Major Taylor Day 2 review, Nationals week and the Boulder plan: October 26
- Athlete: Sidney McGill
- Prepared: 2026-10-26 by Coach Luca
- Period reviewed: Sunday October 25, since the Day 1 review.
- Evidence:
- The second-by-second files for Sunday's warm-up, race and cool-down, compared with her other nine race days this season.
- Results for both days from cyclocross24.com.
- TrainingPeaks fitness (CTL, ATL, TSB).
- The UCI cyclo-cross rulebook (Part 5, in force from July 1, 2026), for the ranking, the start order and the points table.
- The current women's UCI ranking and rider results on cyclocross24.com.
- Weather for Indianapolis on Sunday, and the forecasts for Detroit and Oro-Medonte this week.
- Sidney's account and the new travel plan, both via the operator.
- The operator's plan for November, given later on October 26.
- Mid-November weather for 2023-2025 in Edmonton, Boulder and possible US training bases (Open-Meteo archive).
- For the ranking projection:
- cyclocross24.com's UCI ranking breakdowns for the top 30 women.
- Full results of this autumn's seven deep European races.
- The 2026 race calendar to November 22.
- Result: 2nd, 52 seconds behind Alyssa Sarkisov (USA). Sidney dropped her chain early in the race, fell to last of 18, and rode back to 2nd in four laps. Lizzy Gunsalus was 3rd, 1:34 behind Sarkisov. Source: cyclocross24.com.
- Status:
- Sunday's files are relabelled in TrainingPeaks: "Major Taylor Day 2 – Warm-up", "– Race" and "– Cool-down". There was no Sunday pre-ride file.
- The travel schedule (
athlete/context/travel-schedule.md) has the new itinerary for this week. - Applied on October 26 with the operator's approval: this week's changes, including the controlled-effort race plans for Nationals and Hardwood, and the rebuild of November 9-25. TrainingPeaks and the calendar match: 65 items from October 26 to November 29, with no mismatches. See "Applied on October 26" at the end.
- Updated later on October 26 with the operator's November plan:
- No race in Slovakia.
- After PanAm, she stays in the US to train, then races Boulder.
- She flies home to Edmonton on November 16, then to Europe on November 22.
- The Boulder sections below reflect this plan.
- The summary for Sidney at the end matches what's now in TrainingPeaks.
Bottom line
- Sunday was a strong ride on a tired day.
- She dropped her chain 2 minutes 16 seconds in, on the first rise, straight after a 587 W effort.
- She was stopped for about 12 seconds and lost about 20 in total.
- The whole field went past.
- She rode from last to 2nd in four laps:
- Laps 2-5 took 7:51-7:59, at NP 218-235 W. That's her normal race power.
- With 2nd safe (Gunsalus finished 42 seconds behind her), she eased off on the last lap: 8:28, at NP 194 W.
- So the 52-second gap is mostly the chain drop plus the eased last lap, not a lack of speed. This assumes Sarkisov rode even laps; her lap times aren't published.
- She dropped her chain 2 minutes 16 seconds in, on the first rise, straight after a 587 W effort.
- The tiredness she felt was real, and she brought it into the race.
- From the warm-up on, her heart rate ran about 5 beats lower than on Saturday at the same power: 179 against 184 in the steady race minutes at 200-240 W.
- It peaked at 190, against 197 on Saturday.
- Her short-burst power was down 9-15%: best 30 seconds 400 W against 470, best minute 311 W against 355.
- All this happened in 23°C full sun, which normally pushes heart rate up, not down.
- It's the same signature as her flat Wednesdays after race weekends: a heart rate that won't climb, and less punch.
- Sunday took less out of her than Saturday did.
- Work above threshold: 127 kJ, against 150 on Saturday and 165-170 at Kings. It was the lowest of her last four races.
- Bursts over 450 W: 20, against 25 on Saturday.
- By the W' balance model, she never went into the red zone (Saturday did, briefly). The last lap was easy.
- The chase felt exhausting because she started it tired, not because it was a bigger dose than a normal race.
- She'll be ready for Nationals if this week stays light.
- Nationals is six days after Sunday.
- Major Taylor Day 1 was six days after Kings. She was flat that Wednesday, then raced to 2nd by 1 second with her heart rate at 197.
- After Roanoke she was exhausted on the Tuesday, then finished 2nd twice at Charm City six days later.
