I am doing a century ride on April 3 and wondering how to taper for it.
I just completed a very difficulty training block that concluded on Sunday and this week is a recovery week with all low intensity rides totaling about 6 hours for the week.
What should i do over the next 2+ weeks to make sure I am prepared and not “over trained” for the Century ride as I believe i am prepared for it?
Thanks.
I’m assuming that you are going into this ride with the goal of completing it and enjoying it and not to race or win.
Almost nothing you do over those 2 weeks will improve your fitness for the century. So with that in mind, the next 2 weeks will be about keeping your legs awake and then going into the ride with maximum freshness. This can differ between people so it’s something that you’ll learn about yourself as you do this more. Some people like to drop volume but keep the intensity high while others will go low intensity like a recovery week.
How do you usually feel after the low intensity recovery weeks? Recharged, ready, and able to smash it or a bit more flat and it takes a couple days to be able to push again? That can inform you on how to structure these weeks. If you feel a bit flat then you may want to inject a bit more intensity into that final week while keeping your overall volume low.
Sorry that I’m not giving you a straight answer but I’m not a coach and won’t pretend to be but maybe that can help point you in the right direction.
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I wouldn’t overthink a century ride. It’s definitely a nice accomplishment, but in most ways just a longer group ride. I would do what you normally do to prepare for your hardest workout of the week and perhaps eat a bit more in the days preceding. I don’t think a taper is required, but I’m also saying this without knowing what your typical longer rides are. I think more important is your nutrition and pacing plans for the ride itself. You should do some calculations to determine an appropriate average power and figure on bringing a good amount of food for 5 hours.
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Thanks for the quick reponse.
Great advice. Thanks.