Season Plan — April 2026 through January 2027
- Owner: Coach Luca
- Status: Active — updated with confirmed travel and training data
- Last updated: 2026-04-21
- Review cadence: Monthly, or immediately when event priorities, travel, health, or block objectives change
Season Overview
Sidney is a top-20 World Cup cyclocross racer targeting a step up in performance during the 2026-2027 CX season. The season has two A-priority targets: the Pan American Championships (2026-11-07) and the UCI World Championships (2027-01-29). The season also includes Ghost of the Gravel (2026-06-27) as a B-priority early-summer gravel objective with a working target of about 4:35:00. That means late-May and June training should be race-specific enough to materially improve execution, pacing durability, climbing strength, and fueling, before the full North American C1/C2 block (September–November), followed by a European World Cup campaign (late November through late January).
Sidney manages Hashimoto's thyroiditis, which demands disciplined load management, durability-first programming, and proactive recovery monitoring. Training must be absorbable and repeatable, but the current May to June build toward Ghost of the Gravel should be pushed more assertively than a default conservative re-entry model.
Key constraints:
- Sidney had approximately 7 weeks off the bike following CX Worlds in Hulst (2026-02-01). Return to riding began March 22. Five unstructured rides completed through April 1, all Zone 1–2, no power or HR data (Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT sensor configuration issue).
- Sidney is currently in Victoria, BC through Apr 24, then driving home Apr 25, bridging at home Apr 26–May 1, then traveling to Shanghai, China (May 2–16) with no road bike access. Running and hotel gym only during Shanghai.
- She returns to Edmonton May 16–20, flies to Toronto May 21, trains there through June 23, then returns west for Ghost of the Gravel on June 27.
- The Shanghai trip creates a forced 2-week no-cycling window that reshapes the early-season build timeline and compresses the runway into the June 27 gravel benchmark.
- Operator direction for the May 17 to June 27 block: update the build toward a more specific Ghost of the Gravel performance target, about 4:35:00, while still managing recovery risk through controlled density, fueling discipline, and selective recovery days rather than by flattening the whole build.
Phase Map
Phase 1A: General Preparation — Victoria, BC (April 10–30)
Dates: 2026-04-10 through 2026-04-30
Duration: 3 weeks
Location: Victoria, BC
Block purpose: Rebuild aerobic base, restore training consistency, reintroduce gym work, resolve sensor configuration
Volume: Moderate and progressive — approximately 10–15 hours/week on-bike across the block, plus 1–2 gym sessions per week
Intensity distribution: Predominantly Zone 2 with two controlled workload sessions per week. Tempo and threshold are reintroduced deliberately; no VO2max block or race-simulation work in this phase.
Strength emphasis: General preparation — reintroduce lower-body strength after selected rides, cap loading with explicit RPE and percentage guidance, and protect ride quality.
Key priorities:
- Reestablish a repeatable weekly rhythm with Monday as the primary recovery anchor
- Restore aerobic durability while tolerating two key workload rides per week
- Reintroduce lower-body strength rhythm without compromising on-bike quality
- Resolve power meter and HR sensor configuration on the Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT — this is urgent for training monitoring
- Use MTB selectively only when the ankle remains quiet after the first reintroduction ride
- Monitor Hashimoto's response, ankle response, and next-day recovery after each structured session
- Identify current fitness markers (threshold, HR ranges) once sensors are working again
- Maximize the 3 weeks of uninterrupted cycling before Shanghai
Decision point: April 28 — assess aerobic base progress and pre-travel readiness. Set travel training expectations.
Phase 1B: Travel Maintenance — Shanghai (May 2–16)
Dates: 2026-05-02 through 2026-05-16
Duration: 2 weeks
Location: Shanghai, China
Block purpose: Maintain aerobic fitness and strength through alternative modalities. Manage jet lag. Prevent detraining without access to cycling.
Volume: Moderate — 4–6 hours/week of running and gym work
Intensity distribution: 90% easy aerobic (Zone 1–2 running), 10% tempo efforts
Strength emphasis: Maintain foundational movements with available hotel gym equipment. Bodyweight work if gym is limited.
Key priorities:
- Running 3–5 times per week, 30–60 min easy runs. Sidney is primarily a cyclist — manage running volume conservatively to avoid injury.
- Hotel gym sessions 2–3 times per week for strength maintenance
- Core and mobility work daily
- Manage jet lag (Edmonton MDT to Shanghai UTC+8 = 14–15 hour shift). Expect 3–5 days to adjust each direction.
- Maintain fueling discipline despite travel disruption
- No intensity targets — maintain aerobic base only
Decision point: May 14 — assess readiness to resume cycling upon return to Edmonton.
Phase 2: Rebuild and race-directed aerobic re-extension — post-Shanghai (May 17 – June 8)
Dates: 2026-05-17 through 2026-06-08
Duration: 3 weeks
Location: Edmonton, AB, then Toronto, ON
Block purpose: Return to cycling after Shanghai, absorb travel stress, rebuild bike-specific frequency quickly, and re-establish enough aerobic volume, sustained climbing pressure, and muscular durability to support a more assertive Ghost-specific June build.