- The risk this week isn't Sunday's race. It's piling training, travel and short sleep on top of it.
- The new travel changes the week, and the plan should follow it:
- Monday is a rest day with her host family in Indianapolis.
- Tuesday is a 4.5-hour drive to a friend's house near Detroit.
- Thursday is a short ride first thing, then the drive to Toronto Pearson and on to Oro-Medonte.
- Proposed for the week:
- Monday: rest.
- Tuesday: an easy hour plus an easy 20-minute run, with no hill run-ups.
- Wednesday: race-pace 2 x 3 min instead of 3 x 3, with the readiness check kept.
- Thursday: a 35-minute opener near Detroit before the drive.
- Friday: unchanged, apart from a bike check after the dropped chain.
- The races: a controlled-effort plan (item 8) and a cold-weather line.
- Effect: about 46 TSS comes off the week. Saturday's freshness goes from about +3 to about +6.5, and fitness drops by about a point, which doesn't matter.
- Boulder is now the plan (the operator's update, later on October 26).
- Racing in Slovakia isn't possible.
- After PanAm she stays in the US: two days' drive west, a quiet base to rest and train, then Boulder's pre-ride on Friday November 13.
- She flies home to Edmonton on November 16, and to Europe on Sunday November 22.
- I support racing Boulder with this plan, with guardrails (see "Boulder and the run-in to Europe").
- My earlier recommendation to skip it rested on two flights and no break before Europe. This plan changes that: she drives instead of flying, Nationals and PanAm are raced controlled, and she gets six days at home.
- Nationals and PanAm look like thin fields this year. That's the best tool we have for her fatigue.
- Racing them at a prescribed effort, controlled unless someone is still with her after two laps, should save most of the deep fatigue that leaves her flat midweek.
- Proposed plans are below. The Nationals and Hardwood versions are ready for TrainingPeaks.
- The new risk is the flight date, not Boulder.
- Landing about November 23 leaves four days to adjust to an 8-hour time change before Ostrava.
- There's a plan for that below. If the flight could move to November 20 or 21, each day would help.
- UCI ranking: in your best case she projects about 12th for Ostrava.
- The best case is wins at Nationals, Hardwood, PanAm and the Boulder C1, and 2nd at DCCX and in the Boulder C2.
- That gives about 1,136 points on November 24 and a projected 12th place, with a range of 11th to 13th. That's row 2 at Ostrava either way.
- Row 1 is out of reach through the ranking.
- Without Boulder she'd drop to about 14th-15th.
- Updated for Norbert Riberolle being out of racing until at least the Christmas block.
- See "UCI ranking projection for Ostrava".
Sunday in numbers
- Her heart rate was low all day, not just in the chase:
- Her warm-up efforts peaked at a heart rate of 164, against 175 on Saturday, with the same pattern of efforts.
- It was 112 at the gun, against 126 on Saturday.
- Day 2 of a weekend has always run a few beats lower for her: 1-6 beats lower at the same power, across all five weekends this season. Sunday's 5 is at the top of that range, with Rochester's 6.
- The power was there: laps 2-5 averaged NP 229 W. Saturday's laps 2-5 averaged 224 W, on a different course.
Lap by lap
- Laps 2-5 were remarkably even. Every 400 m stretch of the lap was within a few seconds from lap to lap.
- Lap 6 was slower everywhere: her heart rate fell to 166-171 in the last five minutes.
The chain drop
- When and where: 2:16 after the gun, about 1.0 km into the race, on the first rise.
- What happened: she put out 587 W, then the power went to zero while her legs were still turning (cadence 78, then 56). The chain came off under load.
- The cost: she was stopped for about 12 seconds and back up to speed about 20 seconds after it came off. All 17 other riders went past.
- Before Saturday:
- Check the chain guide or catcher, the derailleur clutch and chain wear on both bikes. I've added this to Friday's pre-ride notes.
- Ask her whether it came off during a shift. If it did, the fix is shifting before the rise, not on it.
Was Sunday too deep for Nationals?
This is Sidney's worry, so here's the evidence in one place.
- What the file does show is fatigue she brought to the start:
- Low heart rate from the warm-up on, less punch, and she felt tired from the gun.
- That's the accumulated kind of fatigue. Two or three easy days, food and sleep clear it.
- Her own history says six days is enough:
- After Kings, her Wednesday VO2 reps were 10% short at a low heart rate. Six days after Kings she raced Major Taylor Day 1 to 2nd by 1 second, at a heart rate of 197.
- After Roanoke she was exhausted on the Tuesday. Six days later she was 2nd at Charm City, then 2nd again on the Sunday.
- So the answer for Sidney is no: she didn't go too deep on Sunday. This week matters more than Sunday did, and we're making it lighter.
Where she is now
- Race form is consistent:
- NP 219-226 W in the five full race files since October 3.
- Results: 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 2nd.
- The start routine is fixed: heart rate at the gun has been 112-126 for four races running, against 94-114 at Roanoke and Charm City.
- The limiter hasn't changed: holding power on the flat power sections after an effort. That's where Sarkisov closed every gap on Saturday.
- Training quality since Kings:
- The midweek key sessions have been dented by fatigue (October 21) and by rules not being followed (the stop rule and the easy-day rule).
- There has been no training since the last review, only Sunday's race.
- Fitness: CTL 67.8, flat at 63-68 since August.
- That's enough to win US C1s and C2s, but on its own it isn't a World Cup top-10 base.
- Her race power now matches her best rides of last season: NP 223 W at the Terralba World Cup (15th), and 224 W at PanAm 2025 (3rd). Courses differ, so this is a rough guide.
- So the step to the top 10 has to come from the December block and from her start position.
- UCI ranking: 15th, with 988 points. Row 2 at Ostrava is within reach.
- Fatigue is now the main thing to manage:
- She has raced 11 days in six of the last seven weekends.
- She has been on the road since October 15.
Readiness and load
- This morning: CTL 67.8, ATL 75.2, TSB -7.4.
- The weekend was 178 TSS, in line with her other race weekends: Kings 201, Charm City 191, Roanoke 208.
- The load numbers show nothing alarming. TSB of -7 after a race weekend is normal for her. For Sidney, heart rate and how she feels are the better signals, and on Sunday both said she was tired.
Load (TrainingPeaks values; race days modelled at 97 TSS, her average this season, and controlled races at 85):
- This week's lighter plan takes about 46 TSS off, 400 against 446 planned. Nationals lands at TSB +6.5, still in her good range.
- The updated plan costs about 2.5 CTL points by Ostrava (64.9 against 67.4), and she arrives fresher (TSB +7 against +4).
- I think that's the right trade while fatigue is her limiter.
- CTL 65 is inside her range since August, and her race power held across CTL 63-68.
- It does mean two things:
- The Edmonton days need to carry real work: longer trainer rides plus easy runs, which work in any weather.
- The December block has to deliver the build.
Nationals week: the new travel and the plan
- Less volume, same rhythm:
- Nothing she does this week will make her fitter for Saturday, but plenty could make her more tired.
- She still rides every day and touches race pace once, so her legs stay sharp.
- Tuesday:
- A 4.5-hour drive on top of 1:15 steady and five hard run-ups is too much in the week after a tiring weekend.
- Hard run-ups also leave sore calves for days, and Friday's pre-ride covers run-ups on the real course.
- Wednesday:
- Three days after racing is her flattest point (October 1, October 21).
- Two reps and three starts give her the feel of race pace; a third rep would only add fatigue.
- The readiness check stays at the top, with a new line: stopping early is the plan working, not a failure.
- Thursday:
- The opener moves to the morning near Detroit, before 6-7 hours of driving and the airport.
- It's 35 minutes to fit the morning, with the same 3 x 1 min openers and corner-exit sprints.
- If the morning gets away from her, 20 minutes with the openers is enough.
- Thursday's run: after a long travel day, a 15-20 minute walk does the same job.
- Forecast:
- Detroit: Tuesday 16°C and Wednesday 20°C, both dry. Thursday 24°C, with a chance of drizzle.
- Oro-Medonte:
- Thursday 18°C, with some rain likely.
- Friday 12°C and windy (up to about 28 km/h), probably dry.
- Saturday 11°C after a morning near 1°C, dry, with light wind.
- Sunday 10°C, with a chance of drizzle.
- So: cool, mostly dry racing. Jacket and leg warmers on until call-up.
Racing the thin fields at a prescribed effort
You expect little competition at Nationals and PanAm this year. That's an opportunity: if she can win without going deep, she banks the results and the points, and arrives at Boulder and Europe fresher.
