Next week I will be starting the specialty phase of a training plan that I began in December, with my A event being a fast paced 200 mile road ride on June 21st. I have been completing my two hard interval sessions by myself during the build phase, opting to skip my usual plan of doing a hard TR workout during the week and then using a group ride on Saturday as my second hard ride. For my specialty phase, I would like to begin including the Saturday group ride again to get my group riding skills on point and to get in some longer days in the saddle.
For the masters plan rolling road race speicalty phase, TR includes a VO2 max day and a anaerobic day as the hard workouts. My question for the forum is: which workout should I prioritize, the VO2 or the anaerobic one? The one I don’t prioritize will become my group ride workout.
Based on the limited info we have here I’d probably drop the anaerobic ride, considering it is a 200 mile ride. If someone is dropping watt bombs earlier in the race they’ll likely be brought back to the group eventually. I’d imagine a V02 type effort will be enough to not get dropped completely, and pack skills will matter more for than dropping 1000w for 30 seconds.
Thanks, that’s how I have it set up now. I am a bit afraid of any watt bombs that people are dropping late in the day, but I’m hoping the non structured anaerobic work I will get on group rides will help with that.
Hey @bobgade,
I often recommend switching around from time to time to ensure that you’re getting both types of stimulus.
It also depends on the demands of your A race in June. If there is a specific type of effort that you think will be more important than the others, I’d recommend prioritizing those types of workouts.
I also agree with the idea of replacing the workout that most closely resembles your group ride, so you have a few options here..
Thanks @eddiegrinwald . Thats a good idea. There will be both types of efforts from about mile 165-185 before calming down for the last 15 miles. Would it be better to switch week to week, or to develop some progression in each type of effort?
It wouldn’t hurt to get a bit of both in between now and then. Just know that your PLs might start to decay if you go two weeks or more without completing a workout in a specific zone.
Also, don’t forget that you can easily switch between indoor TR workouts and group rides by simply right-clicking a workout on your calendar. This will help to make it easier if you decide to change things up week by week..