Kings CX review and plan check: October 21
- Athlete: Sidney McGill
- Prepared: 2026-10-21 by Coach Luca
- Period reviewed: October 14-21, from the day after the October 13 review to today.
- Evidence:
- All race-weekend files, second by second: pre-rides, warm-ups, both races and Saturday's cool-down.
- This week's training files and her hand-entered sessions.
- The published Kings results (CX Magazine), confirmed by the operator.
- Sidney's feedback on Sunday, via the operator: she felt good and confident.
- TrainingPeaks fitness (CTL, ATL, TSB) and the daily logs.
- The previous race reports for Roanoke and Charm City.
- Status (updated October 21, after the operator's answers):
- The race-weekend files are relabelled in TrainingPeaks.
- This week's base is Michigan. The location is fixed in TrainingPeaks, the calendar and the travel schedule.
- The easy-day rule is now in 29 easy rides and runs from October 22 to November 25.
- Run scoring is fixed. Runs are now scored by heart rate (hrTSS) and set as the default for future runs. Tuesday's run now counts 28 TSS instead of 80.
- The Peak gym note was declined.
- A short summary for Sidney is at the end.
Bottom line
- Her best weekend of the season.
- Saturday's C1: 2nd, 20 seconds behind Manon Bakker.
- Sunday's C2: she won by 1 second, in a close finish ahead of Manon (+1 s) and Alyssa Sarkisov (+3 s). She said she felt good and confident.
- The results don't describe the finish. Her file shows her hardest effort since the start, 397 W for the final 30 seconds, ending at the line.
- The race-execution changes worked:
- Warm starts: heart rate 124 and 117 at the gun (target 120-130), against 94-114 in every race before.
- Her best starts of the season: 736 and 689 W for the first 15 seconds, against about 500 W at Charm City.
- No early blow-up: lap 1 at 232 W on Saturday (cap 235 W). On Sunday she sat in at 211 W while the group stayed together.
- No over-matching: on Saturday, not one 30-second effort above 340 W after the start. On Sunday, one at 358 W, plus her final effort to the line.
- Her engine is in good shape, and she isn't run down.
- On Saturday she raced 50 minutes at an average heart rate of 182, with 41 minutes at 180 or above.
- Her best 20 minutes (221 W) is the best she's produced in a race this season.
- Her heart rate reached 190 on Saturday and about 195 on Sunday's last lap. On Charm City's Saturday it topped out at 188, with only 6 seconds at 188 or above.
- Her heart rate at steady power was normal all week.
- The limiter hasn't changed, but now we can see exactly where it is.
- From lap 3 on Saturday she lost 10-15 seconds a lap.
- Almost all of it was on the flatter second half of the lap (1.6-2.8 km), where her power dropped 20-50 W.
- Her climbing power held, and even rose.
- That's where Manon's 20 seconds came from: holding power in the sections between efforts. It's exactly what the threshold-with-surges work targets.
- She did all the training, and a bit more than prescribed on the easy days.
- Monday's recovery spin was at 157 W NP, against a cap of 145 W.
- Tuesday's run was 47 minutes against 26 planned, and the ride was 2:03 against 1:45.
- She absorbed Tuesday's extra volume well: her heart rate at steady power was 140 in the first hour and 136 at the end.
- Load:
- CTL is 66.9 in TrainingPeaks, now that her runs are scored by heart rate. Tuesday's run was scored from running power against her cycling FTP at 80 TSS; it's now 28.
- TSB this morning is about -7. It projects at about -6 for Major Taylor, +2 for Nationals and +5 for PanAm.
- Ostrava projects at CTL about 68, TSB +5. The small drop from 69 is the run scoring, not less training.
- On increasing the load:
- The data says she's absorbing what's in the plan.
- But there's no room to add more before PanAm without eating into the freshness for Nationals and PanAm.
- The extra volume already in the plan is the right amount.
- After PanAm, what's left to add is worth less than 1 CTL point. The real step up is the December block.
- To fix:
- Location: done. This week's base is Michigan, so Friday's drive to Indianapolis is about 4-4.5 hours. TrainingPeaks, the calendar and the travel schedule are updated.
- Run TSS: done. Runs are now scored by heart rate.
- Warm-up power still isn't recording.
- Easy days need to stay easy: done. The rule is now in every easy ride and run to November 25.
Kings in numbers
- The courses differ, so compare power across venues loosely. Heart rate at the gun, start power and lap-1 pacing compare directly.