- What a controlled race looks like for her:
- Race the first 60-90 seconds for position, as always. A good start is cheap insurance.
- Lap 1 no more than 235 W NP, then about 215-225 W NP a lap. That's roughly what she rode on Sunday when tired, and about 10 W under her full race pace.
- Smooth and seated on the climbs where she can. Build the gap in the technical sections, where it costs least.
- Almost no time at heart rate 188 or higher. Saturday at Major Taylor had 8.3 minutes.
- The rule: if someone is still within about 10 seconds after two laps, switch to the full race plan: laps at 230 W or more, the surge rule and the finish plan.
- What it saves:
- A full race costs her 150-170 kJ above threshold; a controlled one should be nearer 100-120 kJ.
- It also means far less time near her maximum heart rate. That's the part that leaves her flat on Wednesdays.
- Hardwood (Sunday): controlled whatever happens. If someone is stronger, let her go: 2nd is worth 30 UCI points against 40 for the win.
- PanAm and DCCX: the same approach if the start list confirms a thin field. I'll set those plans after Nationals.
- In TrainingPeaks: the Nationals and Hardwood descriptions carry this plan (applied October 26).
Boulder and the run-in to Europe (updated October 26)
The plan (from the operator)
- Racing in Slovakia is not an option.
- November 9-12: after PanAm, stay in the US rather than go home. Drive west and find a quiet base to rest and train, because Edmonton's November weather would limit outdoor training.
- November 13: arrive in Boulder in time for Friday's pre-ride.
- November 14-15: Boulder Cup C1 and C2.
- November 16: Sidney flies from Denver to Edmonton, and you drive.
- November 16-21: at home in Edmonton.
- Sunday November 22: fly to Europe, landing about November 23.
- Why race Boulder: Nationals and PanAm look like thin fields, so she can race them at a prescribed effort and arrive at Boulder fresher. Boulder may be the harder weekend.
My view
I support racing Boulder with this plan. My earlier recommendation to skip it rested on two things: two flights and altitude in the eight days before Europe, and no break. This plan changes both:
- The drive replaces the flight to Denver.
- The controlled races take the edge off the next two weekends.
- She gets six days at home before Europe.
What's left is the altitude and a long drive, and the guardrails below cover both.
It also buys UCI points. In your best-case scenario she projects about 12th for Ostrava with Boulder, against 14th-15th without it. See "UCI ranking projection for Ostrava" below.
Guardrails
- Race Nationals, Hardwood, PanAm and DCCX at a prescribed effort (see above).
- The drive: no more than about 8 hours a day. She rides before getting in the car, and you stop every 2 hours.
- The base:
- Two or three nights in one place, with a kitchen for GF/DF cooking.
- Stay below about 1,000 m until Friday. Arriving at 1,600 m the day before the races is fine; the first nights at altitude are the ones that cost sleep.
- The readiness check on November 11: if the race-pace session fails it (first rep under 246 W, or heart rate under about 160), race the Boulder C1 fully and the C2 controlled. The C1 pays twice the points: 80 / 60 / 40, against 40 / 30 / 20.
- Altitude:
- She should drink more (the air is dry) and eat more carbohydrate.
- Expect a few percent less power for the same effort. The Boulder targets (550 / 225 / 215 W) already allow for it, so she paces by feel and heart rate, not by sea-level numbers.
- No FTP test this block:
- It would land on a driving day, and the Edmonton days are better used for the last key session.
- The Ostrava and Tábor targets will come from PanAm's race file, at sea level.
Where to train, November 9-12
Weather for November 9-13 in each of the last three years. "Good" means 10°C or warmer and dry.
- Any of these works: Arkansas is the nicest place to train, and Hays makes Friday easiest.
- For comparison, Edmonton had 0-1 good riding days out of 12 in mid-November in each of the last three years, with average highs of 1-5°C.
- Boulder ranged from 11 good days of 12 (2025) to none, with snow on the ground the whole time (2024).
- So staying in the US until Friday is the right call.
The fortnight, November 9-26 (applied October 26; the base town is still to be confirmed)
- Why the key session moves to Thursday November 19: it lands four days after Boulder rather than three, because the Wednesday after a race weekend is her flattest day.
- The Saturday race-pace session replaces the one planned for November 23 in Europe, which is now the arrival day.
