Mountain Zone 2 Training?

Yesterday I was thinking while doing my training (Yes, I think a lot when riding :joy:) that if I go 4h to a moutain route where I climb 2:30/3h and decend 1:30/1h that counts as a 4h Z2 ride?
Is the descend part just “waisting” time?

If you climb in Z2 and then descend in Z2 then it is OK :smiley:

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If you coast down the other side of the mountain then you are certainly not going to get the same adaptations as you would if you rode z2 for 4 hours straight.But of course there are other benefits of rides like this such as bike handling.

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What is the gradient of the mountains?
Can you ride, in a big gear (descent), and still feel that you are working?

It is worth checking the costing time (if you have cadence) along with your heart rate that displays on your workout page. I know I can get a good workout going down mountains in the hardest gear trying to stay on the power, and getting up to speed after slowing down for a corner etc. Agree it does improve your bike handling skills. You just need to stay safe and not push too hard.

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it’s not wasted, but as others have said, it’s not ideal. I like part of the year in mountains where 5h ride is 10,000 climbed, 7k on the “flat” route. My z1 time has crept up towards 25%, but i just do my best to minimize it.

climbing though makes us stronger IMO so I love it!