I’d further simplify that and just say 2 interval sessions per week and whatever supplemental Z2 you can do on top of that. If you can only do 2 sessions a week, make them both intervals. If you can train 6 days per week, I’d still say do 2 interval sessions. The percentages become a byproduct (not a driver) of how much Z2 you can add.
So question
LV or MV plan is designed to be done with Base, Build, Specialty phases
So if you take the LV plan, and then add in a load of Z2 work to take it > 10 hours, year round, you are effectively building (or super maintaining) your base year round, beyond the existing LV plan, In which case, is a specific base phase as important, and would you not be best of to add a little bit of VO2 (say every 10 to 14 days) as now that you have a bigger base, building the tower/pyramid on top of this won’t take as much effort
As other athletes mentioned, we have to train different types of fitness at different points of the year.
Since your first race will be in April of next year, you have plenty of time to train until then. A complete training cycle will have you start by working on your Base fitness, then moving into Build and Specialty phases to prepare you more specifically for the event(s) you’re training for.
With so much time from now until your racing season next year, it makes sense to focus on your Base fitness. This article dives into some more info if you’re interested:
As you get closer to your races next year, you’ll get back into more VO2 Max work in preparation. With a bigger aerobic base to build off of, you’ll probably be stronger in those higher power zones as well. 
Here’s some more info on training periodization that you may find useful – it explains why we train different energy systems at different points of the year:
Rest assured that you won’t be losing fitness by following this kind of structure. Think of training as a long-term project with different focuses that get prioritized throughout the year. Ultimately, this kind of approach will make you faster!
Hope this info helps you out – feel free to let me know if you have any additional questions.
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So it’s not unusual to have it go like this; Base, Build, Base, Speciality?
Should I up the volume, if i have like 10-12 hours to train, or should I just trust default plan, than is like 9.30 - 10.00 hours a week?
There is nothing wrong with additional training to supplement the suggested plan with z1/z2 if you can recover from the additional work. Volume is 
when it comes to endurance training. Be mindful of any accumulated fatigue though.
Yes that is typical. I’ve had something similar for the past several years.
If you haven’t don’t a lot of specific indoor interval training, I would either start with less total time (8-10) or select a master’s plan and add Z2 up to your available time. You can always just tack on 30 min of Z2 to any ride if you have time that day. An easy way to accumulate a few extra hours on the week without overdoing it.
Many of us add workouts to fill off days or extend zone 2 workouts for longer periods. More volume usually means more adaptation. However, increase it gradually. and make sure to still take your recovery weeks as you need them. It is not difficult to overdo it, which makes your hard work more difficult, which kind of spirals in a negative direction. And make the additional volume zone 2 or easier.
Plan Builder can build out training plans in this manner – especially if you’ve built out a longer-term plan.
You’ll have done nearly 5 months of training by the time you finish your Build Phase, so it’s not unreasonable to slot in some lower-intensity work to back off the intensity a bit before you start your Specialty Phase, where the higher intensities pick up again. The lower intensity work is also still at Sweet Spot, so it’s unlikely that you would lose any fitness during that period. It will, however, give you some respite from the more demanding efforts you’ll face during higher-intensity periods.
So while it may seem a bit unorthodox to go Base > Build > Base > Specialty, here’s what it does well:
- Allows athletes to achieve all they need from a Build Phase without excess fatigue
- Gives athletes the necessary time they need in Base while introducing novel stimuli at the right points to avoid plateaus
- Allows athletes to enter the Specialty Phase with less fatigue than they would have otherwise, potentially maximizing event-specific gains potential
We’re not “going back to base,” but rather “going to base” in these instances. The Base Phase in this case is a tool that can be used to shed fatigue and prepare an athlete for further gains, and Plan Builder is using this strategy to best prepare you to capitalize on your Specialty Phase.
As for the volume, if you have 10-12 hours to train and you can recover adequately, I’d say go for it! Instructions on adjusting your plan’s workout durations can be found here.
If you haven’t trained at 10-12 hours per week yet, though, I’d echo what @TomasIvarsson, @aydraper, and @russell.r.sage mentioned above – add on that volume gradually and be mindful of how your body responds. Extra volume is only beneficial if you can recover from it!
Hope that info helps you out – let me know if you need any further clarification!
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It makes great sense with the programming!
so regarding volume, can I just add zone 1/2 volume on endurance rides when I have time, if I just avoid doing it in my rest weeks?
Does it matter that that the periodizing goes like week 1: 10 hours, week 2: 8 hours, week 3: 9 hours? My question is if it has to be a build up within the micro cycle? like 9, 10, 11 hours, rest week…
Yes, adding in volume when you have time makes sense for sure. Just avoid doing it on recovery weeks, as you already said.
This article has some good guidelines on adding volume when you can:
Ultimately, whatever approach you can fit into your schedule will work best. Building up in order like 9, 10, 11 hours per week would be ideal, but if it doesn’t work for your schedule week-to-week, it’s not the end of the world if some weeks have more hours than others.
We’d advise avoiding jumps in volume that are too big, though – I’ve seen some athletes jump from about 8 hours per week, for example, into 15+ hours per week (I’ve made that mistake in the past as well 
) and you can really dig yourself into a tough hole to recover out of if you do too much volume too soon.
Just be sure to continually check in on how your body feels and recovers if/when you add on extra volume. 
A word of advice, all the base build up will not amount to anything unless you put in some time on fast group rides to even out your cycling skill set. You can have 290 - 300 FTP, but if you can’t handle the bunch, breakaway, closing gaps, or sprinting, it will not mean much. I have raced against so many strong riders who have been dropped or crashed because they didn’t hone in enough on simple cycling skills! Wish you well!
I did quite a bit of v02max work heading into my A event in June. Have not done any proper v02max work since then despite having my A- race a few weeks ago. I’m not saying that’s ideal prep, but I experimented with some other things that allowed me to push a lot more volume at lower intensities. I had mixed results from my experiment, but it was nice skipping the v02max stuff in the hottest part of summer.