Volume: Moderate and progressive — approximately 8–11 hours/week on-bike by the end of the phase, with the first post-travel week kept slightly below that if jet lag, travel fatigue, or tissue response lags
Intensity distribution: ~78–82% Zone 1–2, ~12–17% tempo and sweet spot, ~5–8% threshold, with intensity introduced earlier than in the prior draft but still under tight recovery control
Strength emphasis: Rebuild gym rhythm and muscular durability, 2 sessions per week when logistics allow, with progressive but submaximal loading after the travel-maintenance period
Key priorities:
- Treat May 17–23 as a re-entry week, not a normal build week: restore bike frequency, manage jet lag, and watch for delayed fatigue after the no-bike block
- Push back toward normal cycling rhythm faster than originally planned, but do it through frequency and controlled density rather than hero-volume
- Reintroduce tempo and sweet-spot work in the first full riding week after return if recovery markers are stable, because the June runway to Ghost is too short for a purely easy reset
- Re-establish long-ride progression, seated climbing torque, and fueling rehearsal so gravel-specific durability is already improving before mid-June
- Reconfirm threshold and current training zones from live ride data rather than carrying pre-break assumptions forward
- Tighten fueling discipline around longer rides and double-stressor days, especially because the compressed build leaves less room for underfueled work
- Keep running minimal after Shanghai return; cycling quality and consistency now matter more than preserving mixed-modality volume
- Use the Edmonton-to-Toronto move on May 21 as a real friction point and avoid stacking meaningful load directly on the travel day
Decision point: June 8 — confirm that bike frequency, long-ride durability, and sub-threshold repeatability are stable enough to move into a more race-oriented gravel build rather than extending rebuild mode.
Phase 3: Ghost-specific gravel build and post-race bridge — June/July 2026
Dates: 2026-06-09 through 2026-07-12
Duration: 4.5 weeks
Location: Toronto, ON, then Edmonton and Cochrane, AB for race travel, then return to Toronto
Block purpose: Convert the post-Shanghai rebuild into a purposeful B-race build for Ghost of the Gravel with a working target of about 4:35:00, push fitness a little harder than the earlier draft, and use the race plus the following two weeks as a bridge into the broader summer intensity progression without losing cyclocross direction.
Volume: Moderate-high to high for Sidney's current stage, generally about 10–14 hours/week with one clear overload week and one race week, while preserving at least one genuinely light recovery/reset day each week
Intensity distribution: ~68–74% Zone 1–2, ~14–18% threshold and high-tempo work, ~8–12% VO2max and above, plus gravel-rhythm race demands in the event week
Strength emphasis: Transition from rebuild strength into lower-volume, higher-neural-quality work, usually 1–2 sessions per week, to support force production without leaving heavy residual fatigue on key bike days
Key priorities:
- Make Ghost of the Gravel an actual June performance target, not merely a benchmark ride. The build should aim for a meaningful step from the previous ~4:58 to ~5:02 range toward about 4:35:00.
- Emphasize longer sustained work: threshold extension, high-tempo torque, sustained climbing pressure, and race-like sub-threshold work over classic short punchy work at the start of the phase
- Introduce VO2 work carefully and sparingly, mainly to restore ceiling and repeatability, not to dominate the block
- Build one race-specific long ride each week with fueling practice, gravel-specific pacing, and sustained pressure over uneven terrain when available
- Practice race fueling explicitly for this gravel objective, including bottle carbohydrate, solid-food tolerance, sodium, and pre-race meal timing
- Use a short, controlled taper into June 27, enough to freshen up but not enough to detrain or flatten the aerobic feel needed for gravel
- After Ghost, recover on purpose for several days, then resume progression quickly so the race acts as a springboard rather than the end of a mini-season
- In the post-race bridge, start introducing more CX-relevant stochastic efforts once the athlete is recovered, but keep the main progression anchored in aerobic and threshold durability
- Push the build slightly harder than originally written, but only through one or two key sessions and one real long ride per week; do not push every variable at once
- Keep Hashimoto's monitoring central: if recovery quality, mood, sleep, or resting physiology slip, cut density before cutting all volume
Decision point: July 1 and again July 12 — first assess whether Ghost of the Gravel produced the intended benchmark without excessive cost, then confirm that the athlete is ready to transition into the higher-intensity CX-specific build rather than needing another consolidation week.
