How to ride Zone 2 outdoors without spiking

What Zone 2 is

In the widely used Coggan power zones, Zone 2 (endurance) is about 56 to 75% of FTP. By heart rate it’s usually zone 2 of a five-zone model, though zone numbers differ between models, and by feel it’s a pace where you can talk in full sentences. Most of an endurance-focused week is spent there.

A few seconds over the line won’t ruin the ride. What does is a long ride with dozens of short spikes into tempo and above, which turns it into a different, more tiring ride. The aim is to keep spikes few and short.

Climbs: the main source

On a climb, the slowest speed you can comfortably balance at sets a minimum power. If that minimum is above your Zone 2 ceiling, no amount of discipline keeps you in zone. That depends on the gradient, your weight and your gearing.

What helps:

• Gearing. A compact or sub-compact chainset with a large cassette lets you keep pedalling slowly on steeper grades. On a gravel bike, a 1x setup with a big rear cog does the same.
• Cadence. Shift down early and spin. A low gear doesn’t lower the power a given speed needs, but it lets you ride slower with light pedal strokes.
• Route choice. Long, gentle climbs can be ridden in Zone 2. Short, steep ramps usually can’t. If your area is hilly, the valley roads keep the ride in zone.

When a ramp forces you over, ride it as softly as the gear allows, and settle back at the top rather than coasting until you’ve “made up for it”.

Descents and coasting

On a steep descent, power drops to near zero. That isn’t a problem for a Zone 2 ride, as long as it’s a small part of it. A route with lots of climbing and descending averages Zone 2 by mixing tempo and zero, which isn’t the same training. On shallow descents, keep pedalling lightly.

Wind

On a flat road, a headwind acts like a climb and a tailwind like a descent. A strong headwind can push even the slowest sensible speed above Zone 2, and a tailwind leaves you with nothing to push against. Check the forecast, ride out into the wind while you’re fresh, and pick sheltered roads on windy days.

Junctions and restarts

Every stop ends in a restart, and the first few pedal strokes from standstill are often well above Zone 2. Shift into a low gear before you stop and accelerate gently. A route with long stretches between junctions has fewer restarts. Group rides are the other classic Zone 2 breaker: unless everyone agrees on the pace, someone surges.

Power or heart rate, and drift

Power responds instantly, so it’s the better guide to the terrain: you see the climb in the number straight away. Heart rate responds slowly and drifts. On a long ride, especially in heat or when you’re short on fluids, heart rate rises at the same power. That’s called cardiac drift.

If you have both, a common approach is to cap the ride by power and watch heart rate for drift. If heart rate keeps climbing while power stays put, ease off, drink, or shorten the ride. Without a power meter, cap by heart rate and accept that it’s slow to show a climb: ease off at the bottom, not when the number finally rises.

A route that stays flat where you need it

Gritmaps has a 90-minute Aerobic Endurance ride in its built-in library, a steady Zone 2 block that you can adjust in 15-minute steps, and the Gentle instant workout for a shorter easy spin. For easy riding the route is scored with the target as a ceiling. It gets marked down where the terrain would force you above Zone 2, like a ramp too steep to ride easily, and riding below costs nothing. Wind is forecast for your start time, and junctions and traffic are scored too. The Quiet roads profile keeps you on low-traffic lanes.

After the ride, the ride analysis counts easy stretches as on target as long as you stayed in Zone 2 or below. Generating routes is free. Create your free account and plan your next long ride.