- Load: this outline gives the "Updated plan" numbers in the load table: CTL 64.9 and TSB +6.8 at Ostrava.
Jet lag: four days before Ostrava
- The timeline: an 8-hour shift east takes about a week to adjust to fully. On Ostrava day she'll be about four days in. Tábor, two days later, should feel better.
- In Edmonton:
- From Friday November 20, go to bed and get up an hour earlier each day: three hours earlier by Sunday.
- Get bright light first thing (a light box helps on dark mornings), keep the light dim in the evening, and train in the morning.
- The flight:
- Overnight if possible.
- Set the watch to Czech time on boarding and sleep on the flight.
- Drink water, not alcohol.
- On arrival:
- Get outdoors in daylight from late morning, with an easy ride in the early afternoon.
- Naps of 20-30 minutes at most, and bed at local bedtime.
- Melatonin, 0.5-3 mg at local bedtime, for the first 3-4 nights.
- Caffeine before noon only.
- Go straight to Ostrava if possible (via Katowice, Vienna or Prague), so there's no more travel until Tábor.
- Levothyroxine: move it to the local morning from arrival. Her pharmacist can confirm how to handle the travel day.
- If the flight can move to November 20 or 21, each extra day before Ostrava helps.
UCI ranking projection for Ostrava
The scenario
Sidney wins both races on Nationals weekend, wins PanAm and is 2nd at DCCX, then wins the Boulder C1 and is 2nd in the Boulder C2.
- What drops off: by the November 24 ranking she loses last November's results:
- Northampton (40 + 10).
- PanAm 2025 (40).
- Tábor 2025 (42).
- That's 132 points. Last year's Nationals (60) stays until January under the same rule.
- Sidney on November 24: 988 − 132 + 280 = 1,136 points.
- Confirmed by the operator: a Nationals win on Saturday only counts from mid-January. cyclocross24's live ranking shows national championships by race date, so its numbers will look different from the official ranking until then.
- In mid-January, a Nationals win would add 100 while last year's 60 drops off, a net gain of 40. That counts for the grids at the World Cups from mid-January and at Worlds.
How the grid works
- Ostrava: it's World Cup round 1. Under UCI rule 5.1.043, the grid goes by the UCI ranking published on Tuesday November 24. The only exception is places 33-40, which are kept for top mountain bike and road riders.
- Rows: eight wide, so row 1 is places 1-8 and row 2 is places 9-16.
- From Tábor on: the top 16 of the World Cup standings start first, then everyone else in UCI ranking order.
How the projection was built
- Start point: cyclocross24's live UCI ranking on October 26. For all of the top 30, the listed results add up exactly to the totals shown, so the starting numbers are solid.
- Subtract each rider's points from November 1-24, 2025, which expire before the November 24 ranking.
- That includes the Tábor World Cup, where the top riders scored 100-200.
- There's no World Cup before November 24 this year, so those points aren't replaced.
- Add the expected points from October 26 to November 22, 2026:
- Six Belgian C1s: Koppenberg, Middelkerke, Niel, Merksplas, Hamme and Beringen.
- The European Championships.
- Lokeren (C2).
- The national series in France, Spain, Czechia and Slovakia.
- How each rider's expected points are set:
- Her programme follows last November's.
- Her positions come from this autumn's seven deep European races: Brumath, Dendermonde, Ardooie, Meulebeke, Woerden, Heerderstrand and Overijse.
- Each rider gets a low-high range for uncertain programmes and form.
Projected ranking on November 24, the Ostrava grid
Nobody ranked below 20th now can get near 900 points by November 24. Casasola (20th, 760) loses 250 and hasn't raced yet this season.
What it means
- In this scenario Sidney projects 12th, with a realistic range of 11th to 13th.
- That's row 2 at Ostrava either way.
- She'd probably be the 3rd to 6th rider called into that row.
- Row 1 isn't reachable through the ranking:
- The ten riders projected above her are safe. Even Bentveld, with no more points at all, would have 1,193.
- 11th is her ceiling: to pass Van Anrooij she'd need about 100 points more than the scenario gives.
- The places around her are tight:
- Betsema projects within a point of her.
- Schreiber projects about 100 ahead, but that depends on whether she races the Belgian C1s or keeps choosing C2s.
- Nobody below can catch her: Gery's best case is about 1,120, and Norbert Riberolle stays at 1,039 with no starts expected.
- Boulder is worth about two or three places: without it she'd have about 1,026 points and project 14th-15th. That's still row 2, but near the back of it.
- One fewer contender at the front: Norbert Riberolle was 8th at Tábor last year. Her absence also takes a top-10 rider out of the Ostrava and Tábor fields.
- Tábor:
- The top 16 of the World Cup standings after Ostrava start first. If she finishes in Ostrava's top 16, she starts in that group, in her Ostrava finishing order.
- If she finishes outside it, her UCI ranking would put her first or second after them, at the front of row 3.
- So her Ostrava result matters for Tábor's grid as well.
Caveats
- The rivals' numbers are estimates from their usual programmes and this autumn's form. An illness, a crash or a schedule change can move any of them by 50-150 points.
- The two unknowns that matter most for Sidney: Schreiber's November programme, and Betsema's results.
- Updates: I'll re-run the projection with real results after Nationals, PanAm and Boulder. It takes minutes.
Later weeks
- PanAm week: I'll review it on Sunday November 1, after Hardwood. The questions:
- Whether to keep the Tuesday run-ups.
- How big the Wednesday session should be.
- Controlled plans for PanAm and DCCX, if the start list confirms a thin field.
- November 9-25: rebuilt in TrainingPeaks on October 26 (see "Applied on October 26"). The training base shows as "US training base (to be confirmed)". Tell me the town and I'll fill it in.
- Ostrava and Tábor targets: I'll set them from PanAm's race file.
- The December block (from November 30): I'll plan it after PanAm. The emphasis stays on sustained power on the flat.
Process fixes
- Warm-up power still isn't recording.
- Sunday was the fourth race weekend in a row with the warm-up on the trainer and no power.
- It matters more now: warm-up heart rate against a known power is the best early warning of a tired day.
- Bike check after the dropped chain: on both bikes before Friday. It's in the pre-ride notes.
- Feedback:
- Sidney's account of Sunday, via you, is what made the file make sense.
- A short note from her after Wednesday's session would help us judge Friday and Saturday.
Questions for Sidney
- Sunday: how did she feel on Saturday night and Sunday morning (sleep, appetite, legs)? Was there anything besides racing, like a cold coming on, stress or a bad bed?
- The chain drop: what happened? Did it come off during a shift on the rise, or on its own? Has the bike been checked?
- This morning: how are her legs, and how did she sleep? A resting heart rate would help, if she takes one.
- Nationals: is she comfortable racing a title race at a set effort, and switching to the full plan only if someone is still with her after two laps?
- Race-weekend food: did she manage to eat enough on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, eating GF/DF on the road?
- Edmonton: does she have a trainer at home, and somewhere safe to run in the snow?
Summary for Sidney
Your week: the short version
Where you are:
- Two more 2nd places at Major Taylor. On Sunday you dropped your chain, went to last and still rode back to 2nd.
- You were tired on Sunday, and your data shows it. Your heart rate ran about 5 beats low and your short efforts had less punch. That's normal fatigue after a hard weekend, not lost fitness.
- You didn't go too deep for Nationals.
- Sunday took less out of you than Saturday did.
- After Kings you were flat on the Wednesday, then 2nd by 1 second six days later. This is the same turnaround.
This weekend:
- Nationals (Saturday): win it at a controlled effort.
- Race the start and the first minute for position.
- Then settle into a firm, steady pace, about 215-225 W a lap. Be smooth on the climbs, and build your gap in the technical sections, where it's cheap.
- Switch to the full race plan only if someone is still within about 10 seconds after two laps.
- Plan the last corner and the finish in Friday's pre-ride.
- Hardwood (Sunday): controlled again. If someone is stronger, let her go. These points count for your Ostrava start.
- The weather: it'll be cool, about 8-11°C. Keep the jacket and leg warmers on until call-up.
This week:
- Monday: rest with your host family. Spin only if it helps.
- Tuesday: an easy hour before the drive to Detroit, and an easy 20-minute run with strides after it. No hill run-ups this week.
- Wednesday: 2 x 3 min at race pace and 3 starts.
- If the first rep is under 246 W, or your heart rate doesn't reach about 160, do openers instead and go home.
- That's the plan working, not a failure.
