Training plan for century and climbing

Training
1

I started cycling more seriously last year. I have ridden about 5000 km this year all together. I’m preparing for the next season.

My goals for next season:

  • ride centuries in beginning March (no competition, but willing to get a good finish time)
  • go ride in the Pyrenees in June

I don’t need to win or be in the top X, I mainly want to increase my average speed during these events to grow above 32km/h (currently 28km/h).

I selected the following trainingplans for the next 9 months:

  • Base: Sweet Spot training: mid volume 1 and mid volume 2 (2 times 6 weeks)
  • Build: General Build: mid volume (8 weeks)
  • Specialty: Climbing road race: mid volume (8 weeks)

Questions I have:

  1. Overall the TSS for these training plans remains around 350-400 TSS/week in peak times. That seems rather low if the goal is to be able to get decent times in centuries. Choosing the high volume increases the TSS a bit, but remains around 450 TSS/week. I read in various books that a focus on 600-800TSS per week is required to achieve decent fitness. Yet, I don’t see which training plans achieve this on Trainerroad.

  2. I noticed that the TSS is very low again at the beginning of the Build phase and am afraid to lose fitness at that point in time

image
image1174×270 11.4 KB

Thanks

2

Hi,

600-800 TSS required for decent fitness? I say poppycock… I mean maybe if you are an elite but I think for most of us quality matters over quantity. Now, I am not sure what your goals are here so cannot comment directly but generally, one can be very strong on under 600 TSS a week. Now I am not sure which training phases you are referring to but the high volume sweet spot build phase II has an average TSS of over 600. That is to, as the name implies, build your base. Upon this base you start the build phase. You won’t lose fitness. Instead you start to gear your efforts to higher intensity efforts. While the overall TSS may go down, the IF in a workout should be going up. Because high intensity efforts tax the body a bit more, we typically cannot do them many days a week. Remember what makes you stronger is rest. :slight_smile: