Gravel cyclist · Endurance build
200km gravel: 9h22 (no walking)
The goal
Complete a 200km gravel event with 3,500m of climbing — previous 150km attempt ended with a 90-minute walk at km 130.
What we changed
Polarized 80/20 distribution per iter-87 methodology — most rides Z1-Z2 with one weekly Z4 threshold session. Long-ride progression clamped at +15% week-over-week (Galloway adapted for cycling). Fueling rehearsal at 70 g/hr carbs on every ride >90min from week 4. Heat acclim block in weeks 11-12 ahead of summer event date.
Illustrative outcome
Finished in 9h22 with negative split (faster second half by 8 minutes). No bonk, no GI issues. HR drift on the final climb stayed under 5% — the metric that flagged the previous attempt's collapse.
Before → After
| Longest training ride | 112km | → 165km |
| Fueling rehearsed | 0% of long rides | → 100% |
| HR drift on final climb | +14% | → +4.6% |
Illustrative scenario only. The identifier, sessions, and before/after values are examples, not athlete records or performance evidence.
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