Hi Team,
Velocious is offering another awesome nutrition program starting March 10th!  Fellow Kissena member Eloy has been an active, energtic member of our current Challenge (see pictures above) and learning and cooking great healthy meals.    

https://www.velociouscyclingadventures.com/fueling-for-performance

click here to sign up: https://www.velociouscyclingadventures.com/store/Fueling-for-Performance-Guided-Nutrition-Plan-p131764306

A question for @TimCusick about how to get back into training after unexpected time off the bike. First a quick rewind to cyclocross season: It was successful, but long. I consistently placed in the Top 10 at big races, I stood on the podium once, and I upgraded to Cat 3. Velocious training plans were a major help in achieving my goals, so thank you.

At the beginning of the new year, after riding easy for the last few weeks of December, I started a 10-week winter base training plan. I've done that plan or something like it since I started racing in 2016. This year, I just never quite took to it. I had trouble motivating myself to complete a full week's worth of workouts.

Then a week went by without riding at all. Then two weeks. As of today, it's been a month. I'm still coming to terms with how I got to this point, but now that I feel compelled to train again, I'm asking myself: where do I go from here? 

To help answer the question, a few words about my racing goals this spring. They are modest. I plan to race the local park series that our club hosts that runs from the end of March until August. For Cat 4s, these are about 50km and usually finish in a bunch sprint. I know I'll be sucking wind for the first few rounds of the series, but by May or June I'd like to mix it up at the front and go for the podium. My best result in these races was placing 12th/56 last August, and I'd like to improve on that. As for other courses, I've got my eye on a few locals crits in May. NYC's best summertime weeknight series runs May through August. By August I'll be thinking about cyclocross again. And sometime between now and then I'll finally try track racing for the first time at our local velodrome. 

So, should I just pick up where I left off with the base training? Should I start the base training over again? Should I try a Save Your Season plan? I'd love to hear what you think.

This is tough as you really need to start the base again BUT the timing going to be off.  So to achieve good/best fitness (regardless of schedule) I would redo base and then build.  If you really want to be in the "best fitness you have the time to get into" by early May, I would do something else such as an HIIT plan for 8 weeks (Save your Season).  The KEY will be motivation.  The plan that most motivates you will be the best one.  When people go through these phases, typically change can help.  So if your have never done something like HIIT training, good time to try...the change might help motivate.  Make sense?

Yes, that all makes good sense. Thank you @TimCusick! Was the 80/20 polarized CX plan I did last year a type of HIIT plan?

@eloy are you doing the 6 week fueling for performance program?

YES. @RobertPeras

@eloy awesome! I look forward to seeing more pictures of food

I think I’m going to do the nutrition plan too. I don’t have much weight to lose, but better nutrition never hurts!

JohnPowell said:

I think I’m going to do the nutrition plan too. I don’t have much weight to lose, but better nutrition never hurts!

Can't properly describe how good this is. Just do it.

Did the discount code posted earlier work for you? The site told me it was expired.

Email info@velociouscyclingadventures.com to get a new one....

@JohnPowell I agree with Eloy. I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s definitely worth it.

@JohnPowell can you post coupon plz?

So sorry for the confusion on the coupon code, everyone! Please use the code VECNUTRITION20 to get 20% off.

Just signed up. I like food. Let’s do this!

https://www.velociouscyclingadventures.com/fueling-for-performance

click here to sign up: https://www.velociouscyclingadventures.com/store/Fueling-for-Performance-Guided-Nutrition-Plan-p131764306   VECNUTRITION20

I'm in for the nutrition program. My boys don't know what they are in for. Looking forward to eating like a king (named Eloy)

I have to admit that @eloy ‘s food photography sold me on it. I scrolled through it saying “yes, I like all of these things!”

@JohnPowell I have to tell you that Eloy is an artist. My food during the 8 week challenge didn't look as pretty as his did. On the plus side, my food was very tasty and I lost 10 pounds. 

I am in as well! I purchased the plan but haven't gotten any emails about it other than an invoice. Am I missing anything? 

Thanks for your purchase, Debi will send the packet of info out tomorrow with all the details. Monday night is the kickoff webinar and links to that will come tomorrow as well.
Tks
Kathy

Sent from my iPhone

I'm in.

Wow, it looks like @eloy is going to have to cook for an army of people!

Thinking of the trainings!

In summary mode:

• Been riding, ramping up the hours (up to 14 hours last week)
• Mostly unstructured "whatever-I-feel-like" semi-lsd mellow tempoish
• I'm over 10lbs lighter than this time last year
• Racing starts March 24, mostly Cish events (for me), every weekend until mid May when:
• Bear Mountain May 11th
• To finish in the lead pack will need to sustain the climb up Tiorati: 10ish minutes at 4ish W/kg (3 or 4 times) plus, of course, the other 70~90 km of race.
• Descending will also matter at Bear Mountain.
• Following weekend, May 19th, will ride the Farmer's Daughter Gravel event
• May 5th includes a 5k trail run, also in Harriman

For training I am thinking of starting the 'Polarized 80/20 8 Weeks to Peak Road Race' or the 'Polarized 80/20 8 Weeks to Peak FTP' in April, so the rest/test from the first cycle aligns with Bear Mountain (might sprinkle a few 5kish runs in there)

If it all goes well, then look for a June event to line up with the second cycle, followed by some rest, "whatever-I-feel-like" for a bit, followed by a later set of potential goals (Neversink, Cyclocross) but no one cares about those just yet...

Open to suggestions, ideas, comments, calling me stupid, is this all too early? are there better plans?, or other misdirections.

Eloy - what is the biggest issue for you?  Achieving the needed power or sustaining the power you need?  This is tough to answer, I know but highly impactful.  If making the power is the challenge, PEAK...if sustaining, FTP...

TimCusick said:

Eloy - what is the biggest issue for you?  Achieving the needed power or sustaining the power you need?  This is tough to answer, I know but highly impactful.  If making the power is the challenge, PEAK...if sustaining, FTP...

That's helpful, hard to tell precisely because I haven't raced or gone hard this season, but generally thinking sustaining would be harder for me.

Depending on weight, 4 W/kg is about 260 to 275 watts, which last season I could hit easily for 6-8 minutes, and not so easily for way longer, so it will be more about sustaining, and surviving surges.

So "Polarized 80/20 8 Weeks to Peak FTP" it is. Thanks!

@TimCusick

I recently started the build cycle of the season plan and have specific a question. I am using the iLevel plan and today’s 40/20 micro intervals set the target to 90-92% of PDC 40sec. This was around 600 watts for me and I was not able to sustain that at all after the first rep. 

I completed them the best I can, falling short of the target. I wondered if it was better to complete all sets and reps at the highest output that I could reach or aim for the stated target, even if it likely means I would t be able to complete the number of prescribed sets. Thanks 

Patrick, it is better to complete. If you notice the notes, I typically write in those workouts with iLevels "don't overthink this workout, just go hard during the hard and easy during the easy"...it tends to find its own power....

Tim Cusick
TrainingPeaks WKO4 Product Leader
Velocious Cycling Adventures
717.515.5382 / tim@wko4.com

@Eloy , did you register for Farmers Daughter?