Hi all,
I have done the advanced road plans, and last year the 200 mile gravel plan. Does anyone have thoughts which plan translates better to outside? I mostly ride rolling dirt roads here. I gain fitness each winter on the trainer with Sufferfest and then gradually lose fitness over the summer when I mostly ride for fun. I think my losses this year have been pretty severe and I’m really not sure that the gravel plan (winter 2019-20) was as effective as the road plan I did (2018-1029). Thanks everyone!
I just checked out the transition plans. If I do the ramp up and ramp down, that takes ~ 12 weeks, just like the other 12 week plans. Last year I went from 308 to 324 FTP in the 12 week gravel plan; previous year from 272 FTP to 317 over 12 weeks of road plan. If I ramp down and ramp up, what kind of recovery could I expect. I’d guess I’m under 290 now but that is just a SWAG. I get that there are other benefits to the transition method; will I miss out on my normal winter FTP gain?
Hi @jackriddle2,
As far as the road plans vs. the 200mi. gravel, the biggest difference is the volume. If you are not actually training for a distance similar to the 200 I would not recommend it The advanced road plans, Metric Century and Full century plans should have plenty of volume for most. You can do your outdoor rides on tarmac or dirt or even on the mountain bike (a little harder to be structured) and get the spirit of the workouts just fine.
With regards to the Transition plans, each is 6 weeks and designed to do one OR the other. That should give you enough “down/recovery” time to get back into another 12 week’er. However, you could actually do the transition down followed by the transition up if you anticipate that you need a longer down time or kind of maintenance block before jumping back in.
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Both the advanced road and gravel plans can translate well to outdoor riding, but it depends on your goals and the terrain you ride. Since you mentioned you mostly ride rolling dirt roads, the gravel plan might be more suitable as it focuses on building strength and endurance for mixed terrain. However, if you feel that the road plan was more effective for you in the past, consider revisiting it and incorporating elements from the gravel plan to create a more personalized training program. Remember to maintain consistency, prioritize recovery, and have fun to prevent losing fitness over the summer.