🚀Try TrainerRoad risk-free! 👉 ⁠www.TrainerRoad.com⁠

🏁 Race with us in the TrainerRoad Throwdown Series!: https://trainerroad.cc/TRrace

🤝Join the TrainerRoad Zwift Club 🚴 https://trainerroad.cc/TRzwiftclub

// SHARE AND RATE THE PODCAST!

iTunes: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/apple2⁠

Spotify: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/spotify2⁠

Google Podcasts: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/google⁠

// TOPICS COVERED

(0:00:53) How to Review Your Training Year (Signs You’re Improving)

(0:10:25) Low Energy Availability & Working With a Dietitian

(0:13:19) What Happens When You Increase Carbs (Performance, Mood, Sleep)

(0:19:24) Haley’s Breakthrough at Africa’s Migration Gravel Race

(0:40:58) Bouncing Back From a Bad Race: The 24-Hour Rule & Debriefing

(0:49:19) Managing Expectations and Setting Process vs. Outcome Goals

(0:55:25) Haley’s Honest Look Back on a Challenging Season

(1:05:38) Haley’s Advice on Trying New Cycling Disciplines

(1:10:03) After High Carb, What’s the Next Big Performance Boost?

Coach Jonathan and pro rider/coach Hannah Otto discuss why very long pre-race rides often backfire: they boost confidence but overcook athletes, hurting subsequent workouts. Coaches must balance fitness and confidence—save the “touch the fire” effort for race day. They pivot to sweet spot/tempo (“gray zone”) work: sweet spot delivers big aerobic ROI with manageable fatigue, but should be periodized—use it in focused blocks, then progress to threshold, over-unders, and VO₂ to raise FTP. Recovery weeks should be treated as purposeful endurance/foundation weeks (~60% volume), not time off. Pros do use sweet spot and tempo, often inside longer rides or late in sessions for fatigue resistance (sometimes with low-cadence work). For a three-week sweet spot block: fuel high-carb, prioritize sleep, consider strength training, then take a disciplined recovery week before moving up in intensity. Breathing issues at sweet spot are usually focus-related—practice deliberate, rhythmic breathing and use strong exhales to reset. Hannah reflects on placing 12th at Worlds, managing jet lag/logistics stress, rebounding from a subpar race, and looking ahead to Big Sugar.

// RESOURCES MENTIONED

- Haley’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehannahotto

- Sign up for TrainerRoad! ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/GetFaster⁠

- Join the TrainerRoad Zwift Club 🚴 ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/trzwiftclub⁠

// TRY TRAINERROAD RISK FREE FOR 30 DAYS!

https://trainerroad.cc/GetFaster⁠ TrainerRoad is the #1 cycling training app. No other cycling app is more effective. Over 17,000 positive reviews, a 4.9 star App Store rating.

// HELPFUL LINKS

- Have a question for the podcast? Ask here: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3HTFXNi⁠

- Watch our latest Cycling Science Explained video now! ⁠https://youtu.be/z2HXE1-il_Q⁠

- TrainerRoad on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/trainerroad/⁠

- TrainerRoad Forum: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3uHvLnE⁠

- TrainerRoad on Strava: ⁠https://www.strava.com/clubs/trainerroad⁠

- TrainerRoad on Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/TrainerRd⁠

- TrainerRoad on X: ⁠https://www.x.com/TrainerRoad⁠

- Learn more about TrainerRoad: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3LBb5Ur⁠⁠

- Listen to the Successful Athletes Podcast: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3JmKrN5⁠

- Listen to the Science of Getting Faster Podcast: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3LpuIhP⁠

- Training Blog: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/3gCdNdN

THE GRAY ZONE MYTH: MISTAKE OR ADVANTAGE FOR CYCLISTS? | Hannah Otto | Ask a Cycling Coach 553

Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast - Presented by TrainerRoad