Most Mountain Bikers Make Endurance Harder Than It Needs to Be

This Spring I sponsored the local Ladies enduro race with a free group program. It has been super rewarding to help over 60 ladies get to the start line in great shape and then get to the finish line in one piece and with smiles on their faces. The most common pieces of feedback I received after Loam Hustler surprised me.

Several riders told me some version of:

"Covering th edistance of the course was easier than I expected."

I loved hearing that because many of those same riders started the program worried about exactly that.

They were nervous about the climbs.

Nervous about the duration.

Nervous about whether they would have enough fitness to make it through the day.

What's interesting is that we never did a single workout I'd describe as suffering.

There were no death marches.

No puke-inducing interval sessions.

No epic trainer rides.

No workouts designed to test someone's mental toughness.

Yet many riders arrived at race day fitter than they had been in years.

Which raises an interesting question:

Why do so many mountain bikers believe endurance training has to hurt so much?

The Endurance Myth

For some reason, many riders think fitness only improves when they're suffering.

They picture endurance training as endless trainer rides, brutal intervals, or finishing every workout completely exhausted.

If that's your idea of fitness training, it's no wonder so many riders avoid it.

The reality is much less dramatic.

For most mountain bikers, getting into riding shape is surprisingly simple.

Not easy.

But simple.

It comes down to consistency far more than suffering.

So What Actually Builds Endurance?

When most people think about endurance, they think about lungs.

That's only part of the story.

Endurance is really your body's ability to produce energy efficiently, recover from effort, and repeat that process over and over again.

When you train consistently, your body starts making some remarkable adaptations:

- You build more mitochondria, the tiny energy-producing structures inside your muscle cells.

- You develop more capillaries, allowing oxygen to reach your muscles more efficiently.

- You improve your ability to burn fat for fuel, preserving limited carbohydrate stores.

- You increase blood plasma volume, improving oxygen delivery and recovery.

- You recover faster between efforts.

The interesting part?

Many of these adaptations happen best during training that feels relatively manageable.

You don't need to destroy yourself every session to improve them.i

Why We Didn't Need a Pain Cave

If you're training for the Tour de France, this article probably isn't for you.

But most mountain bikers aren't trying to squeeze every last percentage point out of their physiology.

They're trying to:

- Enjoy longer rides.

- Feel stronger on climbs.

- Finish rides with energy left.

- Recover better between days.

- Feel prepared for events.

For those goals, consistency usually beats heroics.

That's exactly how the Loam Hustler program was built.

We accumulated months of productive training.

Week after week.

Ride after ride.

Workout after workout.

Nothing flashy.

Nothing extreme.

Just enough work to create adaptation while still allowing people to recover and come back for the next session.

The Fitter You Are, The More fun you have

This is one of my favourite observations from coaching.

The fitter you become, the less work riding seems to require.

Not because the trail gets easier.

Not because you're riding slower.

Because your body becomes more efficient.

You recover faster after climbs.

Your breathing settles more quickly.

You maintain better technique when tired.

You stay mentally sharper.

You carry momentum more effectively.

You waste less energy.

This creates a positive feedback loop.

The fitter you are, the more relaxed you ride.

The more relaxed you ride, the less energy you waste.

The less energy you waste, the fitter you feel.

Fitness Isn't Just About Climbing

Many riders associate endurance with climbing speed.

That's certainly part of it.

But endurance affects much more than that.

It influences:

- How quickly you recover after a technical climb.

- How fresh you feel on your third lap compared to your first.

- How well you maintain focus late in a ride.

- How much energy you have left for another run.

- How well you handle a second or third day of riding.

Whether you're a trail rider, enduro racer, downhill rider, or weekend warrior, endurance plays a role.

Not because you're trying to become an endurance athlete.

Because you're trying to get more out of your riding.

## So What Should You Actually Do?

Most riders don't need a complicated endurance plan.

They need a consistent one.

For many mountain bikers, that means:

- Riding regularly.

- Keeping most rides at a manageable effort.

- Including some harder efforts occasionally.

- Maintaining strength throughout the year.

That's not particularly sexy.

But it works.

And more importantly, it's sustainable.

The Takeaway

Most mountain bikers make endurance harder than it needs to be.

They assume getting fit requires constant suffering.

They chase exhaustion instead of adaptation.

They look for the hardest workout instead of the most effective one.

The riders who surprised themselves at Loam Hustler weren't the ones who suffered the most.

They were the ones who trained consistently.

Because fitness isn't built through a handful of heroic workouts.

It's built through months of showing up.

The goal isn't to become an endurance athlete.

The goal is to build enough fitness that riding feels easier, more enjoyable, and more rewarding.

And for most riders, getting there is far simpler than they think.

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Want help building MTB-specific fitness without letting training take over your life?

That's exactly what I help riders do inside MTB Strength Coach. Whether your goal is bigger rides, more confidence, better race results, or simply feeling stronger on the bike, the right plan doesn't have to be complicated—it just has to be consistent.

Book a free Call

I can't wait to connect.

Alex