Cycling timer

How to use the online timer

Forty-five minutes at a moderate, sustainable effort is a solid endurance ride, whether that is a loop on the road, a turbo trainer in the garage or a spin bike at the gym. It is long enough to do real aerobic work without demanding the recovery a three-hour ride does, and it fits either side of a working day. This is a steady effort throughout, quite different from a session built around short, hard intervals.

Cadence matters as much as effort over this length. Turning the pedals at a comfortable rhythm in a gear you could hold for another twenty minutes is easier on the knees than grinding a heavy gear slowly, and it is more sustainable than spinning frantically in something too easy. Changing gear before a hill rather than halfway up it keeps the rhythm intact, which is where most of the fatigue on a rolling route actually comes from.

Comfort becomes the limiting factor long before fitness does. A saddle position that feels fine for ten minutes can be intolerable at thirty, and hands go numb on the bars unless the position changes now and then. Stand out of the saddle for a few pedal strokes every so often, move your hands, and take a drink at regular intervals rather than waiting until you are thirsty.