Threshold Training for Crit Racing?

judging by just the thread here, I’d steer you away from the HV plan. It’s tempting to select HV based on the hours you want to do, but 99% of the time the Mid-volume plan is more than enough. You can extend rides, and add more lower intensity rides to get the hour volume you are looking for. The HV plans aren’t strongly recommended.

I’m not sure how Alec got away with this as, to the best of my knowledge, we’re not allowed cameras in British Cycling sanctioned events (looks to be an official at the front in a grey fleece top) but I would highly recommend watching this video.

Alec is possibly one of the best Crit racers we have here in the UK and this course is a gem. If you only take one or two nuggets from this video, you’ll be well on your way to improving your race craft :+1:

How to race a Crit

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Thanks for the reply.

Interestingly, SSB2 high volume is lower in intensity that SSB2 mid volume. The high volume plan is all sweet spot, whereas the mid volume plan is a Vo2max workout, two threshold, and one sweet spot per week. With so much Vo2 planned in the build and speciality phases, along with some threshold, I thought it best to focus on sweet spot for the first few weeks. Basically higher volume and lower intensity to build a base.

Thank you!!

coincidentally yesterday I listened to a podcast by Kolie Moore in which he mentioned that raising your FTP is mainly doing intervals on FTP. :wink:

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Learning to corner and ride in a pack should be your number 1 goal. It is going to have the biggest influence on your race results, even if you plan is to ride away with 2 laps to go. You are going to be much fresher if you were able to sit in for all the laps beforehand. Your specific training plan is going to be much less impactful.

Or else look for another type of racing.

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This ain’t crit racing. And as has been mentioned exhaustedly, will not help you build the skills necessary to succeed outside of Cat 4/5. I’ve known quite a few time trial specialists who start crit racing and think it’s “easy,” as they ride away from the pack with their huge engines. And then they upgrade to Cat 3, have poor bike handling skills, and end up being a non-factor, or worse - an obstacle.

Build your ftp. Threshold is important. VO2 work is also important, but much closer to your event. (Unless you’re racing crits now).

And often not discussed here - do 1 day/week of handling drills outside when the weather is agreeable. I WISH someone had told me that as a beginner.

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Physiologically (compared to yourself), the relationship between red zone heart rate and ftp is what is at play for everyone. With a relatively low ftp your HR will more rapidly climb past 90% max and unless the pace drops your chances of staying connected reduce with time.

Since red zone is somewhat fixed and ftp is trainable we can only try to work on ftp. While I would never suggest focusing only on one energy system the aerobic system is by far the most important.

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I’m pretty sure he was saying this in jest.

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I actually had a friend tell me the same thing when I told him what type of crit racer I wanted to be. :slight_smile:

From the outside, Crit racing appears to be nothing more than blunt force attack. Once you’re in it, especially as you move up the CATs, it couldn’t be further from the truth.

If you’re out there on your own, you have to be a tactician. Your mind is working faster than your legs, lungs and heart combined. It’s pure racing.

Who is up the road? Are they a dangerous? Can you get over to them? Should you wait and see if anyone else is willing to do the work? If you go, who will you take? Should you take someone to help? Where’s the best place to try and make this happen?

Multiple all of the above by 4/5/6 if you’re in a team and you’ve got a job to do.

All while your handlebars are mm’s from someone else and you’re heading into a corner with a crosswind.

In my experience and humble opinion, the best Crit racers don’t have the highest FTPs. They’ve had to learn to be smart, crafty even. They can read a race and a field in a handful of laps. They have a plan A, B, C and D.

When it’s safe to do so, look back through your arm once in a while. If you’ve got the same rider on your wheel for a period of time, there’s a fair chance you’re (a) doing something right and (b) you’ve been ‘pegged’.

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Apart from LSD, all training plans have a mixture of workouts, which includes threshold, VO2max and sweet spot to different degrees. There is no single workout type that is better, you have to use them in combination.

That’s why it isn’t as easy as it seems to draw up a training plan from scratch if you haven’t put in a lot of effort. Exchanging one workout type for another is something that should be done with care and requires some experience. E. g. exchanging a sweet spot workout for a threshold workout likely incurs more fatigue, something that isn’t reflected in e. g. TSS or some such. (That’s why sweet spot is a thing.)

Even in a polarized approach that eschews sweet spot in favor of threshold, it still comes with VO2max and has its own tradeoffs. Long threshold intervals are not just much more physically fatiguing, but also mentally fatiguing. FWIW, I have started my fourth polarized block, I’m not against polarized and threshold work at all.

In this particular instance, I haven’t seen anything from @ctaylor33 that would indicate why he would want do more threshold work than currently prescribed. IMHO he should just stick to the training plan, do plenty of group rides and races, and work on his cornering skills.

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I’m not a Crit rider, but have loved this thread. Particularly @PusherMan posts, have got me visualising and feeling the intensity of being in a pack at uncomfortably high pace and proximity to other riders.
Brilliant thanks guys!

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Thank you :relaxed:

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