I would do 8 weeks of 10 hours/week of z2, then maybe mix in some sweet spot for a 4 week block then a 4 week block with vo2 max.
16 weeks total, 8 weeks of just building a wide base that should extend your time to exhaustion. Then build the speed/high end on that. sweet spot then vo2 blocks would only be 1 maybe 2 hard workouts a week.
This all depends on your goals. If you are trying to be in race shape for XCO or something of the like this would build a solid foundation. If just for general fitness, I would push the z2 block out to 12 weeks.
You will be better served come august with the bigger block of base fitness to work with.
The more base fitness I build over the winter the deeper into the season I can keep pushing hard with more successive race weekends. If just peaking for one race, then building the deep base is a little less important.
10 to 14 hours a week is a lot of volume compared to the average rider…
ETA: in theory you should be able to stack up a lot of Z2 if that is all you are doing.
Week 1 - 8: 6hrs, 7 hrs, 8 hrs, 6 hrs, 7 hs, 8 hrs 9 hrs, 6 hrs
Week 9 - 12: 7 hrs, 8 hrs, 9 hrs, 6 hrs. with one work out per week with ss (45 minutes in zone total)
Week 13 - 16: 8hrs, 9hrs, 10 hrs 6 hrs. sub ss for vo2 work outs.
Thanks. 5x 2hrs a week was the absolute max i could squeeze in. 3/4 x 90 mins is a much more realistic volume and is what i am going to try and focus on as a minimum. If and when i can go longer i will.
I feel i wont lose much anaerobic power easily (just a feeling) and its more important for general cycling ability (and general health) to improve my aerobic capacity.
All the help on this thread has been great. I didnt think i’d get this much response.
He grew up in the Central Valley of Northern California. We get snow once every 20 or 30 years. We ride at 0C / 32F only a couple times a year - and only if riding in the morning at sunrise.
I haven’t ridden outdoors since the end of September apart from a handful of commutes. I’d rather spend the extra hour+ training than cleaning a bike.
When the weather turns truly foul like it is here in the UK, this is where most people’s hours drop off a cliff, because riding outside is horrible too. But I just keep the (fly)wheel turning.
I guess there is an element of ‘tolerating’ it, but it gets easier over time. I managed a 5.5 hour TR ride a few weeks back, which was pushing it a little.
Lucky you. I’ve gone down on black ice enough times to put me off… Also that appears to be the middle of the day when I’m at work, not that it’s been defrosting of late even in the day.
Good work. Yes, I think we’re “not normal” in that regard. I really value just being able to get on/off the trainer in winter and be done for the day. No prep or clean up eating up at least another hour. Not to mention punctures…
There’s a definite skill/ luck to cycling on poorly treated roads. I remember going out here once in a group the first rider a repaturated ex pat who’d spent most of his life in Switzerland before moving to the Rutland/ Northamptonshire border went completely along a road no problem. I followed and was halfway across and the rider behind me came down like a sack of spuds. At which point I dismounted to help the fallen rider. I could barely stand up, it was like an ice rink, I’m glad I never continued that 15 or so metres
Yep, used to ride through winter for years. Now it’s just too much a hassle and I’m more time constraint. So either running outside or basement . 2 a days
Oh indoors is okay for short sessions of high intensity or tempo, and can be satisfying, but no more than an hour and not Z2 for me. Z2 remains firmly outdoors.
I learnt to cross country ski in Switzerland. Our first lesson was on Christmas Day. We went out on Christmas Eve not realising that in that part of Switzerland they celebrated Christmas on the 24th. It was deserted with nothing open. But even when everyone was out, I loved XC skiing for how quiet it was, no sounds of lifts like in downhill. Great aerobic exercise if you are regularly snowed in each winter, and a mental balm in the muffled sounds of a snowy wonderland.
Here - Bavarian/Tyrolean borderland - they dont clear bike paths. So you have to ride on the road, which sucks. And only the main roads get salt, the smaller ones are only cleared. So riding with spikes is a must.
I usually only do sports which I can do from my door. Yes, there is XC Skiiing but I would have to go by car there. And often loipes are in the shadowy part of the valley. No way, if outside it has to be sun. While we have plenty of mountains here skimo is not really an option either. Ended up in an avalanche once, kind of lost interest after that.
And as said before, I don’t mind riding 2-3h indoors. And I do plenty of running outside (which can be combined nicely with riding indoors) or hike & zipflbob’ing with the family up and down the mountain behind the house:
