Vasilus Anastopoulos, head of performance at Astana, reveals why the world's best cyclists are spending more time riding easier than ever before—and how this counterintuitive approach is unlocking new levels of performance. He also breaks down exactly how Astana transformed from relegation contenders to a top-18 world tour team in a single season by gaming the UCI point system.
Key Takeaways
- Zone 1 and Zone 2 easy rides build mitochondria and endurance capacity—they're the foundation everything else is built on. Skipping this step leads to quick gains followed by rapid decline within 2-3 months.
- Happy athletes perform better. Flexibility on session timing, social rides with friends, and collaborative planning (not dictatorial programming) keeps riders motivated and committed long-term.
- Durability training—testing performance in both fresh and fatigued states—is now measurable and prescribable. You can simulate race scenarios by accumulating specific kilojoules and testing if riders maintain power output.
- The UCI point system incentivizes teams to place multiple riders in top-10 finishes rather than chase outright wins. Strategically targeting lower-category races can yield more points in one week than winning a Grand Tour.
- Personality and athlete feedback matter more than data alone. A coach must discuss and agree on training plans with riders; rigid programming disconnected from athlete preferences will fail.
- Don't obsess over minor deviations. A 10-minute stint in Zone 2 during a Zone 1 ride, or finishing a 4-hour ride at 3:50 instead of exactly 4:00, won't derail adaptation—consistency and sustainability matter more than precision.
Expert Quotes
"Happiness is really important. We have to do everything we can to have the riders fit and ready to race, but also to be happy to perform as best as possible at the races. It's a really high competitive sport nowadays."
"If you don't build your zone one first, the first step, one thing is for sure that probably can see a rise in your performance. But then you are going to see immediately a decline. So after 2-3 months, you will start watching what happened."
"Coaching is an art. You need to take all this data, take your experience and your own personality and then analyze them on your own way and come with your own conclusions. That will help the rider to perform best."
"If you have a rider who finishes fourth, fifth and sixth in a race, the amount of points they gather is higher than the 125 points you get from the win. So you have to make a strategy either to go full out for the win or try to put as many riders as possible in the top 10."