I’m currently working my way through the 12 week road plan and week 11 overlaps with the Tour of Sufferlandrian.
I want to get the benefits from doing the full plan but also want to do the ToS. Switching over would mean taking the week before as a taper week and so finishing the plan at week 10.
How much am I likely to lose compared to finishing and will I gain anything except a week of pain and agony by doing the ToS?
Why not just switch to the prep plan?
I’ll look in the morning, but I assume that is focused on being able to get through the ToS and not on a long term improvement of general riding.
Why are those two goals different in your mind?
Will preparing to get through the ToS somehow decrease the long term improvement of your general riding?
I think the bigger folly is to do a plan that doesn’t take the ToS into account and then finagle things to make it somehow fit in there.
I recently wrote a post (counter argument) which, in my opinion, fits perfectly in this situation:
Exactly.
Wanting results is fine. Hell, all of us want results!
Just don’t forget what the goal actually is, which is hopefully some fun and camaraderie along the way. Without the opportunity for group training locally, things like ToS and the accompanying plan really add to my motivation, which is worth a lot in the COVID era. YMMV…
That is almost the question I’m asking, which will give me more long term gains, the ToS prep plan or completing the 12 week plan. Looking at it, there are a less sessions on the ToS plan and quite a lot of inspiration workouts so comparing the two, I assume I would get more gains out of the 12 week plan.
I think I’ll stick to the 12 week plan and bail on week 10 rather than swap over.
The ToS has more inspiration rides so you can recover and keep form for the actual event.
Again, if you’re planning on doing the ToS it makes way more sense to do that plan instead of modifying the road plan. I guess you could keep doing the road plan and then follow the last week or two of the ToS plan but I don’t get the appeal.
A general fitness plan is set up pretty differently than a plan targeting an event.