feat: add cycling-training Claude skill (MCP companion)
Modular cycling-training skill: periodization logic, workout design, and research-backed protocols that companion an Intervals.icu MCP server (the server owns all data + computed metrics; the skill owns knowledge + reasoning). Structure: - SKILL.md router + README (companion-to-MCP architecture, install steps) - references/: durability, mtb-xco-demands, strength-for-cyclists, vo2max-intervals, periodization, data-confounds, citations - assets/: base + build plan templates, durability field-test protocol Every quantitative claim carries an inline citation; citations.md is the single source of truth with PMID/DOI, each verified against PubMed on 2026-07-20. Notable honesty flags baked in: - VO2 rep-length: running (Fleckenstein 2025) vs cycling (Ronnestad) conflict documented rather than asserted; cycling evidence favors short intervals. - 'Yu et al. 2025' (frequency > distribution) could not be found; not cited. - Under-researched doses (durability, taper TSB, CTL ramp) flagged 'track response'. - HR-confound doc forbids naive decoupling<5% / RHR+5 rules. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01TqrhBhC3GEcKyaw8RTk8G6
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# Periodization, distribution & taper
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**Load this doc when:** structuring a season, choosing an intensity distribution, setting a CTL
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ramp, or planning an A-race taper.
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**Data/knowledge split:** MCP supplies CTL / ATL / TSB, the load ramp, and TSS. This doc supplies
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the logic for *how fast to ramp*, *how to distribute intensity*, and *what TSB to target*.
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---
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## Distribution is a principle, not a recipe
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Do not treat polarized (or pyramidal) training as a fixed formula. The right distribution is
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**context-dependent** — set by training age, weekly volume, life stress, and the current phase.
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The framing to internalize: effective endurance training is **"the long game, not epic workouts."**
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HIIT should not be prescribed as an acute-response "maximization problem"; what matters is the
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**long-term integration** of intensity, duration, and **frequency**, adapted to the athlete's
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context (Seiler 2024, *Appl Physiol Nutr Metab* 49(11):1585–1599; PMID 39079169;
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DOI 10.1139/apnm-2024-0012 — a peer-reviewed Perspective, open access).
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**On "frequency matters more than the exact distribution":** this is a reasonable working heuristic
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consistent with Seiler's long-game argument, but note the honest state of evidence — a 2025 review
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of training-intensity-distribution models concludes **no single model is universally superior** and
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that model choice must be adapted to sport, phase, and athlete (Sun, Yu et al. 2025, *Front Physiol*
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16:1657892; PMID 41169886; DOI 10.3389/fphys.2025.1657892). Treat "get enough quality hard sessions
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in, don't obsess over polarized-vs-pyramidal labels" as a defensible principle, **not** a
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quantified finding.
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> **Citation honesty note:** a specific "Yu et al. 2025" paper claiming *frequency of hard sessions
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> outweighs distribution* could **not** be located in PubMed. Do not cite one. Ground the point in
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> Seiler 2024 (the long-game argument) and the Sun/Yu 2025 review (no model universally superior).
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> See `citations.md`.
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## Standard periodization: base → build → peak
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Work **backward from the A-race** (backward mapping). Each phase sets up the next.
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| Phase | Primary job | Emphasis |
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|---|---|---|
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| **Base** | Raise sustainable CTL, aerobic base, **durability**, and strength capacity | High volume, mostly low intensity, small hard dose kept alive; build heavy strength |
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| **Build** | Sharpen threshold & VO2max; add race-specific top-end; preserve durability & strength | Fewer, sharper hard sessions; strength → maintenance |
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| **Peak/Taper** | Shed fatigue, keep fitness, arrive fresh | Reduce volume, keep some intensity, hit TSB target |
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Templates: `../assets/plan-template-base.md`, `../assets/plan-template-build.md`.
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## Mesocycle rhythm
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| Athlete | Rhythm | Note |
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|---|---|---|
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| Younger / high recoverability | **3:1** (3 load weeks : 1 recovery) | Standard |
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| **Masters / higher life stress** | **2:1** (2 load : 1 recovery) | Favor recovery — masters recover slower; the 2:1 protects adaptation |
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Recovery weeks ≈ 40–60% of the preceding load week's TSS. These are *adaptation* weeks, not lost
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time — the fitness is expressed during them.
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## CTL ramp guidance
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- Ramp **CTL gradually** — a common, conservative guide is **~3–7 CTL points per week** sustained,
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lower for masters or when life stress is high. Faster ramps raise injury/illness/overtraining
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risk without proportional benefit.
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- Read the actual CTL/ATL/TSB and ramp rate from MCP (`get_athlete_summary`); this doc only tells
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you whether the ramp is sane. A runaway ramp with a deeply negative TSB trend is a flag — cross-
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check wellness before pushing (`data-confounds.md`).
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> ⚠️ **The CTL ramp numbers are heuristics, not laws.** Individual tolerance varies widely —
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> **track response** (wellness, performance, durability) rather than forcing a fixed points/week.
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## A-race taper & TSB targets
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- **Goal:** arrive with fitness intact and fatigue gone — a **positive but not deeply detrained
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TSB**. A common target window is **TSB ≈ +5 to +15** on race day (higher for shorter/punchier
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events where freshness dominates; lower for long events where fitness retention matters more).
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- **How:** cut **volume** substantially over the final 1–2 weeks while **keeping some intensity**
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(short race-specific efforts) so you sharpen rather than go flat. Don't cut intensity to zero.
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- **Durability caveat:** durability decays if load drops too far for too long (`durability.md`). For
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long/marathon events, taper less aggressively than for short punchy events, or you arrive fresh
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but unable to hold late-race power.
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- Read TSB from MCP and steer it into the target window; this doc sets the target, MCP measures it.
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> ⚠️ **Taper TSB targets are individual.** The +5 to +15 window is a starting point; some riders
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> peak flat at +5, others need +15–20. **Track how the athlete has raced at known TSB values** and
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> personalize.
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