Our tried and tested LW Coaching cross-country mountain bike build, peak and race training plan has been updated with TrainingPeaks structured workouts to make the most of both indoor and outdoor riding opportunities. For outdoor training, power (watts), TSS and IF targets can be downloaded to your Garmin. For indoor training, download your plan to your favorite Smart Trainer app such as Zwift, Rouvy or Trainer Road.

This twelve week Build, Peak and Race Training Plan is designed for Category 1 Class racers serious about taking their performance to the next level and standing on top of the podium. This is an intensive and challenging plan that assumes you have a serious commitment to racing and have podium goals. Ideally, prior to starting this plan you should have completed the LW Coaching 12-week Category 1 Base Training Plan. If not, you ideally have at least 8 weeks aerobic of base training done and have completed several tempo sessions.

This plan is paced by power (watts), heart rate and perceived exertion. At a minimum, a heart rate monitor is recommended to follow this training plan. A power meter and smart trainer are optional (and highly advantageous) extras. A power meter or smart trainer is not required to successfully follow this training plan.

The plan is designed to put the top end power onto your aerobic and threshold base. This is the type of training that takes you from being fit to being fast. You will be riding six times per week. This plan requires a high level of commitment to daily consistency and requires you to dig deep when it counts. High intensity training involves a careful progression of VO2max hill intervals, short-track practice, micro intervals, race start practice and training races. Weeks 1-3, 5-7 and 9 have an option for a “C” priority training race or workout. Week 10 is a “B” priority race week. Your performance will peak in weeks 11 and 12 for your most important “A” races of the season. These are the weeks you will see a breakthrough in your performance level. Schedule this training plan to end on the day of your highest priority race. Weekly hours on the plan range from 9:40 in recovery weeks to 13:25.

Visit our LW Coaching website to ask training plan questions on our forum, read mountain bike specific training articles, learn new workouts and see what events our coaches and athletes have been racing.