Forget Base Miles and Build a Launch Pad

Forget Base Miles and Build a Launch Pad

The Zone 2 Myth

Every winter, cyclists talk about “base miles.” Endless hours in Zone 2. Long slow rides. “Building the engine,” they say. Yet when spring comes, their power curve looks the same as last year—or worse, their legs feel dull when intensity returns.

The problem isn’t effort; it’s misunderstanding what base training actually is.

Somewhere along the way, base training got reduced to “ride a lot in Zone 2.” That idea came from pros training 20–30 hours a week. For them, Zone 2 still delivers a significant aerobic load. For most amateurs training 6–10 hours, it doesn’t. Riding slowly for the sake of endurance might maintain your system, but it doesn’t build it.

Zone 2 should be part of the recipe, not the whole meal. True base development requires structured work across all your aerobic zones, from Threshold and below.

Raising the Floor

At Rollfast Coaching, we call this period Launch, not “Base.”
That name matters because this phase is about preparing to take off, not coasting through the winter.

Launch is where we lift the entire floor of performance (Flow, Tempo, Tempo+, Threshold) so the system is stronger before we even touch VO₂ work.

When Threshold rises, the space between Threshold and VO₂ narrows. That’s a good thing. It means your aerobic system is more powerful and efficient. When we enter higher-intensity phases later, we’re refining a tuned machine and just not patching weak spots.

A higher Threshold pushes all sub-zones upward. Suddenly your Flow and Tempo efforts feel smoother and more economical, which is where most real-world riding happens. You’re using less energy for the same speed, leaving more in the tank when it matters.

That’s not endurance; that’s efficiency.

Why Efficiency Beats Endurance

Cycling isn’t a steady-state sport. Even long rides demand constant shifts in effort, such as bridging gaps, holding wheels, responding to surges. The riders who win aren’t just strong; they’re efficient across multiple zones.

If you can cruise at 80% of Threshold with low heart rate and perfect control, you save glycogen, minimize fatigue, and stay sharp for decisive moments. That’s the difference between hanging on and dictating the pace.

Launch is about mastering that control and knowing exactly how to ride fast without draining the tank.

The Payoff

When the Launch phase is done right, you’ll feel it immediately entering VO₂ or race-specific work. The gap between Threshold and VO₂ narrows, so you can actually train at VO₂ and not just survive it.

You’ll produce more power with less cardiac drift, recover faster between intervals, and carry more “speed stamina” into group rides and races.

And perhaps most importantly, the pace that once felt hard will now feel controlled… because you’ve raised the floor.

The Bottom Line

Base training isn’t about collecting miles; it’s about building capability. Long rides have value, but only when they serve the bigger goal: raising your floor.

When you treat this period as Launch, not Base, you set yourself up to climb higher in every zone that follows.

Stop chasing time. Start building power.
Welcome to Launch.