This is what I am currently doing. Every plans in High volume. Last year I only did SSB so I will be able to provide some results at the end of the whole cycle.
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Iām on my way of doing exactly the same. But then Iām working towards racing weight so Iām trying to loose fat as well as strengthen my FTP. Not easy at all.
Iām going to join in on doing TB this winter as well. This will be my 4th year with TR so looking to change things up.
The one change Iāll make is to do one of the VO2 max workouts (probably mid-week). Just finished the climbing road race speciality and donāt want to lose those gains from doing so much threshold and above work.
Thanks to everyone on this thread for the information.
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do you see this approach better than doing ssb1-ssb2 mid volume - ssb1-ssb2 mid - sustained mid - specialty?
I also worry about losing the gains made if I do tb and after that it costs me a lot to do threesold and v02max
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Wouldnāt worry too much.
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Similar to what others have said, especially for those of us with very long wintersā¦ Is there a ābetterā approach between:
SSB1 - SSB2 - SSB1 - SSB2 - General Build - Specialty (all HV)
TB1 - TB2 - TB3 - SSB1 - SSB2 - GB - Specialty (all HV)
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This TR support article appears to have been updated, or my memory is foggy:
https://support.trainerroad.com/hc/en-us/articles/360025556952-Too-Much-Time-
and one recommendation for extended base is:
TB1 > TB2 > TB3 > SSB1 > SSB2 > Build > Specialty
I definitely see a vo2 workout āreadinessā problem going from TB3 to build. The TR build plans are hard. Thinking back that was one reason I thought of doing a 9-week vo2max intervention in between TB and build. Going to have to rethink that transition, and likely do SSB as a transition (SSB2 in particular).
Just for kicks and to mix up the type of riding in the trainer, Iām going to try the following. It may not be the most scientific approach, but it will vary the type of workouts. Will be interesting to see what happens. TB will be mid volume and SSB and Build low volume supplemented with an outdoor long ride or endurance TR workout.
TB1 < SSB1 < TB2 < SSB2 < TB3 < GB < Specialty
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Awesome! Let us know how that journey goes! 
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I say both strategies will be great and give you a strong base. You canāt go wrong either way and youād probably come out with about the same fitness whichever you choose. So, it comes down to what do you WANT to do? What will keep you most compliant with the plans? I followed my last years 48 week training schedule 99%, and only made adjustments when I had to for when I was sick, extra fatigued from a race, traveled for work, etc. So pick what will keep you most compliant and feel confident that if you follow it you will come out the other end with your best fitness.
Pro Tip: 4o weeks is a long time to do structured training, find somewhere to put in a āmid training seasonā break of 1 week. Leave this open for being off the bike or fun rides, your mental game will thank you for it.
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I recommend SSB 2 right before GB. Trust me, I did TB 3 into GB and it was not a fun transition. SSB 2 has been coined a āpre-buildā, and I agree rightfully so.
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This is whatās concerning me, too. How best to translate 15hrs of outside Z2 work onto the trainer. My mental max is ~3hrs, but I couldnāt handle having to do 5x3hr every week. Guess thatās why pros go to Spain or Arizona for the winter.
The above is one significant strength SS has over TB.
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I think youāre dead on Captain. TB can be done on the trainer, but CAN you do it, and if so for how many weeks without putting your head through your TV?
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Yup, as I said earlier was losing my mind and did a big ride the end of week4 (recovery) in TB-1.
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I looked at my Mount Alice workout last January, I mean tell me that doesān look like 3.5 hours of fun. My notes said: āIt sucked and I lost 3 pounds.ā
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thatās why I left MI and moved to CA!
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This is my training distribution since April.
In April-May, I was going from a four-week layoff to trying to get some fitness for a June 2 summit finish. You see pretty high volume for a 50+, and a lot of power zones 3-4. But, I rarely went over 90% during my long āchunk ridesā ā the climb usually takes about 40min, so I was doing sustained durations of 90% or so, building up to 90min. The last two weeks before the race, I started working between 90-95%.
June was a high-volume month. Still, a lot of zone 3/4, but zone 2 added to bulk up the volume (the goal was 350 mi/week). With my goal race done, and nothing really left on the calendar that interested me, the rest of the year just became about training to train. June is actually my big base month for the training year.
July continued the larger volume focus, but I had to cut back on duration because of the heat and humidity. But, you still see a lot of zone 3/4.
August and September started the VO2 and higher focus ā and things for more āpolarized.ā
For Seiler-ites, the HR distribution tells the same story ā a lot in zones 1 and 2 (Friel 5-zone, so within Seilerās system, Friel 1 and 2 are zone 1, easy endurance). There is a week with a glitched out HR monitor in May, but the rest is accurate.
Iād see this a sweet spot ā more traditional base ā build. I found that the high volume of June enabled me to stretch out the stamina sessions in July. That led to being able to deeper into fartleks in August. FTP at the start of June was 345, at the end of September, 355. I would like to think that the big volume in June and July was maybe half of that difference. Of course, the miles in June helped the base for the coming yearā¦
Good input. I could do
TB1 TB2 SSB1 TB3 SSB2 GB
or drop TB3 for
TB1 SSB1 TB2 SSB12 GB
Iāve got time for either. Anyone have any thoughts?
You could even blend TB and SSB into one! 
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