In the past I have written about manipulating my training weeks to alternate 1 on week with 1 off week, and repeating this cycle as I build my volume and fitness. That is a cycle I follow for the entire “off” season which for me is December ~ March. However, now that we are entering the racing season, and the accompanying intensity increase, I move away from the on / off cycle that I followed earlier to a set schedule of ~10-11 hours per week. There will be a rare week when I will go over this number, and there will be an occasional recovery week where I go under it. But, generally speaking, this is where I will be at volume wise all of the way through August. What is the magic behind the 10-11 hours per week you ask? There really isn’t any. It is just the level that I discovered, through lot’s of trial and error, that allows me to keep my fitness primed. If I step over this volume too often – even with just active recovery pedaling – I set myself back, and do not perform well. Continuing the theme of less volume, I also use less intensity – compared to my off season build – during the week to allow myself to stay fresh. Below is a typical week that I will follow from now through the end of the racing season:

Monday: Off or active recovery pace. Ride Length @ < 1:00

Tuesday: Technique work at endurance pace. Ride Length @ 1:45-2:00

Wednesday: Intervals addressing a need or designed to meet the needs of an upcoming event. These efforts can be anything from 10 sec sprints to 10:00 steady states at threshold. Ride Length @ < 2:00

Thursday: Off or endurance pace. Ride length @ 1:30 – 2:15

Friday: Off or active recovery pace. Ride Length @ < 1:00

Saturday: Openers. Ride Length @ 1:00

Sunday: Race with warm up and cool down. Ride Length @ 2:00

Now this schedule would obviously be different if I were racing on Saturday versus Sunday, or even not racing at all. But, generally speaking, it is pretty close to what I will always do. And you notice there is an option for up to 3 off days in the week. I very rarely end up taking that many, but I always want to have 1 in the week, and I’ll take a 2nd if my legs and body feel fatigued.

Once you have established the fitness level that you want,  and you enter your racing season, make sure to adjust your training so that you allow yourself enough recovery. There is very little worse than coming into a racing week with great form, but ruining your chances of performing at your best because you are under recovered.

-Jason