Combining Long Aerobic + Intensity

[KWcycling]

So racing is the best workout to get better at racing. The pros use lower importance races to get fit for their target races (and so should amateurs - if you have enough races on your schedule to do it).
CX is similar to a threshold workout in that you stay working at a hard and steady effort, it just has lots of high spikes rather than a TT where youre trying to sit on a wattage. You would prob get burned out working threshold workouts midweek then race CX on the weekend. I would just do some 30/30 midweek and race CX on weekends. The actual CX race like you said is a constant high HR event where you do sprint for position in the first lap but otherwise you’re trying to be even paced (per lap - not like an even power output on each lap). I put the power required for the given terrain (high torque stuff) but otherwise sit on SS.

If you’re ftp is actually going down thru CX season, it’s more bc the actual event isn’t training it bc it’s not important for the actual event. Tho, I think it would stay relatively constant throughout the season.

[tkruger]

Podcast discussing all out sprints into long ride.

Including sprint training in cycling - training responses and peformance...

[Rizzi]

This could be of interest:
Combined speed endurance and endurance exercise amplify the exercise-induced PGC-1 α and PDK4 mRNA response in trained human muscle
https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.14814/phy2.12864
WU
6x (30sec sprint / 3min recovery)
60min endurance (60% VO2max)

[anthonylane]

@tkruger

Podcast discussing all out sprints into long ride.

Including sprint training in cycling - training responses and peformance improvements with Nicki Winfield Almquist, PhD | EP#300

@Rizzi

This could be of interest:
Combined speed endurance and endurance exercise amplify the exercise-induced PGC-1 α and PDK4 mRNA response in trained human muscle
https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.14814/phy2.12864
WU
6x (30sec sprint / 3min recovery)
60min endurance (60% VO2max)

Yes yes. Thank you.

[HMG]

You have to be careful with these types of workouts. They can stagger you pretty easily. Adding kJ’s of endurance on top of taxed legs makes for some serious stress, above and beyond what it would be otherwise, like 1 + 1 =4. I think it is much easier to get over-trained/over-reached using these types of workouts than it is to separate them.

Fully acknowledge I don’t have anything to back that up other than personal experience. But for me, it is very notable.

[trpnhntr]

I do this all the time

No clue if its blunting things, but it works very well for me

[jnye131]

If you can cope with them though… they’re killer. I did some this summer 4h with efforts at the front, and I ended up flying. No racing to be had, but absolutely flying.

[jarsson]

Spreading the efforts through the ride is even more fun this type of work helped me a lot this year.