I've read carmaichel's book and enjoyed it. On a conceptual level, it really helps out. What it doesn't have, is actual riding prescriptions. It says "here are the types of workouts, now go get a coach"

Is there a training book that tells me exactly what to do? All the "real" coaches out there must be getting their information from somewhere. Can i buy THAT book?

Thanks,
Brian.

The problem with telling you exactly is that everyone is in a different physical state, has different goals, and has different abilities/capabilities.

I read the Carmichael book and came up with a plan for me based on his stuff. I modified it to accomodate my needs and it worked well. I hit the ground running this Spring in much better shape than normal, so while it may not have been perfect, it certainly worked.

Az

You may want to get a book on periodization if you didn't get that out of the Carmichael book. The 'perscription' is knowing what your fitness level is and where you are in your training, so that you know what you need to do. Then you can use the individual 'drills' that are in the Carmichael book, or any other for that matter to come up with a daily workout. Start with the overall plan, pinpoint your important events, then work backwards. If you haven't read Joe Friel's "The Cyclist's Training Bible", you may want to give that a once over, he goes thru the training plan and how to plan individual workouts pretty thouroughly. It may seem like a coach just looks into his 'little black book' and gives you a canned workout, but it really isn't that way, no book can tell you what to do on what day.

I hope this helps,
Dave
USA Cycling Expert Coach
USA Cycling Cat 3

Smart Cycling by Arnie Baker, M.D. has a workout plans. Outdoor and Indoor. And an he explains racing tactics for us lowly amatures too! The Wentzel book, Racing 101 may help you too.