Workout library · Stimulus
Tempo cycling workouts
Steady work in the sweet spot, with cadence and torque as the second job.
The Workouts
The Workouts
Every Tempo workout in the library
Every Tempo workout in the library
Every Tempo workout in the library
The stimulus
Tempo, explained
What it is
Blocks of ten to thirty minutes at 76–90% of critical power, the range often called sweet spot, frequently with a cadence or torque constraint. Hard enough to build threshold, easy enough to repeat.
Why it matters
Why it matters
Tempo is the most time-efficient stimulus for riders with limited hours: it raises critical power with less recovery cost than threshold work, and it teaches the body to hold a working intensity for a long time.
If you ride it
If you ride it
These should feel like sustained concentration rather than suffering. Cadence targets are part of the session: low-cadence tempo builds torque, high-cadence tempo builds economy. Do not turn tempo into threshold.
If you coach it
If you coach it
The workhorse of a build phase, and the easiest session to overcook. Vekta's intensity score keeps it honest: a tempo session that scores like a threshold session was ridden too hard.
In Vekta
In Vekta
Written in % of CP with cadence targets in the structure, personalised on the athlete's device. The zones tab afterwards shows whether the block stayed in the intended range.
Common questions
What is sweet spot?
How long can a tempo block be?
Why the low cadence?
The stimulus
Tempo, explained
What it is
Blocks of ten to thirty minutes at 76–90% of critical power, the range often called sweet spot, frequently with a cadence or torque constraint. Hard enough to build threshold, easy enough to repeat.
Why it matters
Tempo is the most time-efficient stimulus for riders with limited hours: it raises critical power with less recovery cost than threshold work, and it teaches the body to hold a working intensity for a long time.
If you ride it
These should feel like sustained concentration rather than suffering. Cadence targets are part of the session: low-cadence tempo builds torque, high-cadence tempo builds economy. Do not turn tempo into threshold.
If you coach it
The workhorse of a build phase, and the easiest session to overcook. Vekta's intensity score keeps it honest: a tempo session that scores like a threshold session was ridden too hard.
In Vekta
Written in % of CP with cadence targets in the structure, personalised on the athlete's device. The zones tab afterwards shows whether the block stayed in the intended range.
Common questions
What is sweet spot?
How long can a tempo block be?
Why the low cadence?
Ride these Tempo workouts in Vekta, scaled to your numbers
Ride these Tempo workouts in Vekta, scaled to your numbers