Tadej Pogacar laughingly reveals the crazy power metrics he hits on a relaxing day in zone 2

Tadej Pogacar broke record after record during his victory tour in the Tour de France, the best example being his extraordinary performance on the Plateau de Beille. Even during a training session, the Slovenian rides records from the books: for example, this winter, he rode the best time on the famous training climb Coll de Rates. But even during a quiet training lap, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader produces metrics that amaze people.

Pogacar shared an in-depth look at his training in the Peter Attia Drive Podcast. For example, he discussed his VAM metrics or the number of vertical ascent meters per hour. Just for comparison: with a WAM value of 1350, you ride in the grupetto of the Tour, and with a value of around 1600, you compete in the top ten of the GC. And Pogacar? He just happily cycles with a value of 1800.

The Tour winner also talked about his heart rate: while at rest, his heart beats 43 times a minute; as a junior, he reached a maximum of 213. "Yesterday, I reached 203, so that's still pretty high," he states. But not every workout is full-on. "I like to ride in zone 2. Where I live, in Monaco, it's hard to ride in zone 2 for a long time. Because there's a lot of climbing and then descending, where you can't get into zone 2." During a zone 2 workout, you ride constantly at about 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate: this is an effective zone to improve your endurance and burn fat.

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Pogacar produces in zone 2 workout incredible metrics

"On the cols, I try to be in zone 2 for a long time, 20 to 40 minutes and then recover on the descent. But when I'm back home in Slovenia or Spain at a training camp, where it's flatter, I just keep riding in zone 2 for five hours. During some training sessions, I just want to keep going in zone 2." For Pogacar, zone 2 training means training at a heart rate of 140-150 beats per minute. He then laughingly recounts how, during this "relaxed" training, he pedals 320 to 340 watts without much effort....

He does comment on these metrics. "When you do a five-hour workout, zone 2 is no longer your zone 2. You must know when that happens because you won't be able to recover on the flat. And then I don't ride my bike the next day anyway. So at the end of a workout, I'm pedaling 300 watts in zone 2."

How is it that Pogacar has made such tremendous progress this year? "I changed not only on the bike but also on other fronts. For example, I started training more core." Earlier, Pogi mentioned that he started training more on VO2 Max. He is also trying to add more and more running training. "I've been trying to run harder the last two years, especially in the winter. But this year, it didn't work out. Last year, we ran together in Abu Dhabi. Even on vacation, I get bored and run, swim, or whatever."

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