Ride faster for longer
No matter what type of riding you do, we are sure you want to ride faster and farther.
In this post we explain the cycling abilities you should train as described by Joe Friel that will allow you to do so.
You may also watch the video
As a reminder, all the ideas shared in these videos and posts are the result of my interpretation, approach and practical use of cycling training concepts I have learnt for several years from recognized and reliable sources.
I am sharing them as a simplified guide to the very complex science of training as I understand and apply it being myself a self coached cyclist .
Become a self coached cyclist with the guidance of The Self Coached Cyclist Training with Power, covering everything from training concepts to performance tracking.
We will use some of the concepts explained in our Aerobic and Anaerobic Thresholds the Foundation of Training post. If you have not seen it yet, please do so to get all the benefits of this one.
Joe Friel’s Cycling Abilities
In the Training Bible series of books written by Joe Friel, he describes the cycling abilities that make it easy to understand what type of training to do.
Endurance
The ability to sustain prolonged efforts over extended distances and durations.
Builds aerobic capacity, allowing cyclists to maintain a steady pace for hours without fatiguing.
Force
The ability to apply muscular strength to the pedals.
This skill is necessary for climbing steep hills and accelerating from low speeds.
Speed Skill
The ability to pedal efficiently and smoothly at high cadences.
Fluid pedaling reduces unnecessary muscle fatigue.
Endurance, Force and Speed Skills are the basic abilities that all riders shall train regardless of the type of cycling they do.
They are represented by the vertices of the Friel Cycling Abilities Triangle.
By combining the basic abilities, we get the advanced ones
Muscular Endurance
The ability to sustain relatively high power outputs for extended periods. It is the combination of the basic abilities of Endurance and force.
Muscular endurance is essential for time trials, breakaways, and sustained climbs and efforts.
Anaerobic Endurance
The ability to sustain high-intensity efforts above threshold for short bursts. It is the combination of the basic abilities of Endurance and Speed Skills.
Used in racing scenarios like breakaways, attacking during climbs, and surges in criteriums or road races.
Anaerobic endurance is about producing significant power for shorter efforts of 1 to 5 minutes, above anaerobic threshold, followed by rapid recovery.
Power
The ability to generate explosive efforts over very short periods. It is the combination of the basic abilities of speed skills and force.
Power is critical for finishing sprints, short hill climbs, and fast accelerations.
So, the complete Friel Cycling Abilities Triangle looks like this, showing the combinations just described.
Each ability builds on different physiological and technical aspects, helping cyclists optimize performance in endurance rides, time trials, and competitive racing.
Cycling Abilities and Training Zones
The Cycling Abilities described earlier may be developed using the training zones obtained from any of the methods we explained in the Aerobic and Anaerobic Thresholds – the Foundation of Training post:
FTP – Functional Threshold Power
Critical Power/W Prime
or the CTS 8 minute test.
From the power point of view, we will use the 7 zones model derived from the FTP Method as it is the most spread-out system as of today and all platforms and training devices support it.
From the heart rate point of view, we will use the 5 zones model.
The ability of Endurance is trained riding in zones 1 and 2 either power or heart rate for durations above 1 and a half hours. The longer the better.
The training benefits are delayed fatigue and economy.
Force may be developed in different zones, from Zone 2 to zone 7 in power and from zone 2 to Zone 5 in Heart rate, depending on the training target.
The training benefit is muscular strength.
The Speed Skills is developed in Zone 2, both power and heart rate by doing high cadence intervals during and endurance ride.
The benefits are developing a high cadence and economy.
May also be trained for at higher intensities, making them a power ability training.
Muscular Endurance is trained in zones 3 and 4 in both heart rate and power.
The benefits are strength endurance, race pace comfort, increase velocity at lactate threshold.
Anaerobic Endurance is trained in zones 5,6 and 7 in power and zone 5 in heart rate.
Keep in mind that heart rate may not be the best option to train this ability, as its response to the very short and intense efforts required is not immediate.
The benefits are increasing the aerobic capacity known as VO2, increase speed at VO2 max, improve the ability of the body to tolerate and clear lactate.
The Power ability is trained from zones 3 and above and shall be prescribed in accordance to the training objectives.
The benefits are muscular power, fast starts, short hills and sprints.
As with Anaerobic Endurance, keep in mind that heart rate may not be the best option to train this ability, as its response to the very short and intense efforts required is not immediate.
Remember that, no matter what type of riding you do, always work on your Basic Abilities.
The Advanced Abilities do depend on the type of riding you do and you shall focus on the ones that will get the results you are looking for.
To support your self coaching journey get our free guides that you can download right now, including
The Self-Coached Cyclist Training with Power: Concepts
Cycling Fitness CTL Planning Worksheet
The 2025 Cycling Fitness TSS & CTL Planning Worksheet
As well as our full featured eBook The Self Coached Cyclist Training with Power, covering everything from training concepts to performance tracking.