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Tempo 3x20

Tempo workoutIntermediate90 minTSS 89IF 0.77

Steady, "comfortably hard" riding for an hour of work: the bridge between endurance and sweet spot.

25%50%75%100%125%Warm-up · 10 min @ 45–70% FTPTempo · 20 min @ 83% FTPEasy · 4 min @ 60% FTPTempo · 20 min @ 83% FTPEasy · 4 min @ 60% FTPTempo · 20 min @ 83% FTPEasy · 4 min @ 60% FTPCool-down · 8 min @ 55–40% FTP0:000:150:300:451:001:151:30
  • Z1 Active recovery · 12:12
  • Z2 Endurance · 17:48
  • Z3 Tempo · 60:00
Power profile in % of FTP. Hover a block for its target; the dashed line is your FTP.

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Intervals

SetsStepTimeTarget (FTP)
Warm-up10 min45–70%
3 ×Tempo20 min83%
Easy4 min60%
Cool-down8 min55–40%

What tempo is

Tempo sits at 76–90% of FTP: faster than endurance riding, but still well below threshold. It feels like a strong group-ride pace, where talking is possible only in short sentences.

How to ride it

Keep each block smooth and seated. Try a slightly lower cadence in the second block, around 80 rpm, to work on muscular endurance, then return to your natural cadence in the third.

Who it suits

Tempo is ideal for riders preparing for long events, gran fondos and stage races, and for anyone returning to structured training after a break.

Questions

What percentage of FTP is tempo?

About 76–90% of FTP. This workout uses 83%.

Is tempo the same as sweet spot?

No. Sweet spot is higher, about 88–94% of FTP, and more tiring.

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