Tempo cycling workouts

What sustained tempo work trains

Tempo sessions train sustained aerobic riding at an effort firmer than easy endurance. They practise holding a deliberate pace for an extended block, with breathing and concentration reflecting the extra work. The purpose is steady pressure on the pedals; repeated accelerations and hard attacks turn it into a different kind of ride.

Tempo can help you practise the controlled effort used on rolling roads or prolonged, moderate climbs. Terrain does not define the intensity, though. On a steep rise, reducing pace or choosing an easier gear may be necessary to keep the same session purpose. A ride that feels comfortable at the start can still accumulate fatigue when the tempo portion is long.

Making room for tempo in the week

Use tempo as a planned moderate training day when sustained work is relevant to your goal. It can sit within a period of developing aerobic riding capacity, alongside easier endurance rides. It adds demand above easy riding, so count it when assessing the combined load of the week rather than treating it as recovery.

A long tempo session can affect the quality of a later hard workout. Consider placing it where the next day allows lighter riding or rest, particularly when you are extending the work. If every ride drifts into tempo, it becomes harder to preserve clearly easy days and arrive ready for sessions intended to be more demanding.

From introductory blocks to extended tempo

Beginner tempo work can use separated blocks to develop pacing and familiarity with the effort. Intermediate structures can extend continuous work or repeat it with less interruption. Advanced and elite sessions may accumulate more sustained riding or ask you to maintain tempo later in a longer ride. The progression is often in duration and continuity rather than a large jump in intensity.

Build the time you can hold the intended effort without repeatedly overshooting it. Compare the duration of the work, its position in the ride and the available recovery. If the session leaves you unable to manage the rest of the week, choose a shorter or less demanding structure before extending it again.

Find a session

Beginner: 3 · Intermediate: 3 · Advanced: 2 · Elite: 3

Sample sessions:

• Tempo Intro — Beginner
• Tempo Sustained 60 — 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.

Tempo Intro

Beginner · 65 minutes · Cycling

First taste of tempo effort. Comfortably hard but controlled.

Tempo Sustained 60

Intermediate · 65 minutes · Cycling

40 minutes continuous tempo. Raises lactate threshold.

Session catalogue

The full structure of every session opens in Glood.

Related workout types

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