docs: cross-link general docs to the discipline demand docs

Tighten the router so race-specific reasoning in the general docs points to
the matching demand profile instead of speaking in a road/TT-default voice:

- periodization.md: anchor the build phase's 'race-specific top-end' to the
  matching demand doc (tt / road-racing / mtb-xco).
- durability.md: show how fatigue resistance manifests per discipline.
- data-confounds.md: extend the intermittent-HR caveat to road racing/crits;
  note TT as the steadier exception where HR is more usable.
- strength-for-cyclists.md: link the explosive/sprint transfer to road-racing
  and sustained-power transfer to TT.
- vo2max-intervals.md: match rep length to event (short=surges/road+MTB,
  long=sustained/TT); extend the HR caveat to road racing.

All internal links verified resolving.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01TqrhBhC3GEcKyaw8RTk8G6

references/data-confounds.md

@@ -16,8 +16,10 @@ factors. Use HR only where it is genuinely informative:
 - **Aerobic decoupling on steady rides** (Pw:HR drift) — valid only on steady efforts.
 - **Recovery trends** (RHR, HRV) — as *trends*, screened for the confounds below.
 
-Do **not** use HR to prescribe or judge intensity for **intermittent** efforts — see the MTB
-dissociation below.
+Do **not** use HR to prescribe or judge intensity for **intermittent** efforts — this covers MTB
+(`mtb-xco-demands.md`) *and* mass-start road racing/criteriums (`road-racing-demands.md`), both of
+which are surge-driven. See the dissociation below. Steady solo efforts (TT — `tt-demands.md`) are
+the exception where HR is more usable, though still secondary to power.
 
 ## The confounds (screen every HR-based signal against these)
 
@@ -38,7 +40,8 @@ In intermittent off-road riding, **HR, power, and VO2 dissociate**: VO2 stays el
 where power drops, and HR lags the short bursts that define the effort. In XCO, %VO2max did **not**
 correlate with %HRmax or %MAP (Hays et al. 2018, *Front Physiol* 9:1062; PMID 30158873;
 DOI 10.3389/fphys.2018.01062). **For MTB, HR is unreliable for intensity — power governs.** See
-`mtb-xco-demands.md`.
+`mtb-xco-demands.md`. The same intermittent logic applies to mass-start road racing and criteriums
+(`road-racing-demands.md`): HR lags the decisive surges, so prescribe and read those from power too.
 
 ## Do NOT hardcode naive rules
 

references/durability.md

@@ -72,5 +72,7 @@ Use `../assets/field-test-durability.md`. In brief:
 
 Durability matters for both road/TT and MTB, but **keep absolute numbers discipline-specific.** The
 1,500 kJ anchor is a sensible generic default, not a validated cross-discipline constant; a masters
-marathon-MTB rider and an elite road pro do not share a durability dose. See `mtb-xco-demands.md`
-for how fatigue resistance shows up specifically in off-road racing.
+marathon-MTB rider and an elite road pro do not share a durability dose. How fatigue resistance
+*shows up* differs by discipline: `mtb-xco-demands.md` (holding power through late off-road bursts),
+`road-racing-demands.md` (still having a sprint or matching-move after 4 h — a documented success
+determinant), and `tt-demands.md` (a long-TT threshold that doesn't decay to the line).

references/periodization.md

@@ -36,6 +36,12 @@ quantified finding.
 
 Work **backward from the A-race** (backward mapping). Each phase sets up the next.
 
+**Anchor the plan to the A-race's demand profile** — the "race-specific top-end" of the build phase
+means different things per discipline. Load the matching demand doc before shaping the build:
+`references/tt-demands.md` (sustained solo power, pacing), `references/road-racing-demands.md`
+(repeatable supra-threshold surges + a fatigued sprint), or `references/mtb-xco-demands.md`
+(intermittent, supra-MAP bursts). Don't build a TT engine for a criterium, or vice versa.
+
 | Phase | Primary job | Emphasis |
 |---|---|---|
 | **Base** | Raise sustainable CTL, aerobic base, **durability**, and strength capacity | High volume, mostly low intensity, small hard dose kept alive; build heavy strength |

references/strength-for-cyclists.md

@@ -84,4 +84,6 @@ failure-limited) to protect joints and recovery.
 - **Build/in-season**: drop to **1×/week heavy maintenance** — see
   `../assets/plan-template-build.md`.
 - Strength supports the **anaerobic/explosive** side that predicts MTB/XCO performance
-  (`mtb-xco-demands.md`) and the efficiency that helps steady TT power.
+  (`mtb-xco-demands.md`) and powers the **road-racing sprint and repeated surges**
+  (`road-racing-demands.md`), plus the efficiency and sustained-power that help the **TT**
+  (`tt-demands.md`).

references/vo2max-intervals.md

@@ -77,10 +77,13 @@ a solved problem.
     Rønnestad protocols (2016/2020/2021); good for riders who fade on long reps or want more total
     high-intensity work per session. Not proven superior once total work is matched.
   - **Long intervals (~4–5 min):** favored by the running time-at-VO2max data (Fleckenstein 2025)
-    and useful for **sustained** aerobic power and race-specific steady demands; a reasoned choice,
-    not a cycling-proven one.
-- **Prescribe from power.** For MTB especially, HR lags and misleads (`mtb-xco-demands.md`,
-  `data-confounds.md`).
+    and useful for **sustained** aerobic power and steady race demands like the TT
+    (`tt-demands.md`); a reasoned choice, not a cycling-proven one.
+- **Match reps to the event:** short/repeated efforts rehearse the surges of road racing
+  (`road-racing-demands.md`) and MTB (`mtb-xco-demands.md`); longer reps rehearse sustained TT power
+  (`tt-demands.md`).
+- **Prescribe from power.** For intermittent racing (MTB, road/crit) HR lags and misleads
+  (`mtb-xco-demands.md`, `road-racing-demands.md`, `data-confounds.md`).
 - **Verify the session worked:** pull the interval stats/streams from MCP and check power held near
   target across reps. Fading power = too much intensity or too little recovery; adjust work:rest.