In this article Brian writes about building base and while I agree with Brian that base building is very important to endurance athletes like Roadies. It's important to remember that the amount of base training and the weeks that you do it for relate very closely to the events that you are training for. For example at one end is the track sprinter. Even at world championship level aerobic fitness and base training is really not as important as the strength training these athletes do. The criterium racer, base is important but again, once established, developing power and speed will give far greater returns on training time. If you are a seasoned racer (three years or more) you'll find that your base training requirements will be less than a non-seasoned racer. Also, your base building requirements are going to be much less for a 70km road race that the likes of the Melbourne to Warrnambool (300km). Remember that while base training is very good it does reach a point of diminishing returns. The most common trend I see all the time in cyclist's HR data before they come on our program is that their previous training has far to much base training and not enough strength and speed work.

Written by Brian Grasky
Now that racing season is over and the post-race recover is done, it’s time to hit it hard again, right?

Well, sorta.

This is time for Base Training.  In order to pound the competition this next season, we need to build an Aerobic base onto which to build speed, strength and Endurance.  “But I have a base from last year,” you say.  Yes you do, and if only doing as well as you did last year is fine with you, then blow it off.  There’s more to it, however.  Your base will wane a bit depending on how much endurance work you kept up with in your Peak and race rest phases of training and the recovery after racing.

Here’s the scoop:  An aerobic base is something you can build season after season.  The effects are cumulative.  What you did last season definitely will help next season, but you’ll want to build on it.  Think of your aerobic base as the foundation of a building.  The larger and deeper the foundation, the larger the building can be built upon it.  We want to build a skyscraper of speed and Power, so we need a solid foundation.  Cutting the base phase short will do nothing but limit your potential later in the season.  

Aerobic training builds the Cardiovascular System and enables the physiological adaptations that allow for increased effectiveness in your intense training.  This type of training has two major effects:  it increases the size and number of the capillaries that deliver blood to the muscles, enabling you to build larger and denser musculature; and it increases the size and number of mitochondria responsible for energy production and transfer.  Then, there are two effects on top of that:  your heart rate at a given aerobic Intensity level goes down (you get more efficient); and you increase the intensity at which you are aerobic, meaning you can go harder before Lactate builds in your muscles (aerobic intensity, i.e. heart rate, goes up). 

It’s also mentally and physically draining to begin power and speed training too soon.  Intense work is hard on the body and hard on the mind.  Beginning intense training too soon, your peak, will either not happen or will happen too soon.  You definitely don’t want to be fatigued or burned out by the time your race comes around.  

“How do you train in the base phase?” you ask.  Well, depending on the distance and timeframe of your ‘A’ race this season, you’ll begin with a solid few or more months of base training.  This is low intensity, high volume training—basically heart rate zone 2 (Friel systems and similar).  If you find yourself noticeable breathing hard, you’re going too hard and are producing Lactic Acid.  You should be able to hold a conversation, with one breath in the middle of a sentence.  If it’s a Sunday cruise in the park, you’re going too easy—you should be breathing a bit.  Build your endurance to a point greater than you did last season.  If racing anything other than ultra distance (Ironman), build up to longer than that goal distance.  For ultras, build to about 75% on the run and 100% on the swim and bike.  These are only guidelines, and your past training, experience in the sport, age, time available, goals, and injury history will all go into the amount of volume you build.  

Remember, this is slower work, but find a group or friends and make it fun.  And keep each other slow!