Hey TR team, I’m looking for some advice on which plan is best suited for my A race in June this summer. I’m racing the Whistler Back Forty which is an XC race, but with an interesting format twist - it’s 3 stages, with non timed liaisons in between. Almost like an enduro and an XC race had a baby. It’s also run on (predictably) fairly gnarly trails for an XC race.
Stats for the last 2 years course:
Total Timed Course: 28km / 1,461m climb / 1,471m descent
With the in-between bits, it’s just over 30km total. Each stage is around an hour of racing for me (and 30-40 mins for the winners)
Here’s my stats for last years race where I punctured on the last stage. The first 10km is the warmup/ride to the race start.
So, the questions is, which training plan for this event? It’s longer than your typical XCO race, but shorter than your typical XCM race.
Last year, and so far this year, I’ve been on the XCM plan, which has certainly provided an increase in fitness, FTP and TTE, but I cant help but wonder though if I’d be better on the XCO plan?
Any thoughts from the crowd?
Hey there,
Looks like an awesome race!
I think the XCM plan is still the way to go from what I can see. The event itself looks to be quite long – even if the liaisons between stages aren’t timed, that’s still riding that will wear you down over the course of the race. Since each stage is about an hour of racing, that’s about 3 hours in total – which is also still much longer than an average XCO race.
That said, it’s also worth considering how you’d like to approach the race in terms of pacing/riding style. The XCM and XCO plans have some crossover, but the big difference is that the XCM plan focuses more on sustained efforts, while the XCO plan features very high-intensity anaerobic workouts that replace some of those sustained power workouts. If you prefer a steadier pace, then I’d say the XCM plan is the right choice. If you like a “punchier” style of riding, though, maybe it would be worth checking out the XCO plan. You can look at both of them here (if you’re logged into your TR account) to compare them directly.
Looking at the event and seeing that you’ve made gains in your fitness, FTP, and TTE, I think I’d probably stick with the XCM plan, though. 
Hope that helps – feel free to let us know if you have any additional questions!
Thanks Zackery, that comparison is really helpful.
The riding style question is one I’d not considered. The course itself is really varied. Stage 1 typically has had 3 climbs, which would generously be described as rolling. Some short punches, some longer steeper sections. The main climb in stage 2 is very much a steady sustained effort, and stage 3 has a climb that’s nearly all switchbacks, but is so steep its like 15 minutes of over/unders.
Sounds like it’s probably worth sticking with the XCM plan, durability is going to be more important I think than pure explosive power.
Thanks for the help!