Oxygenaddict Triathlon Podcast · Rob Wilby

Winter Training That Actually Works: Real Athlete Questions Answered | Ep 566

·30 min·1 clip

ERG mode can create a 'spiral of death' when cadence starts dropping.

1. Oxygenaddict Triathlon Podcast Ep 566 answers winter bike and run training questions for summer Ironman and 70.3 preparation. 2. Coach Rob Wilby from Team Oxygen Addict hosts the episode and frames it as coaching advice for busy age-group triathletes. 3. The episode is for athletes asking how to spend winter training time so next season's race fitness improves. 4. Rob says structured indoor bike intervals deliver a faster increase in fitness than unstructured Zwift rides or group rides outdoors. 5. He recommends two structured interval sessions and one longer unstructured aerobic ride each week. 6. He says social rides and fresh air still matter if they help an athlete complete training that would otherwise be skipped. 7. Rob notes that a one-hour indoor bike session can take about an hour and five minutes if the bike is left set up on the trainer. 8. He says learning aero position is like interval training for the body because the position feels significantly different at first. 9. Rob gives a four-to-six-week window for moving from road-bike comfort to dedicated TT position comfort. 10. He says the first indoor aero work can focus on elbows on pads and hands on extensions before outdoor head-up riding is added. 11. He says outdoor aero rides often make the neck sore because the rider must look up the road and deal with uneven surfaces and potholes. 12. Rob says upgrading from mechanical to mechanical group sets usually changes very little in how the bike feels. 13. He puts time trial bars ahead of other purchases, then race tires, then 60 mm aero wheels, and says a complete new bike can be simpler than retrofitting components. 14. He estimates the tire change from winter tires to race tires at about 12 watts per wheel and says that is roughly equivalent to adding 25 watts to FTP. 15. He says electronic shifting feels smoother and is especially useful on a TT bike with shifters on both the aero bars and the hoods. 16. Rob explains ERG mode as a trainer setting that holds power constant, but he warns that cadence can fall into a 'spiral of death.' 17. He prefers manual resistance because athletes need to learn how cadence changes affect power and how to control their own output. 18. The run section covers TrainingPeaks TSS, Jack Daniels VDOT easy pace, weekly 5k handicaps, track intervals, and treadmill calibration. 19. Athletes who want specific winter guidance for Ironman or 70.3 training will find this practical. 20. Athletes wanting narrative stories or general triathlon chat may skip this advice-heavy Q&A.

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Oxygenaddict Triathlon Podcast