looking for some help from the forum in helping me select my training plans going forward. I’m just about to finish sweet spot mid 2 base plan in about a week. I then plan on moving on to short power build as most of my racing will be mountain bike and cyclocross (cyclocross being the most important). This should get me to about the middle of April. I’m in New England, so consistent outside riding isn’t really feesable until then anyways. Given my cx season doesn’t start until September, what would you do after the build phase? The Olympic MTB specially plan then the cx later in the year? Is that too much specialty? FWIW I will probably do the low volume specially plans and make up the difference in outdoor riding
The general recommendation is do a specialty then do a build and back to specialty, as opposed to two specialties back to back.
I’ll be finishing up Century specialty in June after doing SSB 1 and 2 and sustained power build in prep for Dirty Kanza. Then I will take a week off then hit general power build and likely rolling road race for some variety. That will take me through September I think
I wouldn’t recommend doing back to back Specialty. Since cyclocross is your primary season you want to peak for, I’d chose to end your Cyclocross Specialty mid to late cyclocross season (end of September early October). Then you’d train to hold onto that “peak” fitness for the remainder of your cyclocross season. So you have a lot of time to train (32 or so weeks from now). Ideally, you’d work backwards planing your training calendar.
A full Base, Build & Specialty lasts 28 weeks, so you have a couple of options. After SSB 2 that you’re about to finish, you could move to a Build that works on a limiter and/or is still relevant to your racing, such as General Build. Then you can go back through SSB1 & 2 again as you race MTB XC. After SSB2 (for a second time) move onto Short Power Build and then Cyclocross Specialty as cyclocross race season starts. All along adjusting your plan to accommodate your XC races. You don’t have enough time to go through all of that fully (Build, SSB1 & 2, Build, Specialty), so you can cut your first Build a few weeks short or trim a few weeks off of SSB1. This structure will allow you to build up some fitness, allow your body to recover a bit, then build up more fitness to peak for cyclocross season.
TR recommends Base, Build, Base, Build, Specialty when you have “Too Much Time”.
Thanks for the advice. I think that makes sense to only do one specialty block. I was thinking that 2 would be ‘too much.’ I think that going back and forth with base/build is a good idea, seems as though you would just (hopefully) keep getting stronger and then ‘sharpen the sword’ for whatever your most important race/season is.
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