Lactate is a substance your body produces naturally during exercise, especially when you're training at higher intensities.
It's often misunderstood, as many believe it causes muscle soreness, but that's not true.
In reality, lactate acts as a fuel, not a waste product.
At low to moderate effort, your body uses oxygen to create energy.
As the intensity increases and your body can't deliver enough oxygen to the muscles, it switches to anaerobic metabolism.
This process provides quick energy and produces lactate in the process.
Your body can handle a certain amount of lactate by clearing it from the muscles and using it for energy elsewhere.
However, when the intensity becomes too high, lactate builds up faster than it can be cleared.
This point is known as the lactate threshold. It's when you start to feel a burning sensation in your legs and fatigue sets in more rapidly.
By doing so, you increase your ability to tolerate and clear lactate efficiently, allowing you to ride harder for longer.