Hi all,
I’m relatively new to TR, currently working my way through SSBHVII, moving to SPBHV at the end of this month, then into CRRHV specialty at the end of January, finishing end of March.
My ultimate target is a LEJOG late next summer (postponed from this year), so currently I’ve got a slightly compressed base/build/speciality plan from early April to late August. - TrainerRoad
My question is, would I be better served by skipping CRRHV speciality and allowing more time for a full base/build/specialty cycle to peak for the event? It feels that being on peak form at the end of March, nearly 6 months out from the event, is likely to be a case of “all dressed up with nowhere to go”.
Cheers,
J
I do not use TR as a training tool, so I cannot help you with a specific plan. However, having this much time before your A-event I‘d really focus on base work first (building the engine as big as possible, before tuning your gears to the specific race track).
Also, consider peaking not once, but twice or three times during a season. Many cyclists have several events to focus on, and when they are far enough apart, they can build up to one event, and then start less specific training after that, and work towards the next event. Especially with the added uncertainty through Covid, I’d really consider not putting all your eggs in one basket. If this one event is cancelled, you were dressed up all year, but never went anywhere… 
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Have you tried the Plan Builder yet? Given you have already completed some of the base plans then enter the start date in the past (when you started that plan) and see what it says. It will obviously give you base again at the start, so you can then see what it suggests moving forward.
My guess is it will have you repeat base II and then build a few times and finish with century specialist plans, but have a look what it says. Given the nature of LeJoG you cant really have too much volume/base under your belt… Have fun.
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The plan in there is essentially the Plan Builder plan for Climbing Road Race, High Volume, with an end date of late August. That has resulted in one full cycle to March, then one slightly compressed cycle to August.
As you say, can’t have too much base under my belt, hence wondering about base vs specialty.
slightly surprised it gave you climbing road race? Did you enter LeJoG as a stage race?
I used Plan Builder for a week long Raid Dolomites and it just gave base/sustained power build/base/SP Build/Century
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The CRR specialty is because I’ve got that set as a discipline, a little bit of experimentation with creating new plans show that moving it to Century specialty just it just swaps the specialty phase for a different one, the sequence remains SS Base 1 (6 week) → SS Base 2 (6 week) → SP Build → Specialty → SS Base 1 (4 week) → SS Base 2 (4 week) → SP Build → Specialty → Event → Recovery Week
I originally chose CRR as that’s closer to what I’d normally do on a group ride and is identical to Century other than the specialty phase. Which still begs the original question, skip the first block of specialty to be able to lengthen the second round of base, or do two full specialty phases at the “cost” of 4 weeks of base?