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Race block training plan: Roanoke to the Ostrava World Cup

  • Athlete: Sidney McGill
  • Window: 2026-09-24 to 2026-11-27 (Virginia's Blue Ridge Go Cross to World Cup #1, Ostrava)
  • Prepared: 2026-09-23 by Coach Luca. Revised the same day after an operator review aimed at a World Cup top-10.
  • Daily sessions: athlete/calendar/2026-09-24.md through athlete/calendar/2026-11-27.md (65 files, 126 activities). Not published to TrainingPeaks.
  • Built from: 2026-09-23-cx-season-readiness-review-and-world-cup-plan.md, Sidney's training requirements, and the operator decisions to race every UCI weekend for points (Major Taylor and Boulder included) and to aim for a World Cup top-10 in Europe

Revised 2026-09-28 after Roanoke. Race-week volume is reduced, Major Taylor is the light week, Nationals gets a small taper, three Sunday top-ups are removed, and race-day execution rules are added. The calendar and TrainingPeaks follow the revision; the load tables below describe the September 23 version. Current numbers and the change list are in 2026-09-28-roanoke-race-analysis-and-race-block-adjustments.md.

The goal

A World Cup top-10 in Europe, with Sidney better prepared than at any point last season. Last season she reached the World Cups with fitness falling and finished 24th with 241-254 W NP. Right now she is further back than that: corrected CTL about 61, Rochester race power 208-215 W, a first minute of about 325 W, and a 9-14% fade after lap 1.

To race for the top 10 she needs:

  • A sustained race NP of 255 W or more, above her best World Cup rides last January.
  • A World Cup start of 450 W or more for the first minute.
  • Fitness that is still rising, not falling, when the World Cups start.

What the review changed

Last season's preparation was a spike followed by a fade:

Week of Oct 13, 2025 Oct 20, 2025 Oct 27 Nov 3 Nov 10 Nov 17 Nov 24
TSS 812 1322 504 323 346 408 344

CTL peaked at 93 on October 26 (TSB -79). It fell to about 72 by the end of November and stayed near 70 through the December World Cups, where her race power was mostly 204-223 W NP. Her good World Cup rides only came after a January block took CTL back to 84-90.

The first draft of this plan had the same shape in a milder form. Load peaked in the week of October 5, then declined for six straight weeks, and CTL would have been about 72 at Ostrava, essentially last season's number. The revision fixes that:

  • Load keeps climbing until the flight. The highest-load days of the block are now November 17-19, not mid-October.
  • Race weeks carry real training. Tuesday becomes a 2:30-3:00 aerobic ride with sweet spot, Wednesday's hard session gains an endurance tail, and four Sundays add a 45 min endurance top-up after the race.
  • Nationals is raced on rising fitness. Load holds until the Wednesday of Nationals week. PanAm week is the only real freshening before Europe.
  • An FTP test on November 11 resets targets for the final block and the World Cups.
  • Race targets are raised to put her above last season's best World Cup level by Ostrava.
Marker Last season First draft This plan
CTL at Nationals about 90 (post-spike) 74 79
CTL and TSB at PanAm 85, +15 (after the spike) 73, +5 78, +4
CTL, last day before Europe about 75-78 71 82
CTL and TSB at the first World Cup about 72-75, +19 72, +6 79, +6
Direction of fitness into the World Cups falling flat rising until Nov 19

This season's CTL figures are corrected projections, with duplicate uploads removed and estimated TSS per session. Last season's are TrainingPeaks values, which may also include duplicates.

Sidney's requirements, and where they sit

Requirement How the plan meets it
Run twice a week Tuesday: hill run-ups (5-8 x 20 sec), after the long ride or separately. Thursday: easy run with strides. Every week, Europe included.
Hard intervals at least once between race weekends Every week has one or more key interval sessions, usually Wednesday. The October 5-11 week has three, and the final block at home has two.
Friday is pre-ride day Every race weekend has a Friday "Course pre-ride with skills and openers" (Thursday before Ostrava, because that World Cup is on a Friday).
Saturday and Sunday racing Every UCI weekend is raced: Roanoke, Charm City, Kings, Major Taylor, Nationals and Hardwood, PanAm and DCCX, Boulder.
Monday: travel plus a 30-60 min spin Every post-race Monday is a travel object plus a recovery spin.
Core maintenance throughout Sidney's own light routine, 15-20 min, two or three times a week. It never falls on a race day or the day before one.
No CX skills sessions; more focused workouts No stand-alone skills sessions. Skills practice happens only on pre-ride days. Every mid-week ride has one clear training target.

