I was thinking it would be great to have a guide sort of like the TT thread where everyone can post their tips for stage racing and recovery and what to bring, eat and anything else related. Specific questions I personally have are:

Food to bring to eat off the bike?
Food on the bike for long stage(will have parents in attendance)
Recovery tips
Any different tactics from one day racing?
anything else?

Sticky time

Good idea. This will be a good one.

I copied this from Roger Aspholm's site:



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Racing multiple days in a row by Roger



We just finished Fitchburg, a 4-day stage race with a high competition level in all the categories. Every day is a different type of stage, which means the recovery and the efforts are also very different.

Go into the race tapered and rested. This means lesser volume, but still keeping the intensity up with shorter races or shorter intervals at LT or Vo2 max level. Some rest days, either completely off the bike or just short active recovery rides. These should not be the days before you start your stage race, rather 3-4 days before. Sleep and nutrition is where the freshness comes from though.
Have all your equipment and anything you will need packed and checked days before you leave, no last minute changes and repairs. Bring extras! The less stress you have before and during the race, the better you will do!
Eat 2-3 hours before each stage, even a later start, breakfast food always works well no matter what time of the day. This is not the time to try to loose weight, but overeating is not necessary either. Hydrate with sports drinks that contain electrolytes before, not just water. Over hydrating could be a problem as well.
Warm up and cool down is as important as the actual race. If possible ride to and from each stage or use the trainer. Always leave yourself plenty of time to get ready before the start of each stage. Sign in and get to the startline 15 min before your start time. Go to the bathroom 15-20 min before the start and stop drinking until you start racing.
When you finish your stage, have a recovery drink and go for a cool down all at the same time, 20-30 min is a good habit. Once done get cleaned up and get out of your race clothing, the sooner the better to prevent saddle sores or infections. Go back to your hotel room, no need to stick around and watch other races out in the sun. Get off your feet as soon a possible, the more time you can spend on the bed the fresher your legs will be the next day.
A light massage, ice bath, foam roller, elevating your legs and a nap are all key recovery components. 1 ½ hour after the race eat a light lunch/meal of regular food. Do not skip on snacks and keep drinking. Water or Emergen-C is now good to flush things out of you legs. Plan on dinner 3 hours before bed, no need to over eat once again. Race food like boring chicken and pasta with some greens is the way to go. You can eat more exotic foods once you are at home and do not have a race the next day! When you race multiple days your digestive system is not working that great and stomach problems are very common. Go to bed early. I know it is hard to sleep during stage races, but laying down counts.
Race accordingly to your goals: The overall, stage wins or helping your team. Every goal requires different approach how to spend your energy on each stage. You will achieve the best results if you know your own abilities and have realistic goals for yourself.
There are a few more stage races in our area and if you already did one compare these notes to what you have done so far racing multiple days in a roll. It does not have to be a stage race, these things apply to multiple hard training days or just back to back racing days as well. Maybe you did well and you have a good routine, but a second opinion is the most valuable thing in bike racing.

GC contention has always been my type of racing.

If the weather says it's going to be sunny and hot always bring rain and cold weather gear. If it says it is going to be freezing and wet, bring rain and cold weather gear. Weather can change day to day, hour to hour during longer stage races.

Don't get discouraged if you fail in the TT or the first stage whatever that may be. Don't ever give up, a lot can happen on the next 2-4 days of racing (assuming most U.S. SR are about this length for amateurs) . Leaders crash, they flat, they can't climb, can't decend, they can't TT. It is always surprising how much a GC can change from one stage to the next especially if there are some hilly stages.

Although my opposite feeling of the above statement is TTers usually have one of the best chances at the overall. At least here on the West Coast (Cali, Az, Nv, Utah). It is always nice to put some time into the rest of the field in the TT.

Good luck.

Agreed 100%, except when there is a road race the first day. In that case the top of the GC is almost always composed of guys who make the break on the first stage. It's often easier to defend a time gap then to make one.

Well said.

LOL, I spelled "here" wrong... just noticed. woops.

Man, I can't for the life of me think of any SR around Cali, Nv that there is a RR the first day (at least that ams race in). Gila is all I can think of off the top of my head.

Not in SoCal: Callville for the p/1/2 and 35+, Cascade, Mt. Hood, and Chico.

Ha, forgot about Callville, they just added it for 35 plus this yr. I don't even know if Callville is going to happen for 2011.

Not what I want to hear.

Teammate won the Chico SR (cat 3) like that this year. Got a few minutes with a huge gap and time bonuses on the RR stage, held on just enough to keep 1st after the TT. The guy that won the TT put a lot of time into him but was too far down. The guy in second put in a similar TT time. Then it's just hold on for the crit and not crash.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

That line of thought will have to comfort me in future cat 3 stage races, since I'm a bad TTer and an average climber..

I think you can add WA to that list. (at least based on Walla Walla & Wenatchee SRs)

My answers to your questions
1) Eat whatever you are comfortable with/ won't be hard to digest. Basically similar to what you would be eating in a heavy training block.

