Cycling Fitness / Training Advice

I was supposed to stop drinking? Had two single malts the night before the National...

Good to hear. TBH it doesn't feel like much of a sacrifice and am looking forward to feeling a bit more energised.

I've stopped drinking more or less totally for a few years now, with the exception of a few weddings I've been totally dry. Madness I know, but I don't miss hangovers one bit, and compared to before I have way more energy. The downsides are socially its always a bit crap being the weird one drinking diet coke at the pub, and on the few occasions I do end up drinking, I got completely wasted on nothing, and my hangovers last 3 days.

wasted on nothing - :-)

hangovers last 3 days - :-(

Have kids, nothing curtails your drinking like having to get up at 3 a.m. to soothe a toddler.

or sram etap .. wont be left with any money to drink

Lolwut. I drink much more since having kids, although less in one go...

My other half sleeps the sleep of the dead, so it's always me that's up in the night. Doing that after drinking killed me for the next day or so. Plus I'm getting old.

Um, it's all v personal but my thoughts would be as follows:

• if I'm reading this correctly you have a 15 week Base and 12 week Build back to back. Whilst that looks great on paper in terms of endurance, are you confident even with easier weeks, you can sustain this both physically and mentally? I would be burning out with the constant upward training stress. Maybe take a week between Base and Build, or mid-Build and go do a cobbled classic or something? You won't lose much in a week if you do a few intensity sessions.
  
• I think 5TSS ramp a week is pretty doable if you've trained before, but you might want to knock your rest weeks down even a bit further? I.e. Just commuting? Depends how much load you think you can tolerate.
  
• commutes are a difficult one. They are all stress but is it really training stress? I don't buy this "junk miles" thing but at the same time if it's lots of low intensity, stop-start stuff then I don't know if I'd include the full 300, but happy to be enlightened otherwise.
  

Have kids

I've got those (and eTap) and agree with @danb, it's definitely not lessened my alcohol consumption.

are you confident even with easier weeks, you can sustain this both physically and mentally?

I don't know, to be completely honest. I enjoy training and as long as I can stay healthy and see gains along the way, I should be able to keep motivated. I think the idea of a week off between base and build is a good idea.

Do you factor in a recovery week to your training cycle, i.e. three weeks progressively increasing the TSS, then an easier week where you keep up the volume but ease back on the intensity? Then repeat.

My other question would be, have you ridden in the high mountains before?

Yep, exactly that. Three weeks on, one off.

Nope to high mountains, this'll be my first time.
Highest I've ever climbed is in Oz, 3k feet or so.

If you work full time don't plan weeks off. They'll just happen. Don't train yourself into the ground.

Riding in the mounts is just like the flat, but it takes longer.

Make sure on your trip you eat enough. Most people just bonk. You'll be burning more energy.

Commuting is junk. But if you commute without breakfast you can use that to lose weight.

Loosing 4kg will make a huge difference to climbing pace.

Don't get hung up on tss chasing. But think what is the workout meant to achieve and why am I doing it. Tempo stuff is good, as that replicates climbing pace. Longer rides get you used to sitting in the saddle all day.

Depends on your commute.

Has anyone said 'just ride your bike' yet?

I always found the best way to train for riding big mountains was to do 45-60 min threshold efforts. The one thing you can't do in the UK is replicate the strain on your lower back that climbing for an hour at a time gives. I'd always have a sore back for the first day, then it'd dissipate in the next day or so, so maybe some strengthening exercises for your lower back would benefit you.

The other key thing is to not get carried away on the first day or two, but to throttle back a bit so you get stronger as the trip goes on, rather than starting with a bang then petering out like a two bit rocket.

Yeah you're commute is ok. But you're an outlier.

Top advice.

he other key thing is to not get carried away on the first day or two, but to throttle back a bit so you get stronger as the trip goes on, rather than starting with a bang then petering out like a two bit rocket.

Ask @Smallfurry what he does. Then just do the opposite.

I pretty much stopped drinking for 6 weeks due to studying earlier this year and subsequently dropped about 3.5kg below my usual race weight. On the upside I was markedly quicker on the hills and rich, on the downside photos of me around this time show me looking a bit too skinny...when your head looks a bit big for your body. Happily usual race weight was achieved after a long weekend in Munich, apparently a beer and sausage diet allows you to put on 1kg each day if done correctly.

apparently a beer and sausage diet allows you to put on 1kg each day if done correctly

Paging @hippy

Well a Maß is 1L and 1L weighs 1kg so if you're only putting on 1kg per day you're only drinking one beer and you've forgotten to eat the sausage, so, dear boy...

you're doing it wrong.

#broscience

I always found the best way to train for riding big mountains was to do 45-60 min threshold efforts

As in removing the desire to ride in the big mountains? Have to do that on a turbo and I'd go on holiday to Cambridgeshire.

Also meant to ask @umop3pisdn about his 'only z3 or sweetspot' (can't remember which) regime - what intensity was it and did it work? I'm feeling less love for base training this winter.