Phase 4: CX-Specific Build — mid-July to mid-August 2026
Dates: 2026-07-15 through 2026-08-15
Duration: 4–5 weeks
Block purpose: Peak fitness development, CX-specific race preparation, heat adaptation
Volume: High — peak training volume period
Intensity distribution: ~65% Zone 1–2, ~15% threshold, ~20% VO2max and race-pace
Strength emphasis: Transition to maintenance and power — reduce gym volume, preserve strength
Key priorities:
- High-end aerobic and anaerobic capacity work
- CX-specific intervals: starts, barriers, technical efforts
- Heat acclimatization protocol for early-season USA racing
- Skills and technical practice on CX bike
- Race simulation sessions
- Fueling rehearsal for race-day nutrition plan
Decision point: Mid-August — confirm race readiness for September opener and assess travel logistics.
Phase 5: Pre-Competition Taper and Sharpening — mid-August to early September 2026
Dates: 2026-08-15 through 2026-09-12
Duration: ~4 weeks
Block purpose: Reduce volume, sharpen race fitness, finalize logistics
Volume: Moderate — intentional taper
Intensity distribution: Reduced volume, maintained intensity quality
Strength emphasis: Maintenance only — 1–2 gym sessions per week, reduced load
Key priorities:
- Controlled volume reduction while keeping high-end sharpness
- Technical CX skills maintenance
- Equipment prep and travel logistics for Canmore opener
- Final heat adaptation work if early races are in warm conditions
- Mental preparation and race-plan development
Phase 6: North American Race Block — September to mid-November 2026
Dates: 2026-09-13 through 2026-11-15
Duration: 9 weeks
Block purpose: Race execution, race sharpness, targeted development between race weekends
Volume: Race-determined — mid-week training around weekend racing
Intensity distribution: Race-driven; mid-week maintenance and targeted work
Strength emphasis: In-season maintenance — 1–2 sessions per week, low volume, functional
Key priorities:
- Race weekends: execute, recover, learn
- Mid-week: maintain fitness, address race-revealed limiters
- B-race focus: Charm City (Oct 3–4), Canadian Nationals (Oct 31)
- A-race focus: PanAm Championships (Nov 7)
- Manage travel fatigue across east coast race blocks
- Monitor Hashimoto's through high race-density period
- Heat management for early-season USA races (September–October)
Sub-phases within this block:
Decision point: Post-PanAm — assess form, fatigue, and health before committing to European World Cup schedule.
Phase 7: Transition to Europe — mid to late November 2026
Dates: 2026-11-16 through 2026-11-26
Duration: ~10 days
Block purpose: Travel recovery, jet lag management, European course familiarization
Volume: Reduced — travel-adapted
Key priorities:
- Manage transatlantic travel fatigue and jet lag
- Light riding and skills upon arrival
- Course reconnaissance if possible before World Cup #1
- Equipment and logistics for European base
Phase 8: European World Cup Campaign — late November 2026 to late January 2027
Dates: 2026-11-27 through 2027-01-29
Duration: 9 weeks
Block purpose: Peak race performance, World Cup execution, Worlds preparation
Volume: Race-determined with strategic recovery windows
Intensity distribution: Race-driven
Strength emphasis: Minimal maintenance — preserve function, prioritize recovery
Key priorities:
- Execute World Cup rounds with progressive performance targets
- Target 1 top-10 World Cup finish (explicit results goal)
- Strategic race selection: not every WC round needs peak effort
- Manage cumulative fatigue across a dense race calendar
- Hashimoto's monitoring is critical — European winter, travel, and race density compound stress
- Build toward peak form for Worlds (Jan 29)
Sub-phases within this block:
Decision point: After December WC block — if form or health is deteriorating, modify January race selection.
Strength Periodization Summary
Health and Recovery Watch Items
- Hashimoto's thyroiditis: Primary systemic risk. Overtraining, under-fueling, sleep disruption, and chronic stress can trigger flares. Conservative load management is non-negotiable.
- Post-Worlds off-bike gap: 6 weeks without structured riding. Rebuilding must be gradual.
- Travel load: The season includes significant domestic and international travel. Cumulative travel fatigue is a real limiter.
- Heat adaptation: Early NA races (September) may occur in warm, humid conditions. Acclimatization work required during the build phases.
- European winter: Cold, wet, and dark conditions affect recovery quality and mood. Monitor proactively.
Uncertainty and Open Items
- Current fitness data is limited. Sidney's post-return rides (Mar 22 onward) have no power or HR data due to Wahoo sensor issues. Resolving this is urgent.
- Shanghai trip (May 2–16) disrupts the build. Two weeks without cycling compresses the runway into Ghost of the Gravel and means the May to early-July sequence has to move from rebuild to race-specific work faster than a standard progression, with less margin for additional disruptions.
- Travel schedule not yet confirmed. European logistics, housing, and travel between races are not yet documented in
travel-schedule.md. - Constraints file incomplete. Maximum training hours, equipment access, and weekly structure unknowns affect all block designs.
- XCO mountain bike: Listed as a secondary discipline in Sidney's profile. No XCO races appear on the calendar. If XCO racing is planned, the season structure may need adjustment.
- Process and technical goals: Not yet defined by athlete. These would refine mid-week training priorities during race blocks.