Curcuit race training

[Andy_G]

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What time do you start work? A team mate of mine is out the door at 5am most days and puts in a three hour ride before going to work. I hear lots of people saying that they 'don't have the time to train' - but I also know some very good amateur racers who work extremely long and unsocial hours and they are still comfortable at 2nd cat or above...

start at 8am and I generally leave home at 7:30, I used to do between 10-20 miles before work but not as a training ride.
I was looking at doing turbo workouts Tuesdays and Thursdays and road intervals will hills on a weekend.

 

[Dusty Bin]

I wouldn't bother with the hills if you are planning on circuit racing. Just work on threshold and sprint intervals. I would seriously consider doing the winter series at Hillingdon - it starts in a couple of weeks.

 

[Rob3rt]

For me, a clubrun, provided it is a traditional gang of sociables rather than a training ride, will be run at approx 75% of the time at active recovery, even if it averages about 17-18 mph, I will be twiddling. The rest will be small forays of higher power, eg accelerating away from lights, up small inclines, pushing others when they struggle etc. It basically offers me nothing but a bit of a jolly (which I like, so I still go, when I am not in pure race mode, i.e. in the off season, such as now). I occasionally get frustrated when it is not 100% clear what the aim of the ride is, but this can be solved easily, solo or small group splitting off.

 

[Andy_G]

I wouldn't bother with the hills if you are planning on circuit racing. Just work on threshold and sprint intervals. I would seriously consider doing the winter series at Hillingdon - it starts in a couple of weeks.

I've entered the first 6 races, tbh I had a pre race coaching session last Saturday and at the end 25 of us had a lap race and that sold it to me.

 

[VamP]

Can't tell you how to structure your week, but this is what I do.

Weekends are usually racing. With that in mind Monday is a recovery day, Tuesday to Thursday are keystone workouts, Friday is recovery/primer day. On keystone days I commute by preference, or turbo at night if I am travelling for business, I am on the bike before 6am, and put in 90 minutes - 120 minutes at endurance level. In the evening I ride intervals - as required by the areas I am focusing on, and where in the season I am.

I work 60+ hour weeks, and travel internationally for business. I also have 6 week old baby at home, and my wife has a horse that she competes with and has a similarly hectic training schedule. I always find a minimum of 8 hours saddle time per week somehow, hopefully more.

Cornerstones to improving are intensity and consistency of training, volume is a nice to have but not essential. When I am really pushed for time, I ditch recovery rides first, then endurance rides. Three intervals sessions per week are sacrosanct, unless I am tapering for an important race like this week, when it's only two intervals sessions. Plus races of course, can't lose sight of why I'm doing all this in the first place.