Been using TR for 4 years, and had pretty decent bike fitness for a couple of decades before that but just didn’t have a PM or smart trainer to measure it. Still improving, though the improvements are smaller and less frequent and there are downs as well as ups. I would also say that just following TR plans hasn’t been enough to drive continued improvement over this timeframe (though might have been if I was starting from ground zero), it’s a journey of constantly adapting and fine tuning things. Figuring out how to adapt the plans to get the most from them. Listening to the podcast and trying things out and fine tuning things both on and off the bike including sleep, nutrition, off season, strength training. And just being consistent, year in, year out.
In my case I would also say that a big factor has been continually being challenged in terms of the people I ride with and race against. I’m lucky to live in a place, and be part of a club, where there are quite a few different ride options depending how strong you are and what you’re after. As I got stronger from using TR and training with power, that meant I could either ride with stronger groups and/or be a stronger rider within the rides I was already doing. For me that’s been a virtuous circle that really helped with continuous improvement. Riding with stronger people is good training as it pushes you harder (as long as you don’t overdo it and get smashed multiple times a week). It’s good learning as you pick up tips and ideas from how fast people train and live. And having regular rides where you know you’re going to be challenged is great motivation to make the right training, nutrition and recovery choices. TR helps me know what those choices should be, putting myself in an environment where I know I’m going to get my butt kicked helps me to actually make the correct choice most of the time! Whether that’s gutting through a tough session, going to bed a bit earlier, not opening that second bottle of wine, etc.