Block structure

Dates Phase Racing Focus Hours TSS
Sep 24-27 Absorb Rochester Roanoke C1, C2 Openers only; legs still sore 5.5 (4 days) about 300
Sep 28-Oct 4 Build, race week Charm City C1 (B), C2 2:30 with 3 x 12 sweet spot (Tue), VO2 5 x 4 plus starts (Wed), Sunday top-up 12.6 about 670
Oct 5-11 Build block (no race weekend) none Threshold with surges (Tue), 3:00 endurance (Wed), VO2 6 x 4 (Thu), starts and 30/30s (Sat), 3:30 long ride (Sun) 15.0 about 780
Oct 12-18 Race through the block Kings C1, C2 Over-unders with a long tail (Tue), 2:00 (Wed), Sunday top-up 11.8 about 610
Oct 19-25 Biggest race week Major Taylor C2, C2 3:00 with 2 x 20 sweet spot (Tue), starts plus VO2 5 x 4 (Wed), Sunday top-up 12.5 about 670
Oct 26-Nov 1 Nationals on rising fitness Nationals (B), Hardwood C2 VO2 5 x 3 plus starts (Tue), 2:00 (Wed), freshen Thu-Fri 10.3 about 550
Nov 2-8 Freshen for the A race PanAm (A), DCCX C2 Race-pace 4 x 3 plus starts (Wed); the lightest mid-week 9.4 about 490
Nov 9-15 Rebuild Boulder C1, C2 (altitude) 2:30 with 2 x 15 sweet spot (Tue), FTP test (Wed), Sunday top-up 11.5 about 610
Nov 16-22 Final block, then fly none Threshold with surges (Tue), starts and 30/30s (Wed), 2:30 endurance (Thu), fly Fri Nov 20, 2:00 with openers (Sun) 11.0 about 550
Nov 23-27 Ostrava World Cup Ostrava (Fri) Race-pace 4 x 4 plus starts (Mon), pre-ride Thu 6.9 (5 days) about 360

Hours include runs and exclude core. A race day counts as about 1:35 including warm-up and cool-down.

Race-week template

Day Session Purpose
Mon Travel, recovery spin 30-60 min, core Flush the weekend
Tue Long aerobic ride with sweet spot (2:30-3:00), plus hill run-ups The week's fitness builder
Wed Hard intervals (VO2, starts, threshold with surges) with an endurance tail, plus core The key session, 72 h from both race weekends
Thu Travel, leg-opener spin 0:45, easy run with strides, core Arrive loose; second run of the week
Fri Course pre-ride with skills and openers (1:10-1:20) Skills on the real course, 3 x 1 min, 3 starts
Sat Race Full effort
Sun Race, plus a 45 min endurance top-up on Oct 4, Oct 18, Oct 25 and Nov 15 Back up Saturday, then add volume

Key session progression

Week Aerobic builder Hard session(s)
Sep 28 Tue: 2:30 with 3 x 12 min at 229-242 W Wed: VO2 5 x 4 min at 286-307 W plus 3 starts
Oct 5 Wed: 3:00 endurance; Sun: 3:30 with 3 x 12 min at 229-244 W Tue: threshold with surges 3 x 12 min (247-260 W, 10 sec to 468-520 W). Thu: VO2 6 x 4 min. Sat: 6 starts with follow-through, 2 x 8 x 30/30 at 390-416 W
Oct 12 Wed: 2:00 endurance Tue: over-unders 4 x 8 min (273-286 / 234-247 W)
Oct 19 Tue: 3:00 with 2 x 20 min sweet spot Wed: 4 starts with follow-through, then VO2 5 x 4 min
Oct 26 Wed: 2:00 endurance Tue: VO2 5 x 3 min plus 3 starts
Nov 2 Tue: 1:15 endurance Wed: race pace 4 x 3 min (273-291 W) plus 3 starts
Nov 9 Tue: 2:30 with 2 x 15 min sweet spot Wed: FTP test, 20 min
Nov 16 Thu: 2:30 endurance Tue: threshold with surges (repeat of Oct 6). Wed: starts and 30/30s
Nov 23 Sun Nov 22: 2:00 with openers Mon: race pace 4 x 4 min plus 3 starts

All targets use FTP 260 W. If the November 11 test comes in above 270 W, raise FTP to 95% of the result for the November 17-23 sessions.

Projected load

The projection starts from the corrected values on September 23 (CTL 61.3, ATL 62.8).

Date Event CTL TSB on race morning
Sep 26 Roanoke C1 62 0
Oct 3 Charm City C1 (B) 66 -14
Oct 11 End of the build block 75 -24
Oct 17 Kings C1 76 -16
Oct 24 Major Taylor Day 1 79 -14
Oct 31 Nationals 79 -5
Nov 7 PanAm Champs 78 +4
Nov 14 Boulder C1 79 0
Nov 19 Last day before the flight 82 -12
Nov 27 WC Ostrava 79 +6

The trade-offs, stated plainly:

  • Charm City, Kings and Major Taylor are raced tired (TSB -14 to -16). Those races will not show her best numbers. They still earn points and race practice while the fitness builds underneath.
  • Nationals is raced at TSB -5. She will be the fittest she has been this season but not fully fresh. That is the price of carrying fitness into November instead of peaking and fading.
  • PanAm gets the only real freshening. TSB about +4 at CTL 78: fit, sharp, and still building afterwards.
  • Ostrava is the first point where fitness and freshness line up (CTL 79, TSB +6), about 5-7 CTL points above last season at the same stage, and with fitness rising rather than falling.
  • The next step is already clear. The race-free fortnight between Tábor (November 29) and Glasgow (December 13) should lift CTL into the mid-80s for the December and January rounds, the level at which her best World Cup rides came. It needs planning before she leaves.

