hillclimb training

Piotr said:

My advice at this stage is to do short intense rides (L6 intervals) broken up by active recovery days, and fueling up well afterwards. Again, don't worry about slight weight gain. You will be gaining fuel, not fat (big difference!). The idea is to bring about form, which will only come if you're well rested and your glycogen stores are topped off.

I am not sure if I understood the OP's description of the race correctly but thought it is a hill time trial (based on the time goal). But if this is the case why would you go with L6? To induce a peak? For that purpose I think 5x5s' are enough and even the time is short for major improvements in metabolic side, >1 hour effort (if it indeed is a timetrial) is exactly L4 effort so specifity should be applied in preparation.

frost said:

I am not sure if I understood the OP's description of the race correctly but thought it is a hill time trial (based on the time goal). But if this is the case why would you go with L6? To induce a peak? For that purpose I think 5x5s' are enough and even the time is short for major improvements in metabolic side, >1 hour effort (if it indeed is a timetrial) is exactly L4 effort so specifity should be applied in preparation.

Yes, to induce a peak, with L6 and more importantly with the active recovery days. If this is an A-event, this is the time to start spending CTL.

I believe that 5x5 require freshness and a lot of motivation to be truly effective. They're great when starting the final build (12 weeks out or so), but not during peaking since it's probably already too late and they can be mentally taxing and frankly, it takes only one bad L5 day to throw a monkey wrench into my training. It's about being mentally ready as well as physically. More L4 is unlikely to result in a significant improvement in just 3 weeks (except for a total newbie), so why build more fatigue before an important event? This is a great time to work on some confidence. Doing 30s on/30s off, or 1 min intervals with adequate rest makes me feel like I'm ready to kick ass. Bottom line: L4 = long term, L6 = short term. Of course, as always the disclaimer: this is all based on my experience in training myself. YMMV, but I think that it's solid advice that at least won't cause any harm.

I know that the OP is mostly looking to improve on his previous time, but hillclimbs are not time trials, they're mass start races. You need L6 to attack and to respond to attacks. The middle of the pack riders ride hillclimbs like a time trial, while the winners attack their opponents until they are shed. This is especially true in the higher racing categories.

Piotr said:

Yes, to induce a peak, with L6 and more importantly with the active recovery days. If this is an A-event, this is the time to start spending CTL.

I believe that 5x5 require freshness and a lot of motivation to be truly effective. They're great when starting the final build (12 weeks out or so), but not during peaking since it's probably already too late and they can be mentally taxing and frankly, it takes only one bad L5 day to throw a monkey wrench into my training. It's about being mentally ready as well as physically. More L4 is unlikely to result in a significant improvement in just 3 weeks (except for a total newbie), so why build more fatigue before an important event? This is a great time to work on some confidence. Doing 30s on/30s off, or 1 min intervals with adequate rest makes me feel like I'm ready to kick ass. Bottom line: L4 = long term, L6 = short term. Of course, as always the disclaimer: this is all based on my experience in training myself. YMMV, but I think that it's solid advice that at least won't cause any harm.

I get the mental side. But with the same disclaimer all basing on my personal experience only, when I change focus to L6 or for reason or another greatly reduce tempo/L4 I can see a 10-15w drop in ftp over 3-4 weeks. Might be though that I am more in the exception box here.

Quoted post said:

I know that the OP is mostly looking to improve on his previous time, but hillclimbs are not time trials, they're mass start races. You need L6 to attack and to respond to attacks. The middle of the pack riders ride hillclimbs like a time trial, while the winners attack their opponents until they are shed. This is especially true in the higher racing categories.

Ok, that changes it. Agreed that L6 is important to stay in a group.

Piotr said:

I guess I still didn't phrase it correctly. I was referring to the 10 lb 3-week pre-race weight loss program you proposed. 😉 I hope it's getting clearer and clearer with each clarification, but ultimately I may just have to be misunderstood. 🙂

I kinda had an idea of what you were getting at - wasn't sure if the OP did though... Some people still have the weird idea that losing weight due to dehydration is a good idea for an endurance event and have no clue on how bad it really is.