Ah! So you’re ahead of me on the plan. I have that hard week in the week after next. I agree that the reduced intensity rides can seem a bit pointless. I’ve started to do them without the video and storyline as they don’t match what I’m being asked to do but the advice around here is to trust the plan. Here’s one such comment from someone who should know what he’s talking about:
I would still advise manually adjusting the intensity of the non-reduced intensity rides according to https://thesufferfest.com/blogs/training-resources/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-workout if you’re not getting sufficient suffering when recovery is not the intention