Race targets

These are review targets from the race file. "Start" is average power for the first 60 seconds from the gun. "Laps 2-4" is normalized power across the middle of the race, with no more than a 7% drop from lap 1.

Race Start, 60 s Laps 2-4 NP
Roanoke C1 and C2 350 W 225 W
Charm City C1 and C2 370 W 230 W
Kings C1 and C2 380 W 235 W
Major Taylor Day 1 and 2 400 W 240 W
Nationals 420 W 245 W
Hardwood 400 W 240 W
PanAm Champs 440 W 250 W
DCCX 410 W 240 W
Boulder C1 and C2 (about 1650 m, adjusted 4% down) 420 W 240 W
WC Ostrava 450 W 255 W

For reference: Rochester was 324-328 W and 202-207 W. Last season's best World Cup rides were 375-445 W and 232-248 W.

Checkpoints and what changes if she is behind

Checkpoint On track If behind
Bloodwork (deferred) Normal thyroid, ferritin and vitamin D, if Sidney can arrange a draw while in Ontario Physician first. Cut intensity density (one hard day a week) until resolved.
Oct 3 Charm City Laps 2-4 at 230 W or more Expected to be tired. Change nothing unless readiness signals are also poor.
Oct 11 end of block Saturday starts at 600 W or more for 15 sec; long ride completed If the Sunday ride is cut short, or resting HR stays 5+ bpm up for two mornings, make Oct 13 an endurance ride.
Oct 24 Major Taylor Laps 2-4 at 240 W or more, HR reaching 185+ If power is flat and HR can't rise (a fatigue sign), cut the Oct 20 and Oct 27 sessions by a third and freshen Nationals fully.
Nov 7 PanAm Laps 2-4 at 250 W or more; start at 440 W or more If more than 5% short, the Nov 17-18 block keeps its intensity and cuts its volume. Sharpness matters more than CTL at that point.
Nov 11 FTP test 275 W or more Below 265 W: check health and readiness before the final block. Raise FTP if above 270 W.
Nov 27 Ostrava Start at 450 W or more, laps 2-4 at 255 W or more Debrief on Nov 30 sets the Dec 1-12 block.

Guardrails (Hashimoto's)

This plan is heavier than the first draft: 12-15 h race weeks and about 780 TSS in the week of October 5. The guardrails are part of the plan, not optional.

  • Readiness rule: if resting HR is up 5 bpm or more for two mornings, or sleep, appetite or mood slip for more than 48 hours, the next key session drops to three reps or becomes endurance, and the next long Tuesday is cut to 2:00. Cut intensity density first, volume second.
  • Every key session has a stop rule in its constraints. The October 11 long ride becomes all endurance if Saturday was flat.
  • Illness: fever, chest symptoms or GI illness means no intensity until 24 hours symptom-free; race weekends become a controlled ride or a DNS.
  • Fuelling matches the load:
    • 7-9 g/kg of carbohydrate on long Tuesdays and in the October 5-11 week; 8-10 g/kg on race weekends.
    • 80-90 g/hr on rides over two hours.
    • A recovery drink within 30 minutes of every race and key session.
    • All GF/DF.
    • Under-fuelling this block is the fastest way to turn it into a thyroid and fatigue problem.
  • Bloodwork is deferred (updated 2026-09-29). Sidney is in Ontario, away from her home doctor, so the October 5 and November 17 draws were removed from the calendar. She will add results if she can arrange one. Until then, the readiness rule carries more weight: morning resting heart rate, sleep, legs and mood.

Before anything goes into TrainingPeaks

  1. Operator approval to publish, and a named coach of record (athlete/settings.yml still names Gunnar Holmgren).
  2. Update the TrainingPeaks run threshold pace. Run structures use a percentage of threshold pace, and the current 6:13/km is stale.
  3. Pair and zero power meters on both CX bikes. Every target in this plan depends on power.
  4. Add race events with priorities (A: PanAm, WC Ostrava; B: Charm City, Nationals; C: the rest), and remove or hide the five duplicate uploads.
  5. Publish with the trainingpeaks-activity-creator skill and its athlete supplement, and write the TrainingPeaks IDs back into the calendar files.
  6. Make sure Sidney actually receives the plan. Outbound delivery has been failing since August.

To confirm with Sidney

  • Mid-week bases between race weekends. Mid-week objects have no location.
  • Travel. The plan assumes Thursday travel to Mason, Indianapolis, Oro-Medonte and Boulder; Monday travel straight to Washington; home after Washington and after Boulder; and a flight to the Czech Republic on Friday, November 20.
  • Race start times. Race objects say "race start (confirm)".
  • Her core routine. The calendar refers to it by name only.
  • Current body mass, so targets can also be tracked in W/kg.