If I could pick your collective brains, I’d be grateful for a little guidance ahead of my first real race in just over three weeks time. I raced 10 mile TTs as a kid and have done a few segments races and TTs in the last year.
I’m over in the UK for Graean Cymru (the Welsh UCI Gravel Worlds qualifier) on the 7th of September. 108km, 1900m vertical and a towards the gnarlier end of the gravel spectrum, I believe.
I live in Sweden, ride almost exclusively gravel at around 15hrs a week through summer and a bit less in winter (though no indoor training - I just put studded tyres on).
My fitness is very good at the moment - FTP is around 4.2w/kg at 101kg. To illustrate, in the last week at did 6hrs 35m at 315w NP and 2hrs 52m at 370w NP. I expect that race day will be 3hrs 40m at 370-380w NP.
I have some flexibility with my work at the moment, so can structure training quite precisely. My thoughts are to limit short sessions to VO2 max training and generally work on rides that are 3-5hrs in order to build the durability for race day. I’m very bad at taking rest, and need some guidance for that, and specifically the week prior to the race. The only plan that I have for that week is that I’m racing on the Sunday and that on Friday I will do a lap of the course (54km) as a reccie.
Here is my Strava, so you know how I train - I include quite a lot of detail on all the rides:
It’s in three weeks, so realistically there isn’t much you can change right now anyway. I’d keep doing what you do for another week or two, and then do some sort of taper week before the race. Tapering can be individual, so it’s hard to know what to do without trying it first, but you aim to arrive at the race fresh. Quite commonly, that means something like halving the volume you typically do, and not going quite as long/hard with any intensity. I would probably err on the side of more rest, less work - maybe two easy rides and one with some shorter intensity efforts - enough to feel like you’re going hard, but not so much that it leaves lingering fatigue. Then take it easy around travelling, and do the reccy ride on the Friday as some sort of opener ride. I’d likely not ride on the Saturday, but some people might feel better when they do.
I never really know how to ease off in preparation for an event. I often find that I get my best numbers when I don’t feel 100% fresh, but similarly, I’ve tried doing “openers” the day before as well and that hasn’t been so successful.
I suppose whilst there are guidelines that are universal, everyone is different.
I will look at reducing volume the week before and maintaining some intensity. Friday, reccie ride and Saturday, carb loading
One thing I have had success with (myself and as a coach) is to taper the week before then get back on the gas a bit the week of the race. Nothing crazy, just a tune up workout 4-5 days out and maybe some accelerations 2-3 days out. I’ve heard pro racers in the World Cup and even those on the podcast mention the same.
Best of luck in you event! Best thing is to stay healthy and not over-do it.
This! 3 weeks out, you are not going to gain fitness for that event.
I’m also racing that same weekend (not same ride) and it’s a relatively easy week this week, easy next week, with one VO2Max session, and during the final week (from memory) easy rides and maybe only one session to keep things alive. Spin out legs day before, then go do it!
3 weeks out, you are not going to gain fitness for that event.