Hello there and thanks in advance for thoughts/guidance
I caught Covid early in October 21 and it knocked me for 6. After 3 weeks completely off the bike I eased myself back in - and discovered my FTP had dropped by 12%. It has taken me till last week to get back to just above my pre-Covid FTP.
As an aside - I feel that Adaptive Training has helped me remain more consistant than I’ve ever been before with TR plans. So, way to go TR!
The guys I ride with are generally younger, lighter and fitter than me. When riding with them on steady sustained flats I am OK - but often on bendy or rolling routes their accelerations/the hills kill me. I “thought” it would be a good idea to try a Rolling Road Race plan which I’ve enjoyed whereas in prevous years I’ve done more sustained power plans.
However - I fear I may have made a boo boo in plan selection.
My main “event” of '22 is a cycling holiday in Majorca with the same cycling friends in mid-May. Long days with a fair amount of rolling/flat terrain but some substantial lumpy bits - sa colabra and the Pig…
So - is it betterfor me to:
a) carry on with the rolling road race plan - hoping that a higher FTE with added repeatability get me to the base of the climbs more efficiently - OR
b) switch to a sustained power / climbing road race type plan
Help and thanks very much
Some context about me:
Male - 6’2 and 102kg - built for Rugby rather than cycling
I turn 50 this year and have been road cycling for 5 years
To a certain extent, it won’t matter. Given you’re a lower volume guy, the overwhelming difference to you Mallorcan adventure will be consistency. Doing either plan with consistentcy trumps the workouts in them.
That said, Option A is a Speciality plan and Option B is back to build. I would do Option B.
Are you going to race each other? Otherwise both routes will be fine and leave you plenty fit and I would do what is fun and gets you there happy and well rounded.
FWIW your reason for selecting the plan makes sense to me and it is also a fun plan
I don’t know your physique but if you carry a bit of extra fat you still have time to sensibly drop at least 8kg without losing too much strength. That’ll help you going up too
Have you been and ridden on the island before? If not, you’re in for a real treat. I’d put all of your concerns to one side and be prepared to enjoy yourself.
None of the climbs on the island are ‘brutal’. In my experience, you need to focus on pacing the effort. Yesterday’s podcast touched on this. Yes, a few of your cycling buddies might have to wait at the top or the café but no one is really going to care.
If you absolutely must be able to keep up with your friends, I’d say Sustained Power Build will be your friend.
Sounds like you are from the UK (or Ireland). The climbs on Majorca are very steady when compared to the typical British climb, they are just long. Get to the foot of one, drop into a gear you think you can pedal for forty minutes to an hour whilst being able to chat and carry on. The biggest issue with Sa Calobra isn’t the climb but the traffic, particularly the coaches - they don’t give way to anything.
I’ve been to Majorca with a mixed ability group, the fast ones just wait ten minutes or so for the slower ones, no big deal.
Relax @Domslot , I don’t think it’ll matter what plan you’ve done just that you have been consistent which it sounds like you have been. The island is wonderful its got a wide variance of terrain in a small area, reasonably sustained climbed but steady so its easy to get into a rhythm and plenty of flatter stuff to recover on other days. There will always be folk faster (even on the recent Camila pro road race, the pros were all together at the bottom of the final climb, 1.5-2km IIRC, but by the top they were 3minutes gaps). IME folk who go up hill faster are more than willing to regroup at the top as it gives them a chance to recover Enjoy
Slightly OT, On my recent trip to Tenerife I think I preferred its climbs it had the long steady stuff but it also had more of the sharper stuff thrown in but there was no flatter stuff to recover on on other days
I am also visiting Mallorca (in April). 4th time at the Island ;-). Another tip. Don’t overdue it the first day (or days). Certainly for someone who is more used to do low volume. If you crush it too soon, the remaining days could be very hard. And if you want to become stronger after the days in Mallorca…don’t overdue it overall. Let the miles become your friend ;-).
And leave something in the tank for the afterpart’ys @BierKöning
I think both will get you what you want, but I’d choose option B - the sustained power build will suit the long drags and undulating roads a little better IMHO. The Climbing road race plan looks to have a good mix of vo2 and threshold and would be perfect for the final block.
Enjoy 
