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Chris Farhood f6dd9dfc27 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

2026-07-20 18:59:37 -04:00

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Plan template — build block (VO2 + durability + strength)

A fill-in skeleton for a build mesocycle that sharpens the aerobic engine while preserving the base's durability and strength gains. A knowledge template, not a calculator — pull all metrics (CTL/ATL/TSB, FTP, MAP, TSS) from the Intervals.icu MCP server; reason with the referenced docs.

Position in the season

Build sits between base and peak (backward-mapped from the A-race — see assets/plan-template-base.md and references/periodization.md). Its job: raise sustained power at and above threshold, add race-specific top-end, and keep durability from base intact.

Weeks of build:              __________
Weeks until A-race:          __________
Current CTL / ATL / TSB:     ____ / ____ / ____   (MCP get_athlete_summary)
Primary limiter this block:  (VO2max? threshold? repeatability? — pick ONE emphasis)
Race demands:                (road/TT steady? MTB/XCO intermittent? — mtb-xco-demands.md)

Mesocycle rhythm

Same as base: 3:1 (higher recoverability) or 2:1 (masters / high life stress). Build weeks carry more intensity, so recovery weeks matter more, not less.

Weekly shape (build phase)

Fewer but sharper hard sessions. Frequency of hard sessions matters more than the exact polarized-vs-pyramidal label (Yu et al. — see references/periodization.md). A common shape:

VO2max session:     1–2 × /week   (see references/vo2max-intervals.md for rep length / work:rest)
Threshold / race-specific: 1 × /week   (or fold into the durability ride for MTB)
Long durability ride: 1 × ____ h with hard efforts placed LATE (references/durability.md)
Endurance / Z2:     fill remaining volume — protect the low end
Strength (maintenance): 1 × /week heavy, low volume (references/strength-for-cyclists.md)
Recovery / off:     as needed

VO2max prescription (from `references/vo2max-intervals.md`)

Goal is maximizing time ≥90% VO2max, not just "going hard."
Bias toward longer reps (~3–5 min, ≈140 s optimum region) at ~0.85 work:rest for rebuilding sustained aerobic power; they accumulate more time >90% VO2max than 30/30s at matched intensity.
Prescribe from power; for MTB, HR will lag and mislead (references/data-confounds.md).

Keep durability alive

Maintain at least one long ride; add fatigued-state efforts late (hard work after accumulated kJ). Durability decays if overall load drops (Spragg et al. — references/citations.md).
Re-run the durability field test (assets/field-test-durability.md) at block end to confirm it held while you added intensity.

Preserve strength (don't drop it)

1×/week heavy maintenance retains in-season strength gains; interference is muted with strength-first/separate-day sequencing and at older age (references/strength-for-cyclists.md).

Checkpoints (pull from MCP, judge with the skill)

VO2 sessions actually spending time ≥90% VO2max (power sustained across reps) — streams/intervals
TSB not chronically buried — get_athlete_summary; screen wellness (data-confounds.md)
Durability % holding or rising — field-test-durability.md
Race-specific demand rehearsed (steady TT vs intermittent MTB) — mtb-xco-demands.md
Strength maintained — logged sessions

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