There’s no way I can ride a trainer and follow 16 weeks of indoor training during the summer months in order to lead into the season. I like to spend December–April riding indoors with a progression from SSB1 all the way through a chosen Build plan (Sustained Power this year). I think this establishes a solid enough foundation for a Cat 4, then I can focus more on enjoying outdoor rides.
By May I’m riding outdoors exclusively (with an occasional indoor workout) and supplement with a lot of commuting, outdoor training, and a handful of long gravel races. During that lead up to the season I’ll do a lot of outdoor simulation rides at a local park where I can fine tune the actual demands of CX racing (that a trainer simply cannot) as well as work on running, shouldering, and all the other skills that equate to free speed. It cannot be overstated enough that doing only indoor trainer workouts will not make you a faster CX racer. I find the simulation races to be the best form of training.
My plan is to start Short Power Build or CX Specialty the first week of July which is around 8 weeks out from the start of the MNCX season.
Has anyone ever skipped the Build phase and jumped right into Cyclocross Specialty after a summer of quality riding?