TiMan - I like what you have to say, (also on doping) and I have a few questions for you.
I'm Cat 1 in Netherlands, and I am just starting my winter training - weekdays up to 2 hours 4/5 times a week on the trainer (Taxc flow - innacurate power readings but I can workout my levels from it) and a 3-4 hr ride on the weekend if the weather allows.
I never knew much about "block training" - but when I came up with my schedule for the coming months I instinctively set up 3 harder days per week consecutively, then a recovery day - then some time off (girlfriend intervals
) before an endurance ride on the sunday. This cycle I plan to repeat for 3 weeks in a row, and then take the last week of each month as a rest week, with little work done. Then I repeat the month block. So in a way each week is a block, and each month as a whole is a block.
As you've also raced Cat 1 for some time and I am new to this level I wondered what you made of such a strategy.
I'd also initially scheduled a lot of L5 and L6 work for the coming months - 1 or 2 sessions per week of 4-5 min intervals @ L5 and also sessions of exclusively intervals of 40 seconds @ L6.
I am now beginning to think that it is now way too early to be training in L5 and L6 and maybe I can better focus on L3/4 until January. Then in the months immediately prior to the beginning of the season to concentrate on L5 / L6. so basically I am planning to concentrate pretty much exclusively on 1hr + tempo rides in L3 and 20 minute intervals @ L4 for the next couple of months. Is this smart? Is this a sensible approach for a Cat 1?
Thanks for your advice.