The importance of Zone 2 is often mentioned, but I prefer it to be bold and short.
The first 30 minutes are the hardest. The initial 5 to 15 minutes are hell.
Starting strong from the beginning and gradually dropping or maintaining your target power is less effective than maintaining a power lower than your target power and gradually increasing it, finishing with a sprint to reach your target power. That's how you get good results and have fun... right?
Gradually increasing helps maintain your mental state, but starting high and gradually decreasing makes you tired.
My cadence is 97 or higher. It feels like I'm rotating my legs with centrifugal force (?) and my brain seems a little less aware.
After riding for an hour, the last 50 minutes are easier than the first 10 minutes, and at the same cognitive intensity, more power comes out.
Just take it as fun.
