Training & Nutrition - What do I need to get ready for race season?

Hi guys,

I am pretty new to road bikes (2 years) and have really gotten into it. I used to race MTB's years ago (x-country) and loved it and was pretty good at it too. I raced elite for one season but was young and had more energy and balls then brains.
Now I'm 34 and want to do some local road races and crit's (there are some good one's on Tuesday nights where I live) and want to be competitive.
I train at the gym about twice a week for upper and lower body and core strength and I do about 3 rides on my trainer (my wonderful wife bought me a Tacx Fortius for x-mas!) at a tough pace (HR average of ~160-165bpm) and average power output of ~185 watts.
I also do one hard core spinning class on Sundays with a buddy and there are some race guys that come and do it as well. It's a tough class, I like it.
Obvioulsy I have to work on strength and power but what is a good training program? Should I do one week of power and then week cardio?
I should also mention that my business operates long hours and I often work 50-60hrs per week so I'm pretty beat sometimes.

OK so what do I have to do to beat my buddy and not look like an ass at my first race (physically...my bike handling skills are pretty decent)?

Thanks in advance.
Chris

Wow Chris! I can help! First off you can cancel your Gym membership and do all your training from Home. Which will be a big help with family time. Here are the keys to success. Perfect your Pedal Stroke through drills on your trainer, Improve functional strength, do your stretches to stay injury free, Take your recovery weeks, Fuel up properly, perfect your breathing, work on your cornering and descending skills and don't forget your interval training.

Thanks Michael,
I like hitting the gym in the winter to keep some strength and have a good overall physique but come late winter and into the spring I have a hard time being inside...I like riding.
I am trying to work on power but have a hard time getting a real reading. On the spin bike that I use to train on once a week i get numbers as high as 700W but on my trainer at home it's more like 400W (neither one for very long yet). I'm not sure what type of bike it is at the gym (they are new and nice spinning bikes....) but I kinda think that the readings are a bit on the high side.

So what kind of tests should I do to get a baseline? What should a guy my age in reasonable fitness be able to do?
Thanks!

Hey Chris, Alot of people sware by watts and I think Training by Watts is a great idea. But I personally do not use watts because I am too cheap to by a power meter. I only use cadence and HR. Here is a great base line test. Do a thirty minute time trial. Your average Heart Rate over the last 20 minutes is your Lactate Threshold. Once you know that number you can train around it.

Go to the Road racing sub forum. You'll get more help there. Also take a look at the sticky there on starting out.