Training Babble: Off-Road Insights for Mountain Bike and Gravel Cycling
Real talk on endurance training for gravel and MTB racing. Host Dave Schell coaches and races events like Leadville 100 and Unbound 200, and each episode brings in coaches, physiologists, and industry insiders to dig into the physiology, nutrition, tactics, and training science that actually moves the needle for off-road endurance cyclists.
Training Babble: Off-Road Insights for Mountain Bike and Gravel Cycling
Durability with Matti Rowe
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Summary
Dave and Matty break down durability, the fitness quality that actually determines whether you finish strong or fall apart late in a long race. If you've ever wondered why your FTP keeps climbing but your race results don't, this episode is for you.
What we cover:
- Why durability matters more than FTP for gravel and ultra-endurance events, and what race-winning efforts actually look like in a power file
- The kilojoule bucket rule: a simple way to know if your training volume is enough to actually race your event hard
- How to measure durability without a lab, including the five-minute ratio test Matty uses with his athletes
- Why the "yes, no, maybe" pacing framework is the most honest way to know if you're going the right speed
- The dimensions of durability most athletes ignore: strength, mobility, riding positions, and technical skills
- How to train durability when you only have six hours a week (and why intensity is not the answer)
- Why volume adaptations take four to six weeks and why you need durable expectations to go with your durable fitness
- Back-to-back long rides, mini volume blocks, and why doing work ugly is the whole point