- Sunday's file shows a peak of 201 bpm in the final-lap attack. The jump from 190 to 201 in a few seconds looks partly like a strap spike, so I've counted it as "about 195".
Saturday: the C1, lap by lap
- A disciplined, full-gas race.
- She went out hard for position: 291 W for the first two minutes.
- She settled under the lap-1 cap and rode her fastest lap on lap 2.
- She held 8:15-8:20 for the last four laps, at a heart rate of 183-184 throughout.
- She was at her ceiling from lap 2 on. Her power fell about 6% from lap 2 to laps 3-6 while her heart rate stayed level. That's the repeatability limit, not pacing.
- Laps 2-4 averaged 217 W against the 225 W target. That's more an honest read of where she is than a failure. She finished 20 seconds behind a World Cup-level rider.
Where the 20 seconds went
Time and power in each 400 m stretch of the lap, lap 2 against laps 3-6:
- She kept hitting the climb hard every lap. Then, on the flatter second half, she couldn't get back on the power.
- That's the Charm City pattern again: a hard effort, then a sag at threshold afterwards. This time the sag was smaller and spread over the lap, not a four-minute collapse.
- On Sunday the group stayed together. On laps 2, 3, 5 and 6 she rode those same stretches faster than on Saturday, at similar or lower power, sitting on wheels. Lap 4 looks like a lull in the group (8:25). She timed the last lap well (229 W NP) and finished with 397 W for the final 30 seconds, winning by 1 second.
- How she felt matches the file. Sidney said she felt good and confident on Sunday. Her low heart rate on lap 1 (166) fits riding within herself in the group, not tired legs.
Sunday: the C2, lap by lap
The week around it
- Tuesday was a big day, but she handled it. Her heart rate at a steady 165-195 W was 140 in the first hour, 139 in the next half hour and 136 in the last 35 minutes. There was no drift.
- The extra-volume rule asked for about 125 or more at that power with normal legs, and she was comfortably there.
- The pattern to watch: each of the last three easy sessions ran over what was asked. That's fine in a light week, but with two race weekends and a 10-11 hour drive in the next ten days, easy days need to stay easy.
- Friday's openers were probably blunted by the long drive the day before. Her races showed her legs were fine.
Readiness and load
Heart rate at a steady 165-195 W (home roads in cool weather are normally about 130-145; race-trip pre-rides about 145-155):
Fitness:
- CTL is 66.9 in TrainingPeaks, up from 66.1 before Kings.
- Run scoring fixed on October 21:
- Tuesday's 47-minute run had been scored from running power against her cycling FTP, at 80 TSS.
- It's now scored by heart rate at 28 TSS.
- Heart rate is now the default for her runs, so future runs won't inflate her fatigue numbers.
Projection (TrainingPeaks values, current plan, with runs scored by heart rate):
- Ostrava is about where it was.
- The fitness figure is slightly lower than on October 15 mostly because runs now count by heart rate, about 0.7 TSS a minute. That's an accounting change, not less training.
- Tuesday's extra riding moved a little fatigue into Major Taylor week.
- Nationals at TSB +2 is right where she races best. Her best results came between 0 and +6 in TrainingPeaks terms:
- The Kings C2 win, at 0.0.
- The Kings C1 2nd, at +5.6.
- The Roanoke C2 win, at +4.7.
Her season so far
The trend is right:
- Her race power has risen from 208-215 W in September to 222-226 W.
- Her starts have gone from her weakest skill to a weapon.
- She's now racing Manon close every time.
The plan: keep, change, review
Keep as planned
- Today's starts and VO2 session. TSB about -7 after a race weekend and a big Tuesday is acceptable for one hard day, and her heart rate response says she's ready. The stop rule is in the session.
- Thursday's 1:15 with openers, with its cut-back rule. Friday's drive is confirmed at about 4-4.5 hours, so the 45-minute version is the right call if her legs are anything less than fresh.
- Major Taylor stays the light weekend Sidney asked for. Race Saturday fully; Sunday stays "by feel".
- Nationals week as planned:
- Monday: the drive home.
- Tuesday: easy endurance and run-ups.
- Wednesday: short VO2.
- Thursday: leg-opener.
- Friday: pre-ride.
- Race targets unchanged. Kings showed the lap-1 cap and the surge rule work. The laps 2-4 numbers are floors to aim for, not something to chase on lap 2.
- The extra 30 minutes already scheduled after PanAm (November 10, 17 and 19) stay.
Changes decided on October 21
- This week's base is Michigan (confirmed by the operator).
