HI all, I am new to XERT and will be training on the platform after moving away from my coach.
I am trying to forecast a training plan to a specific event on my calendar which is a 100 mile time trial and will also be a 12hr time trial a few months later. Both will be flat loops.
The question is which event type do I choose that will give me the best results as Time trials are not an option?
TIA
Have you done these events or similar ones before? If you have, you can use your past files as templates. You can forecast the later event using the AI for race. Then add the earlier one as a schefuled activity, ‘pin’ it to the calendar and update the forecast.
Some of that might not make sense if you are new to Xert but the short answer is you should be able to create a plan that will work.
I rode the National 100m in the UK back in 2018, just uploaded the file from that ride and it comes out as polar endurance, focus as Sprint Time Trialist , I’m not sure exactly what the best way to use Xert for that sort of event would be, as I struggle to get my head around the AI planner , just can’t seem to get it to generate something that is (according to it) possible or makes sense.
I can tell you though that by looking at that file, I rode an the vast majority of the ride at tempo which for my signature is just above Xert’s LTP , the course was the 25m Keswick to Cockermouth course if you know it, four laps, couple of steady drags rather than out and out hills so not pancake flat but not hilly as well. If I had to pick a focus type for the event again, I suspect I’d go for Climber, just to get a little bit more intensity as Sprint Time Traillist is maybe a bit too much of an endurance focus.
Looking at my training from back then, in the early part of the year I focused on longer tempo and sweetspot intervals, then switched to a threshold workout (or race) and a VO2 max workout each week and the rest at endurance , also got in a few longer rides at a really easy all day pace, including a couple on the TT bike just to get used to riding the position for so long.
One thing to bear in mind, unless it’s changed recently, Xert determines anything below TP as endurance, so riding at 99% of TP will be classed as endurance, even if you manged to do that for a considerable time, whilst Xert is very good in what it does above TP this particular quirk doesn’t always capture (for me at least) the true effect of what can sometimes be quite hard sessions, not sure what the answer is to this particular issue but it’s worth bearing it in mind.
Thanks for that, alot of good information. I am not familiar with many of the more northern courses but thr H100/88 im planning is a 5x out and back on DC so should hopefully be fast.
This year will be my first attempt at the longer disances over 50 miles and getting myself on the BBAR board somewhere.
Ive been roughly flicking between TR and Xerts plans to compare the approaches for the same events.
I will probably do a couple 10s and 25s throughout the season as a bit of fun and for team events but will not put my training focus on them.
Start with the first event since you have months afterwards to prepare for the 12 hour endeavor.
Try something like this for Pure Sprint Time-Triallist using the Goal option.
Sprint TT is the start of the endurance quadrant in Xert. Focusing further down the power curve (1-3+ hour power) would mean all endurance level training. You want more stimulus than that to trigger adaptations and signature improvements during your plan.
Advance the Power Increase slider until you start dipping into the red. By that I mean this —
Advance the Weekly Hours slider to the maximum hours you can train by the target date.
Run the forecast (ignoring any warning) and see what the forecast comes up with. You don’t need Acheivability text to be green (“likely”) in order to run a forecast. You can dip into the red zone quite a bit before full tilt conditions arise. 
You should see something like this –
Next mosey around before deciding whether you want to save the forecast or not.
By that I mean disable Weekly Hours and Form and hover over the HIT matchsticks (with yellow/red bands) to see what type of workouts will be suggested as you progress towards your target date. Now one-at-a-time enable each graph so you see what happens to TL, low, high, peak, etc. over the term of the plan.
If you like what you see you can Save the plan or Cancel and run again with a different slider position or change Focus Power to Climber as @Chop_Stick mentions.
Below is an example of a 60-day Goal improvement to 4-minute power (Puncheur).
Yours will be very different based on your starting TL and the fact you’re moving toward Sprint TT Focus. For example, peak strain will decrease as you approach your target date.
