Interesting bit of information from Novak as to why he doesn't like high altitude training.
Link to the whole interview in slovene.
I have read a few times that altitude training does not suit you. Can you tell us why they do not suit you. Many top cyclists choose it and it suits them. Why is it not for you?
It is difficult to say why. In principle, your blood cell count should increase because there is less oxygen. For me, my blood is better, but I feel much worse when I get up there. For the first 14 days I have a 50 watt lower threshold. Anyone who knows cycling knows what that means. If I feel good on 400 watts and can turn that around for 20 minutes, then I can barely do 350 watts at altitude. Unfortunately, I do not know why. I just don't feel good. Maybe I am also a cyclist who always has to suffer a little in training. Maybe at altitude you shouldn't do that. You can destroy more than you gain. It seems that this does not suit me. Whenever I have gone to altitude training, I have not felt good, or worse. If everyone who goes to altitude training went to low-level training instead, had the same support there, from nutrition to massages, the results would be better. Some cyclists agree with me and say that there is no real effect. For me it is better to be at home and train as I like. The December training helped me a lot, I made a lot of progress. I feel that if I did the same thing in the middle of the season, but on the lowlands, not at altitude, it would be similar.