Dylan Johnson breaks down his meticulous 2025 training approach, revealing an unconventional 'oscillation' strategy that alternates between high-volume and low-volume weeks—something he's willing to experiment with despite limited research backing it. You'll learn how he's diagnosed his sprint weakness through durability testing, why mountain bike tires are dominating gravel racing, and how he prioritizes feeling over wearables when it comes to race preparation.
Key Takeaways
- Block periodization with volume oscillation (alternating 30-35 hour weeks with 10-15 hour weeks) is Dylan's 2025 approach—untested in research but showing promising power numbers early in the season
- Durability matters more than peak FTP: successful sprinters reproduce power late in races, not just fresh. Dylan tests this with 20-minute efforts before and after 6-hour rides to measure fatigue resilience
- Mountain bike tires (2.1-2.2 width) roll faster on gravel than oversized gravel tires due to thinner casings and lower rolling resistance, proven through pedaling efficiency testing on cobbled surfaces
- Strength training should be seasonal and event-dependent when racing professionally—lifting year-round makes sense for health but sacrifices race-specific recovery and adaptation
- Taper decisions should be feel-based rather than metric-driven: Dylan adjusts his final week based on morning sensations and bike feel, aiming for an 'optimal level of fatigue' by race day rather than hitting specific TSB numbers
- Sprint finishing in gravel is less about pack positioning (unlike road racing) and more about cat-and-mouse tactics with 5-10 riders, requiring different tactical preparation than traditional road racing
Expert Quotes
"The reason why they don't do well in a pro race is because often time junior riders have terrible durability they just haven't had the time to develop that durability yet...there's not a shortcut to developing durability it takes a lot of hard work over years"
"I think there's an optimal level of fatigue going into a race you actually don't want to be too fresh you can be too fresh going into a race...through experience I know what optimally fatigued should feel like"
"The mountain bike tire just when the mountain bike tire was slower on pavement as you would expect you got on cobbles the mountain bike tire blew the gravel tires out of the water"