"Favourite" training sessions

[Chuck Glider]

Some sessions seem to be more effective than others. I guess there's an element of adaptation as one trains regularly and occasionally something needs to be done to shake it up a bit. Effective things for me in the past have been an extra long early morning ride, hill reps and racing (cx and tt). By effective I mean one can feel a step change improvement in fitness after a few days.

What sessions have you found to be really effective?

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
If there was an effective training regime then its probably going to be gut wrenching too.

I used to follow several different ride courses but when I changed to a different one there was not so much satifaction with trying to better it next ride.
I you follow the same course week in week out like I have done this year you see good days and bad days, and in my mind I think I will get home one day and do the quickest ride yet.
But the wet weather is here and with all the road works, traffic delays (multi million road improvement 110) and all the mud on road despite constant attention from road cleaners I have to slow down, so I am slowing all the time and not sure whether it me the rubbish rear tyre or simply make the excuse that all of this is why I am slow.
But I am trying to maintain average 80% max heart rate across all training this year.
I am not sure what I am training for at the moment
Some days will be on the turbo now winter is here.
And I plan to use the running machine more.

In the past when training for marathons etc I found that once you have hit a peak then less training is neccesary to maintain that level.
From experience with running with a similar fitness friend you would push each other which was benifitial.
The only time that happens now is when I see another cyclist in front and I chase them down

But when I did return to one of my old courses I suprised myself on my fitness, so perhaps over the winter I will start back on the old courses.

Most effective training is probably a course which has a lot of different terrain which you hate, I have almost no view at all with mostly 8 foot hedges
And this year have hit a high by sticking to that course (37M) with a weighted bike (23kg) and 20 % off road 3 times a week, with lots of stop starts, over 60 junctions, several roundabouts, several gates, up hill gravel tracks, several two mile flats, some 1:4 hills, a mile of standing on the pedals up hill, ditches to cross you name it.

The training was always going to be for road riding, it works for me as it has greatly varied terrain, speed was never an issue.

Edited -
P.S. quick improvement in fitness that you notice is when you are comming back from a lay off, otherwise its all long term, for me anyway.
My young days have gone when quick improvement was the norm.