Pro cyclists—and mere mortals—can seem to be obsessed with data, but Pogačar prefers his heart rate monitor over the power meter. He spoke with Dr. Peter Attia on The Drive Podcast about his training and nutrition.
The Slovenian has had an incredible season thus far. He recently won the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, adding another notch to his 2024 palmarès, which includes a Tour de France and Giro d’Italia win.
“I’ve been training with heart rate monitors since I was 12 years old, so I would say I definitely know how my heart rate responds when I’m tired or when I’m good,” the 26-year-old said. “I could also go by heart rate only, but it’s always good to compare heart rate to power; however, power meters are not so reliable these days.
On calibration
Calibration is key when it comes to power meters. “You always need to be careful with the temperatures outside, the calibration, everything,” he further clarified. “And yeah, sometimes they can be off. You need to be careful about this.”
He also spoke about his training zones. “In Monaco, it’s really hard to get big time in Zone 2 because it’s a lot of climbing,” he said. “You can’t maintain power. I try to hit really high Zone 2 on climbs—they are 20 to 40 minutes long, and then you recover and go downhill.”
Pogačar’s Zone 2
By the way, his Zone 2 power range is between 320 and 340. (!)
When he goes home to Slovenia or trains in Calpe, Spain during the summer, where it’s more flat, he likes to stay five hours in Zone 2. “I would love to do just Zone 2 and go nonstop,” he said.
He spoke of the importance of balance with food as well. “If you restrict your food too much and you don’t touch chocolate for a month or for six months, then one time you will break and go crazy. I think that’s not a good relationship with food,” he said.
“So you need to have balance with the bad food, too. Then when it comes to the off-season, and I don’t have the cravings. I’m like, okay, I go on vacation. I have nice food, good food, quality food, and not a crazy amount.”
Pogačar is hoping to win the road race on Sunday in Zurich, becoming the first male rider to win the Triple Crown since Stephen Roche in 1987. (Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten won the Triple Crown in 2022.)
You can watch the 2024 road worlds on FloBikes.com.
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