"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - advice needed with my annual training schedule

synopsis: coming off of a ten week injury period. been riding intermittently (four days a week) at base level intensity and duration just to get back into the swing of things. just picked up a powermeter. last season i was training/racing without any direction, was doing fairly well, but in hindsight was definitely over-reaching and fatigued. i feel excellent right now and am endeavoring to get onto a regular training schedule.

and so, i turn to people more experienced than myself for advice. i'm feeling like i've hit a wall with this, based upon what i've read in the 'cyclist's training bible'. (note the days could change because this is based upon last year's schedule and adjusted to 2008)

my work in progress schedule is below. questions thus far:

1) what should i do with weeks 1-8, before base 1 begins, if i'm not going to peak/race until week 29? (damn that's a long time away). just keep riding as i am now and call it transition/prep?
2) is this schedule having me peak too many times too close together? where would a transition week work into this? it seems like everything here in the midwest is clumped together like this.

THANKS for your help and advice!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2396/1750134885_f65c5b5b6a_o.jpg

1) what should i do with weeks 1-8, before base 1 begins, if i'm not going to peak/race until week 29? (damn that's a long time away). just keep riding as i am now and call it transition/prep?

Some threshold work never goes astray at this end of the season. I'd say weeks 1-6 doing some hill repeats at threshold, or some 20 min intervals, assuming you're not feeling burnt out from the season. Then take weeks 7-8 as transition, where you take some time off the bike, and start doing gentle gym work before you hit the gym hard in Base 1.


2) is this schedule having me peak too many times too close together? where would a transition week work into this? it seems like everything here in the midwest is clumped together like this.

Hmm, three peaks isn't too much per se, but they are very close together. If it were my training plan, I'd be happier if I ditched the second peak, and threw in some Base 3 after the first peak, before I tried to hit a Build period again. Obviously, those are races that matter to you though, so I might play it by ear. See you how you pull up after your first peak, and decide whether you feel ok to go straight back into Build 2, or if you need to rebuild some base first.

I also use Friel's system, and whilst it is great for planning your training year, the sheer amount of options and information to grasp when you first pick it up can be quite daunting. Don't stress it too much your first season, you'll have a better feel for how your body responds to the system after you race on it for a year.

If you've never done assloads of base, prepare for the possibility of it backfiring. IMO you've got to keep tempo/intensity workouts in the mix or you have the likely possibility of getting dropped on the first acceleration in the first race of the year.

I found this out after doing assloads of base last winter. My spring series was tanked because I couldn't handle surges.

That would be the case if he was doing JUST base, but he's got 10 weeks of build and peak in there before his first A-priority race. Also, Base 2 and 3 both have hard efforts in them (eg. threshold and sprint work), so it's not like he's going to be spending 12 weeks assing around at 10 mph.

STOP!
Throw out that schedule and simplify your year.
It takes time to grasp the basics of the sport, the last thing you need is a "program".
Race often, train moderately and talk/read/watch everything and everyone.
Keep it simple and and be aggressive.
You'll learn a lot faster.

STOP!
Throw out that schedule and simplify your year.
It takes time to grasp the basics of the sport, the last thing you need is a "program".
Race often, train moderately and talk/read/watch everything and everyone.
Keep it simple and and be aggressive.
You'll learn a lot faster.

That's rubbish. If he's already raced a season, there's no reason for him to not have a training plan to help him focus his time a little better. That'll help the fitness side of things, and he's likely already got the basic skills down. He'll pick up just as much from races this way, but he'll be fitter to boot.

That's rubbish. If he's already raced a season, there's no reason for him to not have a training plan to help him focus his time a little better. That'll help the fitness side of things, and he's likely already got the basic skills down. He'll pick up just as much from races this way, but he'll be fitter to boot.


As long as he keeps the program flexible and focuses on learning the craft of racing, versus worrying about 20' power and etc...

No top racer ever got on a strict program of priority races and train-through races in their first few years of riding. His main goal should be to race often and learn quickly through aggression.

An overly systematic approach has a lot of downsides.

As long as he keeps the program flexible and focuses on learning the craft of racing, versus worrying about 20' power and etc...

No top racer ever got on a strict program of priority races and train-through races in their first few years of riding. His main goal should be to race often and learn quickly through aggression.

An overly systematic approach has a lot of downsides.

I totally agree. This is one of the things that Friel points out specifically in his book, so I think the OP should have this pretty well covered ;)

As long as he keeps the program flexible and focuses on learning the craft of racing, versus worrying about 20' power and etc...

No top racer ever got on a strict program of priority races and train-through races in their first few years of riding. His main goal should be to race often and learn quickly through aggression.

An overly systematic approach has a lot of downsides.

Well I know of two local guys that got on a strict training program with their first year of racing and improved faster than anybody ive ever seen before.

An N=2 data set doesn't prove much.

A very strict training plan doesn't mean they were doing the right things either.

Taking a natural athlete and putting them on a bike will yield good results, regardless of their training program, and some times in spite of it.

I'm no Indurain, Merckx or Coppi, but I've improved more than most simply by riding my bike ~15hrs a week, monitoring my progress with my PT, and racing my ass off.

1000km a week for 10 weeks. If you are still alive call Dr Ferrari or Dr Checchini for your training and PED program.

My idea of strict trainnig is trainng done with a purpose. So instead of just riding hard one day then the next say "today ill go easy" its more laid out so that you work on areas where you are weak while at the same time maintaining your strong areas. At the end of every cycling (4-8 weeks) re-eval yourself and see what adjustments you need to make.

I agree everybody will improve if they just get out and ride but feel everybody would improve at a faster rate with some degree of structured training. Just dont think that what the OP has is a reall over the top "strict" training plan. Always good to have some sort of focus exp during the winter months.

1000km a week for 10 weeks. If you are still alive call Dr Ferrari or Dr Checchini for your training and PED program.

:roflmao:

thanks for the advice elgald. i'll play around with it some more as dates for events become more solid. i may take out that second peak.

but between now and when base 1 begins...?

and YMCA, i'm going on this plan to force myself to recuperate and be more focused when i'm training and what i'm training for. last season i was really in a physical rut without knowing it, exactly how Friel describes in his book because i had no direction. prior to focusing on road i did a season of track, so i'm not completely unfamiliar to racing, just managing my training, efforts, and listening to my body.

:roflmao:

Don't laugh at me. I was being serious. :(



;)

1000km a week for 10 weeks. If you are still alive call Dr Ferrari or Dr Checchini for your training and PED program.



i'll get right on that ;)