75 Rule Cycling: What It Is, Who Uses It, and How It Boosts Performance
When you hear 75 rule cycling, a training principle that suggests riding at 75% of your maximum effort for most of your sessions to build endurance without overtraining. It's not a magic number—it's a practical way to stay strong, avoid burnout, and keep riding long-term. Many amateur and pro cyclists in the UK use this rule to balance hard efforts with recovery, especially when preparing for long rides or races like the Tour of Britain.
This rule relates directly to cycling training zones, the intensity levels riders use to structure workouts, from easy recovery rides to all-out sprints. The 75% mark usually falls in Zone 2 or low Zone 3, where your body learns to burn fat efficiently and builds aerobic capacity. It’s not about going hard every ride—it’s about going smart. Riders who push too hard too often end up tired, injured, or burned out. Those who stick to the 75 rule? They show up stronger week after week.
The rule also connects to power output cycling, how much force you generate on the pedals, measured in watts, which helps track progress without relying on feel alone. Cyclists using power meters often aim to hold 75% of their Functional Threshold Power (FTP) during long endurance rides. That’s how they build the base that lets them surge on climbs or sprints later. It’s not about being the fastest on every ride—it’s about being the most consistent over months.
You’ll find this approach in training plans for everything from weekend riders tackling 100-mile loops to athletes preparing for gran fondos. It’s the quiet secret behind riders who don’t crash after a long season. The posts below show real examples: how UK cyclists use this rule to avoid injury, how it fits into weekly schedules, and how it compares to pushing limits every day. Some use heart rate. Others use perceived effort. All of them know: going hard every ride doesn’t make you faster. Going smart does.
75 Rule in Cycling Explained - What It Is and How to Use It
Learn the 75 rule in cycling, why it matters, how to calculate it using FTP, and practical steps to balance easy and hard rides for better performance.
