After some thoughts on structuring training around racing.
For several years i have been a fastidious proponent of structured training. An average week would have around 3 hard sessions, focussing on VO2 Max and threshold work with 2 or 3 Z2 rides, outdoors, indoors, and maybe a rest day in the somewhere too. Usually throw s couple of weight training sessions in there as well.
I’ve now been bitten by the racing bug but I’m not sure how to fit it in to my weekly schedule. What sessions to drop, how many races a week, what should training rides focus on.
There’s so many races and TTs out there throughout the week these days, that you could easily sort a schedule that suits your requirements.
But one danger is that racing efficiently, keeping your nose out of the wind, might not give you anything like the interval quality of ERG workouts. Racing can get addictively fun, but not necessarily improve your fitness in an optimum manner.
Yeah i did wonder how effective races might be as a replacement for workouts. They certainly push me to the limit though.
When i look at my numbers after a race it would most align to a threshold session i guess, based on normalized power at least. Maintaining the VO2 max sessions should be a priority perhaps.
whatever method results in the highest yearly training volume and the highest amount of personal enjoyment for you that you can sustain without hitting a wall physically or mentally, or both. the details really come down to what you personally enjoy about cycling and why you do it. training really isn’t so complicated