In 1.5 weeks time i will go on vacation to the south of Spain (near the Sierra Nevada).
The 2 weeks i’m there will be week 5 & 6 of SSB2.
Week5 = Spencer +2 / Lamarck / Leconte
Week 6 = recovery week.
I plan on riding the same days as i do now.
Tuesday/ thursday/ saturday / sunday.
For that first week, should I do the TR workouts outdoors as best i can, followed by easy endurance riding?
I was actually planning on doing loooong rides there at easy endurance pace, climbing a lot at an as easy pace as i can, which at 83 kg / 183 lbs is not that easy.
Here’s the consideration, perhaps if i start the ride doing the TR workout, i might not be inclined to make the rides that long afterwards. That said, as i write this, that might not be that much the case, as the workouts arent THAT extreme.
Really looking forward to the sunday clubride with the local club there, they start of nice and easy, then go up a climb where its a bit of a race, everyone waits at the top. Then a nice downhill and when you get back to the flat(ish) coast it turns into a race. Often resulting in the locals trying to drop the foreigners, but as a dutch rider, i’m used to punshing on the flats, especially with some wind. Yeah, really looking forward to that.
I think this might be my plan:
Tuesday: TR ride of 60 min, followed by 2-3 hours easy endurance
Thursday: TR ride of 60 min, followed by 2-3 hours easy endurance
Saturday: TR ride of 90 min, followed by 1 hour easy endurance
Sunday: clubride of 2,5 - 3 hours
I am a similar build to you and despite working up my FTP to a respectable level I am still disgusted by how quickly the really light guys climb
If you’re going on holiday how about just seeing how you feel each morning? Start out, have a TR workout preloaded on your head unit and if you feel like doing some structured training after a warmup, go for it. If not just do a longer ride. The weather will also have an effect - if it gets up into the high 30s then almost 4 hours of riding might not be a great idea if you’re not used to those temperatures.
I’m in Scotland and if things in Holland have been anything like here with Covid and lockdown etc, just relaxing and not worrying too much about your structured training might be a good idea? I listened to a podcast recently with Jonny Brownlee and he said he never goes on a ride of longer than 3 hours without a cafe stop, which is a philosophy I’m thinking of adopting.
Have a great holiday, we have a week in Tenerife booked in December so fingers crossed that can all go ahead!
Yes it would be nice to just ride long and “easy”. For me, after vacation, racing season will shortly start. Cyclocross from september till end januari
You mentioned that you will have 3-4 hours per day to ride, on alternating days. The structured workouts are great if you are short on time, but during your holidays you do not have that issue. So I would look at the energy systems that the structured training is targeting and try to convert that to outdoor rides. You mention that you’ll be at the end of the base phase. So just getting in extra easy base miles will already giving you the desired adaptations. If you like to stick to the structure a bit more than you could replace Lamarck with an hour long steady climb (like Almuñecar - Carretera de la Cabra - Cycling Route - 🚲 Bikemap) and do a long, easy warm-up and cool-down on a scenic route to enjoy the view on the lovely Andalusian villages. I’d replace Spencer for the group ride and for Leconte make it your “koninginnenrit” with some shorter climbs (if there are any) or steady climbs with steeper sections. Go up in a steady tempo pace and attack the last minute of the climb/ steeper section, for the rest of the ride pick an easy endurance pace and enjoy an extra long break mid-ride.
About recovery. Depending on what your plans are with the family, try to mix-up the rides according to that schedule. If you, for instance, are planning do a long hike or a lot of sightseeing one day, don’t plan to do your “koninginnenrit” the day after. If the family allows, I would try to do a recovery ride on you rest days. Something like 20-50 min easy spin (~ 40-50% FTP). Just to loosen the muscles and, most importantly, because you can . Oh and finally, for the rest week. Let go of all structure. Go for beautiful rides. Find the most amazing gravel paths. Stop for breaks as often as you like. Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy and dream of an extra muddy cyclocross season. See you there.
You’re going to get a lot of different perspectives…for me, the best cycling vacations have been much more free form than what you’re laying out here. This is the time to drop some structure and enjoy your fitness - explore, stop and take pictures, stop for some good food and wine. Absolutely target that group ride - go hammer and have fun with those guys, but when you’re on your own - I’d ditch the structure entirely
Not sure how close you’ll be, but I’d strongly recommend going to see the Alhambra if you’re in southern Spain - not cycling related, but if you’re in the area its worth the time
ok, structure is out the window, sort of. There is one approx 15 min climb and one 45 min climb, those i do want to “attack” once, to try and get a new PR, the rest i’m just going to enjoy, go at an “easy” pace and do some extra hours on the bike. Preserve myself somewhat for the group ride.
The Alhambra is on the wishlist to see. I may also ride from Granada up the Sierra Nevada (40 km climbing). Something i did a few years ago, it was breathtaking (at 3000+ m elevation).
You’re in base phase, long rides are good. Think of it as a training camp. Just enjoy the riding.
I wouldn’t worry about doing the workouts, you can go back to structure when you’re back and enter build phase.
One word of warning, if you ride a lot during your second week there, you might want to schedule a few more recovery days afterwards, before starting build.
