What does this plan do?
This is a two-week plan designed to achieve peak form on the day of your A-priority race. Week 1 is an overload block, to help provide a strong stimulus for adaptation. Week 2 is a taper week, where fatigue is reduced in order to achieve an optimal balance between fitness and fatigue on race day.
There are two options for Week 2, depending on whether your race in on a Saturday or Sunday (see example week below for a Saturday race). This is why the plan appears to last three weeks, but is only a two-week plan.
The plan follows peaking and tapering best practices derived from scientific literature alongside over 10-years of coaching and racing experience. You can read more about our views on tapering and the scientific evidence here: https://www.highnorth.co.uk/articles/paper-review-training-and-peaking-for-an-olympic-gold
Who is this plan for?
This plan is suitable for endurance cyclists targeting any events lasting between approximately 30-mins to 2.5-hours. These include crits, road races, CX, XCO, shorter marathon and gravel races.
The plan is specifically designed for athletes who have been training between 12-15H/week in the recent past.
It is suitable for both Saturday and Sunday races.
Key Features
We believe our plans stand our from the crowd. We’ve done our very best to provide an experience that’s as close as possible to having on-hand coach support, with ample guidance on how to get the most out of our plans, and clear information on what we’re trying to achieve both session-by-session and week-by-week to keep you motivated.
This plan includes:
- A comprehensive PDF user guide, providing information on how to implement the workouts correctly and how to adapt the plan if necessary
- Structured sessions, meaning all sessions can be automatically exported to your headunit or synced to training platforms like Zwift or TrainerRoad and are ridable in ERG mode
- Each workout’s purpose and key adaptations clearly communicated, including references to scientific papers
- Notes summarising the week's training and the goals for the next training block, so that you always know where your training is heading
High North Performance is a cycling training and metabolic testing consultancy based in Harrogate, UK. We provide customised training programs and performance diagnostic services to professional and amateur athletes using both established and novel training methods, leading testing and analysis technology, as well as a scientific and strategic approach to planning and preparation.