the same relative effort can add demand. Choose the session that matches your present ability to sustain work, rather than choosing solely by its duration in the catalogue.

Find a session

Beginner: 3 · Intermediate: 3 · Advanced: 3 · Elite: 4

Sample sessions:

• Threshold Test Drive — Beginner
• Threshold 2×20 — Intermediate

Compare the other sessions in the session catalogue by name, level and total duration.

FTP means functional threshold power. The targets below are percentages of your own FTP; use a current personal reference.

Threshold Test Drive

Beginner · 55 minutes · Cycling

Introduction to threshold intensity. At or near your FTP.

Threshold 2×20

Intermediate · 75 minutes · Cycling

Classic 2×20 threshold. The benchmark for FTP improvement.

Session catalogue

The full structure of every session opens in Glood.

Related workout types

Compare sweet spot cycling workouts and vo2max cycling workouts for different session purposes. Browse all cycling workout types or read how to choose and build workouts in Glood.