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7 days to 4 day race - what kind of taper

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7 days to 4 day race - what kind of taper

Old 08-22-08, 10:53 AM
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7 days to 4 day race - what kind of taper

Knowing this is the end of the season...

On this past Tuesday, I did a nice hard (3 * 8 minutes) vo2max workout with great results. I believe theoretically that I should be able to get some training effect from that, since it is 10+ days out from the race. Wednesday short/easy, Thursday 3 hours long and easy. Today I didn't do anything today, but I could still go easy on the trainer.

I was thinking of throwing in a short intensity kind of thing like 1 hour with short sprints to get me prepped up for surges and the crit one of these days.

Any thoughts of what I should do for the next 6-7 days?
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Old 08-22-08, 11:02 AM
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Less than you want to. Make sure you end every ride feeling like you could easily do more.

Have a good race.
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Old 08-22-08, 11:17 AM
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Uhh... it normally takes weeks for a decent taper. How you perform this upcoming race reflects on how you've been training the past 4 weeks [plus your accumulated base]. There's not much more than you can do that will provide significant stimulus while keeping you fresh. At best - you can throw in one or two VO2max sessions.

Stay fresh - do some sharpening skills - sprints, cornering, descending...
Clean your drivetrain now - make sure everything is in tip-top shape now and roll out the bike for a couple rides.
Do your laundry now and get it ready for the stages.

Have fun. Good luck.
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Old 08-22-08, 11:38 AM
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Weeks... how many weeks are we talking!?
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Old 08-22-08, 01:13 PM
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W/o more information on how you have cycled in the past, I would take my normal schedule and cut volume in half. eg 2 hr easy ride = 1 hr, 6 x 1min intervals = 3 x 1min, ect. Sharp and rested.
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Old 08-23-08, 05:20 AM
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Tapering is a bad word.
Nobody understands it.
There are numerous studies, with conflicting results.
Just stay with your normal schedule and cut back the intensity.
Endurance is lost quickly, so stay on your bike.
No need to take a chance in being blocked.
You are an experiment of one as they say.
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Old 08-23-08, 06:28 AM
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Just note what you've done, go race, and note how you raced. Use this information for next year. What works for one person doesn't necessarily mean it will work for you
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