girlcyclist

After being off the bike for 6 months with patella tendinitis, I'm finally getting back on the bike...should be back to training very soon, so hoping to build a base.

However, I was wondering...
I'm focusing on track sprinting now (still taking part in that scratch races/points races for skills training) but most base training ie. 4 hour long rides, 4x a week at 70% MHR seems to be tailored to road racing?

Would it be better to follow a higher intensity plan, like Chris Carmichael's time crunched cyclist template, or stick with the longer, easier rides?

I would usually jump straight into the high intensity plan, but being out for 6 months has made me realise how much injury sucks, and I've heard putting in base miles is important fot inhury prevention later in the season, would the higher intensity plan not have this effect?

gtrob

Normally I would be against the traditional base training for anyone outside of long RR/Stage racing, but taking 6 months off is a long time. 4hrs is a long time on a bike but 2hrs is probably a good way to get that endurance/muscle memory back. Doesn't have to be completely lazy Z2, maybe mix some Z3-4 in there. I have no idea what the injury is like but sprinting is probably going to wear you out especially fast until you build some endurance back. You are not starting from scratch of course, so it shouldn't take long to get back into shape.

agm2

I broke my collarbone a couple years ago and it took me off the bike for 4 months. First month I was on bed rest for the first month it was hard to sit up because with the break I also had muscle and tendon damage.

I had the same idea as you, try and start a training plan ASAP because I had missed so much and was only 3 months away from the early spring races. On my first ride I immediately realized that wasn't going to be in the cards. You will have lost a lot of fitness, but on the upside, fitness can come back quickly. Take it slow at first and work on getting up to speed at the speed your body can take. I think base was suggested so it gives your body time to adapt back to riding, don't forget all your muscles and tendons will probably be tight also. If you go out and go straight to high intensity workouts your more likely to pull something or hurt yourself more. Take a few rides to get back into it and when your doctor says it's ok I would start your workout routine.

jmikami

2 hours should be fine. 4 hours is my max ride and that is for enduro track base miles, not sprinting, and only a few per year. However even the sprinters out here do semi long road rides every so often, so you should do some.

My rule is to keep off the 100% max for the first month or even two when coming back after a long spell off the bike - that is more important than the types of rides. 80% max for my first cycle and 90% max for my second. After that you can toss in some 100% efforts, I will wait until my 4th cycle for serious interval work. Cycles can be between 2 and 4 weeks depending on how I feel.

edit: 80% max has nothing to do with FTP, that is max effort per duration.