Will finish build in 2 weeks. Too early to start crit specialty if I don't race til March?

Hey guys, so this week is may last hard week of General Build LV, then an easy week. Then I start the Crit specialty phase.

I don’t race until mid March though. Is it too early to start the specialty phase?

Gen’l build LV was not without hitches so I was sort of thinking of doing an extra week of that mixed with some sweet spot work to push my specialty start date a little.

Thoughts? I’d be like 4 weeks into the Crit phase by the time I raced for the first time.

Thanks!
-Hugh
my blog: ex-prosays.blogspot.com

I guess it depends on your A races, when you want to be the most fit and plans for the rest of your season. But I’m not a coach.
I’m on the opposite end of you. I did 11 weeks of SSBMV I/II and I’m going to restart it tomorrow. Crit/road races start for me as well in March, but everything till July are throwaway races for me. I’m also trying to build up this base so I can race cx through December.

What does your race schedule look like?

If your first race in March is a primary focus and worth tapering for then starting on the crit specialty plan now sounds great.

If you’re going to be doing a bunch of racing and it starts in March you’re probably better off not touching a specialty plan until mid-March. Throw another build cycle in or something - you’ll be fine to race crits coming off of short power build and no specialty work and be in a better place for a long race season if you don’t hit specialty that early

@JHow and @trpnhntr, the races in March are not a primary focus. In fact, I don’t really have a focus other than to be fit and competitive all season. I’m coming back from cancer so it’s all a huge unknown. I don’t have any one race targeted yet.

I’ll throw in another build phase. Thanks for the solid advice!
-Hugh
my blog: ex-prosays.blogspot.com

When is your last race of the season? A Re-Build is a highly recommended approach for those looking to extend their racing season. If you were to apply a Re-Build, your schedule would look like this:

Feb 4
Crit Specialty
April 1
Build Phase of your choice
May 27
Specialty Phase of your choice
July 22

If your last race of the season is later than July 22nd, then extending your current Build Phase is a good approach. If your last race of the season is before July 22, then I would recommend a Re-Build approach :+1:

Best of luck with your upcoming season!