- Thursday: a 35-minute opener first thing, then the drive to Toronto and on to Oro-Medonte. If the morning gets away from you, 20 minutes with the openers is enough.
- Friday: pre-ride at Hardwood. Get both bikes checked: chain guide or catcher, derailleur clutch and chain wear.
- Every day:
- Get 8-9 hours of sleep.
- Eat lots of carbohydrate on Monday and Tuesday to refill after racing, and a proper breakfast before Wednesday's session.
- Have protein at every meal.
- Nothing new on race day.
Let Luca know how Wednesday's session felt.
/luca
Applied on October 26
Approved by the operator ("Both now"). The changes went into TrainingPeaks and the calendar files. I then checked the two against each other: 65 items from October 26 to November 29 (46 workouts, 11 notes, 8 events), with no mismatches in ID, date, title or description.
This week (14 changes):
- October 26:
- The note "Drive home to Ontario" (98601731) was replaced by "Rest day in Indianapolis" (99406758).
- The recovery spin (3968330174) is optional.
- October 27:
- New note "Drive to Detroit" (99406762).
- "Easy endurance 1:00" (3968330182) replaces endurance 1:15.
- "Easy run with strides" (3968330181) replaces the hill run-ups.
- October 28: "Race-pace intervals 2 x 3 min with starts" (3968330178), with the readiness check.
- October 29:
- The note "Travel to Oro-Medonte" (97045929) was replaced by "Drive to Toronto Pearson and Oro-Medonte" (99406763).
- The leg-opener (3968330187) is now 35 min, first thing near Detroit.
- The run with strides (3968330188) is optional.
- October 30: the pre-ride (3968330190) has a bike check after the dropped chain.
- October 31 and November 1: Nationals (40520367) and Hardwood (40520368) have the controlled-effort plans and cold-weather lines. Hardwood also has the UCI points note.
November 9-25 (35 operations):
- New notes:
- "Drive west, day 1" (99407100).
- "Drive west, day 2, to the training base" (99407101).
- "Drive to Boulder" (99407104).
- "Fly Denver to Edmonton" (99407107).
- "Fly to Europe", November 22 (99407121).
- "Arrive and settle in Ostrava", November 23 (99407122).
- Removed notes: "Travel home from Washington" (97045931), "Travel to Boulder" (97045932), "Travel home from Boulder" (97045940), "Travel to the Czech Republic" on November 20 (97045942) and "Travel to Ostrava" on November 25 (97045950).
- US week:
- November 9: recovery spin, optional, before the drive (3968330225).
- November 10: easy endurance 1:00 (3968330227) and an easy run with strides (3968330229).
- November 11: race-pace 3 x 3 with starts and the readiness check (3968330232) replaces the FTP test. Its option-B ride (4006181112) is deleted.
- November 12: endurance 1:45 with openers (3968330239); the run with strides (3968330244) moves to the base.
- November 13: the pre-ride is cut to about an hour (3968330247).
- Boulder:
- Both races (40520371, 40520372) have an altitude hydration line.
- The C2 also has the readiness rule from November 11 and Monday's flight.
- Edmonton:
- November 16: recovery spin on the trainer (3968330263).
- November 17: endurance 1:30 on the trainer (3968330280) and an easy 30-min run (3968330270, moved from November 18).
- November 18: easy endurance 1:15 on the trainer (3968330277, moved from November 19).
- November 19: threshold with surges 3 x 12 on the trainer (3968330267, moved from November 18).
- November 20: endurance 1:30 on the trainer (3968330291, moved from November 22) and an easy run with strides (3968330283, moved from November 19).
- November 21: race-pace 2 x 3 with trainer starts (3968330292, moved from November 23).
- The core sessions on November 18 and 21 are updated.
- Czech Republic:
- November 23: arrival spin (3968330287, moved from November 21).
- November 24: endurance 1:30 with openers (3968330296) and an optional easy run (3968330294, moved from November 23).
- November 25: the leg-opener (3968330300) no longer has a transfer that day.
- Jet lag: the November 20, 21 and 22 items carry the bedtime shift. The November 22 and 23 notes carry the travel, daylight, nap and caffeine guidance.
- Not put in TrainingPeaks:
- Supplement advice, including melatonin, needs Sidney's and her doctor's agreement first.
- Levothyroxine timing is left as a prompt to ask her pharmacist.