Racing a 70.3 on Aug 11 and then leaving home on Aug 29 to start a Pyrenean tour on Sep 03. What should I fill those 2.5 (ish) weeks with?
Previous experience suggests I’ll be recovered for endurance rides by about mid week after the race, harder stuff the following week. I was thinking a stacked long weekend of endurance (Th, F, S, Su) and then a mix of sweet spot and tempo for the remaining week and a half.
Are you riding in the Pyrenees?
Yep. About 1000km over ten days.
2.5 weeks is interesting gap, hard to say. I’d be inclined to start with some recovery rides like you are planning and then go by feel.
what are you doing up to aug 11? what kind of taper?
second Q: what kind of effort you doing in Pyrenean? Just endurance miles, trying to complete the 1000k?
If you’re tapering a solid bit, like a week, and you don’t need a rest week, do some Sweet spot and tempo two weeks out, maybe one group ride for slight intensity, then week before do similar intensity but slightly less volume; week of, some openers and low volume, pack bike, fly, have a blast!
Cheers.
Your 2 part plan based on experience/intuition sounds right to me with only a couple of slight modifications:
Given the Pyrenean description, I’d be more inclined to do 2 endurance days of greater length rather than 4 [presumably] shorter ones.
During the final week and a half, I’d probably make one of the tempo rides (4 or 5 days prior to the trip) a long ride (perhaps a 100km).
Thanks for the input @bbarrera, @brendanhousler and @bobmac (people whose usernames don’t start with “b” are welcome to reply too lol)
I’m not aiming for any records, just the personal satisfaction from conquering a bunch of climbs that would have seemed impossible to me when I first started cycling. I’ll update this in due course with what I land up doing and how I get on! 
Drink beer, eat donuts.
You’re not going to lose or gain much in the way of fitness, but over the course of a non-competetive tour, will log plenty of km. Might as well enjoy a break and go into the tour fresh!
we’re not expecting miracles (since you don’t start with a B, lol JK) but you’ll surprise yourself how far and fit you’ll get. All the best!!!
