Altering my Training Plan

I could use a little advice here. I'm training for Cycle Oregon following a training plan, but have no coach to ask when I need to tweak it. I am going out of town next weekend, when my schedule calls for back-to-back long rides. Can I add in some more riding time during the week without messing up my recovery times?

My schedule looks like this:

Sat: 2 hour ride, easy to moderate pace
Sun: 5 hour ride, easy to moderate pace
Mon: strength training
Tue: hill intervals, 1 hour (may be extended to 2)
Wed: recovery ride, 1 hour
Thur: ride with long hills, 1 hour (may be extended to 2)
Fri: recovery ride, 1 hour
Sat: 4.5 hour ride, easy to moderate pace
Sun: 3.5 hour ride, easy to moderate pace

So, basically, I can't ride at all on the last Saturday or Sunday. I can ride as much as I want during the week, but don't want to just go crazy with it, do hills & distance & with no recovery, if that wouldn't be helpful from a physiological stand point.

The longest hardest CO day is 85 miles with 7000 feet of climbing, and I feel like the hill work is important to keep in the schedule.

Any thoughts?

I'm no expert on this, but looking at your schedule, I'd say do extended rides on Tuesday and Thursday with recovery rides in between.

Also, are you riding the week before you start Cycle Oregon?

Hi Nancy,

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm a little hesitant about lengthening Tuesday's ride, because I do the intervals at such a hard pace that I really can't sustain it, and I think I really benefit from doing them. Maybe long rides on Thursday & Friday make sense, with the whole weekend to recover... with one day hilly & one day flat....

I am riding the week before CO, although it's a tapering week, so pretty easy. I think that I do my last long rides the weekend before, & then short easy rides during the week. Are you training for something similar?

Blueskies

I wish I were coming to CO! It's on my to do list! (if you see any yellow jerseys with Benicia Bicycle Club- that's a guy or two from my club. Please do say hello. They are great riders and fun to be around!)

I'm doing Napa Century next weekend, but that's nothing like what you are doing! I didn't realize you had a day with 7000 ft of climbing in 85 miles. That should be quite a ride.

I don't know that interval training is going to be that useful this close to the ride. That's why I suggested the two long rides on alternate days. Sometimes when I do long rides, I'll do some interval work within that ride.

Yeah, the week before I'd say to back off on the intensity. I'd probably not ride past Tuesday, depending on when the CO starts- Sat or Sun.

I ride about 200 miles a week- a lot of climbing and usually a couple of metrics in there (my favorite distance).

Please, if you are inclined, do a write up for us under adventure stories when you return and have some time!

Best of luck and have fun!!!!!!!!!