From 719928443a7a09f1326c4c60b2430fca83c9f1c0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Chris Farhood Date: Mon, 20 Jul 2026 21:14:31 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] 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) Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01TqrhBhC3GEcKyaw8RTk8G6 --- references/data-confounds.md | 9 ++++++--- references/durability.md | 6 ++++-- references/periodization.md | 6 ++++++ references/strength-for-cyclists.md | 4 +++- references/vo2max-intervals.md | 11 +++++++---- 5 files changed, 26 insertions(+), 10 deletions(-) diff --git a/references/data-confounds.md b/references/data-confounds.md index 0865045..54f393b 100644 --- a/references/data-confounds.md +++ b/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 diff --git a/references/durability.md b/references/durability.md index 8123810..a91a051 100644 --- a/references/durability.md +++ b/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). diff --git a/references/periodization.md b/references/periodization.md index 988eb6b..7c90110 100644 --- a/references/periodization.md +++ b/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 | diff --git a/references/strength-for-cyclists.md b/references/strength-for-cyclists.md index ed8b869..742d02c 100644 --- a/references/strength-for-cyclists.md +++ b/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`). diff --git a/references/vo2max-intervals.md b/references/vo2max-intervals.md index b95dd15..f637502 100644 --- a/references/vo2max-intervals.md +++ b/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.