Which ride to swap for endurance?

Training
1

I’m training for the Mallorca 312 and on a low volume plan which consists mostly of the following each week:

60mins VO2
60mins Sweet Spot
90mins Threshold

I like to swap out a ride for a 3 - 6 hour zone 2 ride each week. Typically I have swapped the Threshold session (as it’s the ‘long ride’) however I was thinking, would it make sense to swap out the sweet spot workout?

My understanding is that sweet spot is essentially there to build endurance but without the long hours required. But if you have the time and inclination to do long hours… go for it?

1 Like
2

Me Personally? If I was riding 3 rides, I’d swap out Sweet Spot and do this:

Monday - 60 Min VO2
Wednesday - 60-90 Min Threshold
Saturday - 3-6 hour Z2

Adding on Endurance time as I had time and felt good enough to do so. Maybe Shorter / Optional Recovery or Endurance Rides Thursday / Friday. If you lift, no Leg Lifts day before VO2 or Threshold

4 Likes
3

It probably doesn’t really matter much in the grand scheme of things, especially when you have already progressed through the sweetspot levels but not the threshold levels

4

Maybe not a helpful answer but I’d consider focusing your blocks on threshold or vo2. Work threshold and time to exhaustion in one block and then do a dedicated vo2 block to raise the ftp ceiling. I feel mixed blocks are not as helpful as focused blocks, I’m sure many TR-Stans will disagree

3 Likes
5

Switch to Masters plan and AI/TR will make the decision for you! Easy to do.

6

Its a few year since I done the 312 and I was coached at the time but my coach added the weekend endurance rides on top of his workouts, although most of his workouts were 15-60mins. Id be tempted to keep the workouts but shorten them with Alternates (to 45-60min) and add the Endurance on the weekend.

7

I agree with @HLaB

Try doing the long ride in addition. Drop the SS workout if your recovery is compromised. Even with the long Z2 ride you’re still under 10 hours per week.

Of course, if your Z2 ride is actually fartlek tempo with an occasional handful of 20 minute climbs at FTP … the case is altered :wink:

2 Likes
8

It’s just a time availability issue. Would love to do all three TR workouts + endurance but schedule won’t permit it.

Perhaps I’ll mix it up - skip SS one week, Threshold the next.

9

Doing this means adaptive training won’t progress you through the levels as they decay every 2 weeks

10

Nah. Just do the threshold workouts. :muscle:

2 Likes
11

Drop sweet spot

1 Like
12

If you can, just keep the planned rides as they are and add on endurance before/after the scheduled “work”. This is what I did last season for my Tues/Thurs interval days leading into my August race. I just sandwiched the scheduled intervals with Z2 work and did them outside (not using the actual TR workout, but just doing the work). I actually find it makes the intervals feel better after knocking out an hour or so of Z2 as a warmup. And after hard intervals, Z2 feels so easy and good.