- TrainingPeaks notes replaced:
- "Drive to Michigan" on October 18 (99020932).
- "Drive to Indianapolis" on October 23 (99020933): about 4-4.5 hours, leaving by about 8 am.
- Friday's pre-ride note (3968330167) now has the drive time.
- Calendar and travel schedule: locations for October 18-23 and the travel schedule are updated.
- TrainingPeaks notes replaced:
- Run scoring: done.
- On October 21, the operator switched Tuesday's run to heart rate (hrTSS) in TrainingPeaks and set it as the default for runs. Her account now shows heart rate as the running TSS source.
- Tuesday's run went from 80 TSS (running power against her cycling FTP) to 28.
- Her running power is still recorded; it just no longer drives TSS.
- TrainingPeaks uses her default threshold heart rate (188) for runs. A running-specific threshold heart rate would be a small refinement later.
- Still open: her run threshold pace in TrainingPeaks (6:13/km) is out of date. It only matters if pace is used for runs.
- Peak gym note: declined. The core sessions are unchanged.
- Easy days stay easy: added to 29 easy rides and runs from October 22 to November 25. The line sits at the top of each session's Notes:
- Rides: "Easy day: stay inside the written power range and stop at the written time, even if you feel good." The openers and starts sessions say "apart from the openers" or "apart from the starts".
- Runs: "Keep to the written time, even if you feel good."
Review later
- More load after PanAm.
- Using the remaining low-risk spots adds only about 0.8 CTL at Ostrava: 25-30 minute cool-downs after the Saturday races, and a 60-minute tail instead of 30 on the November 18 session.
- The cost is a deeper dip before the flight to Europe: TSB about -15.5 instead of -13.
- I don't recommend it. The meaningful step up is the December 1-12 block between Tábor and Glasgow, which I'll plan after PanAm.
- Nationals plan: after Major Taylor, with the Hardwood course and her local knowledge.
- Ostrava targets: after the November 11 test and PanAm.
- Strength: no note on the Peak gym for now (operator decision). Strength gets a proper place in the December block.
Process fixes
- Warm-up power still isn't recording: both warm-ups were on a trainer with no power, and Saturday's pre-ride bike had no power either. Both race files recorded power for the whole race, which is good.
- Morning plans are still being saved but not delivered to Sidney (logs for October 15-19).
- Hand-entered sessions without files (Thursday's leg-opener, the core sessions) still carry no load.
To-do
Questions for Sidney
- Saturday: where did Manon get away, and how did the legs feel from lap 3?
- Sunday: she felt good and confident. Was sitting in on lap 1 the plan, and what happened on lap 4?
- Friday: what time is the Major Taylor pre-ride? She should leave Michigan by about 8 am.
- Tuesday's run: 47 minutes with a long walking section in the middle. Was that the run-ups, or a stop?
- How is she sleeping and recovering between the double race weekends?
Summary for Sidney
Kings weekend: the short version
What's working:
- Your best weekend of the season: 2nd on Saturday, 20 seconds behind Manon, and the win on Sunday.
- Your starts: the warm-up and staging routine worked. Your heart rate was 117-124 at the gun, and these were your best starts all season.
- Smart first laps: under the cap on Saturday, and sitting in on Sunday. No early blow-ups.
- You didn't chase big surges, and you had the legs for the finish on Sunday.
- You're fit and fresh, not run down. Saturday was your highest race power this season, and your heart rate went over 190.
- Tuesday's longer ride went well: your heart rate stayed steady the whole way.
What needs attention:
- Hold the power on the flat sections after the climbs. From lap 3 on Saturday, that's where most of the gap to Manon opened. Your climbing was strong every lap. The threshold-with-surges sessions are built for exactly this.
- Keep easy days easy. Monday's spin and Tuesday's run went harder or longer than planned. Major Taylor, the drive home and Nationals all fall in the next ten days, so stick to the written power and time, even when you feel good.
- Pair the trainer power meter for your warm-ups, and record every run and spin with your watch.
Coming up:
- Today: starts and VO2. Stop the set if two reps in a row are under 250 W.
- Thursday: 1:15 with openers, or the 45-minute version if your legs are heavy.
- Friday: about 4-4.5 hours to Indianapolis. Leave by about 8 am, eat a good breakfast, and take snacks for the road.
- Major Taylor: race Saturday fully. Sunday is by feel.
- Let Luca know:
- Where Manon got away on Saturday.
- What happened on lap 4 on Sunday.
- Friday's pre-ride time.
- How you're sleeping.
/luca