2) I feel if you have the opportunity for a handup it's never a bad idea to put some kind of treat in your bag. If you're on your bike for 5-6 hrs it's always nice to be handed up something other than another gel or bar that you have been munching on for hours. I personally like adding something like ginger snaps.

3) get off your feet and stay off your feet, Lots of liquids, and get a solid meal in you asap after each stage

4) tactics tend to be similar, but there is less emphasis on winning each stage and more emphasis on just making a break, especially among the frontrunners. If you are gunning for GC staying with the front group is the first priority, unless you need to make up time that is.

5) Study the race bible and figure out what you want to try to get out of the race before the race starts, but be ready to change your plan on the fly. If you are shooting for GC and have a real bad day there is still the possibility of stage glory down the road. Recovery, especially on a longer stage race is the most important thing, guys are generally pretty dead on the last day and people will blow up due to inadiquite recovery, don't be one of them. Lastly have fun with it, you get to race several times in a row with the same group, meet new people, have a good time, and enjoy ripping their legs off

My only issue with this is that I wont have access to all the cooking appliances and such that I would have at home while I am in a hotel. I should have a microwave, also a cooler. My thoughts are rice and oatmeal so far. What other good race food can I cook with a microwave? Or not have to cook at all?

On another note, Here is a list of things I am planning to pack, open to suggestions:

FOOD:
Sport Beans
Clif Bars
oatmeal
brown rice
whole wheat bread
Peanutbuttre and Jelly
Apples
Grapes
Gatoraid Maltodextrin Mix
hammer recoverite

Other Stuff
gloves
helmet
race shoes
extra shoes
2x bibs
jersey
garmin
extra gloves
4x socks
leg warmers
arm warmers
wind vest
rain/wind jacket
road bike
extra wheels
extra tubes
tools
cooler
10-15 bottles
compression socks
street clothes
2x glasses


What am I forgetting?

just a couple things off the top of my head (I'll look more carefully later)

bike repair stand - when you need one, it will be totally worth it - I've got one that comes apart into a shoulder bag
multiple jerseys (you only listed one?!)
Skinsuit (if you have it, if not and you are thinking about racing this seriously, I'd get one, they are worth having)
Foam Roller / Fit Stick - recovery
Camp chair (and something to prop your feet up)... recovery, get the blood out of your legs
Other bikes (only if possible, but a TT bike/backup bike is handy if you have one and can swing it - my last stage race ended because i crashed and didn't have a bike to start the last stage on... most people don't, but if you can do it, it may save your race)
Chain/Cassette/Pedals (the stuff that will end your race if you don't have backups)

that's all for now, I'll think about this more in the next day or so - I don't have all that stuff with me at every stage race, but whatever contingencies you can cover, just might save your race.

Hida.

I'd say that a trainer is nice to have for a stage race so you can hit the stage warm. If you're doing TT's then you def want to be warmed up for the start.

In addition, they double as a great bike repair stand.

This one is simple: don't crash out of the race in stage one like "someone" I know.

Because iif you do luck or fate will rob you of your chance to go back and finish the job.

+1 Compression socks. They were/are all the rage. I heard they helped on subsequent stages.

I should qualify that statement. I mean to say one should be mentally prepared for the unknown.

Sure don't crash, but its racing and this stuff happens. The bigger and more complicated the event becomes (3 day, 5 day race?) the more "stuff" that can happen. Sometimes you can't do anything about it. Given that reality I think being mentally ready for all kinds of problem is a big deal for stage races. Crashing being one of them, and the ultimate disaster of not being able to or as in my case not being allowed to finish a stage (and the race) because of medical precautionary measures tops that list.

Reality is what it is, and the rules don't give a damn that you traveled across the country to race for 45min only to be crashed out by some bozo riding first into the cones and then slamming back into the field. But you also don't want to worry about crashing out, especially when getting to the race is such a big deal.

Also, if you travel alone, and have some bad luck, have a detailed plan in case you do need help. I smashed my helmet, but luckily was relatively fine, but I also had 5 guys with me.

This sport is mentally challenging enough, but the "off the bike" mentality for competitors is also a great challenge to maintaining a reasonable state of mind, especially when confronted with wft moments beyond your control.

Now that I have a son, I hope I can get someplace to do a proper stage race again.

Training block question: for a long stage race (5 stage - tour of gila) would you set up your 5 day breakdown/adaptation mini blocks in base? Or in build? Base could be too far from the event but you can't do 5 days in a row of intensity like you might want in a build.

I didn't shift things to adapt to Gila, not sure if it's a good idea from a training standpoint though it's worth trying once if for nothing else than to see how you react and deal with the fatigue.

Our team does a 5 day long training camp (not really a camp, it's in our hometown) about a month before the Gila. It's good for testing the legs against your friends (riding hard 5 days in a row solo just isn't gonna happen), and it's a good way to introduce yourself to how you'll feel at the race. Otherwise, I don't think it's reasonable to train at race effort 5 days in a row.

I have plenty of stage racing experience.
8-9 day races were the norm when riding around the Caribbean.

Here is my most valuable piece of advice:
"eat more than you think you need"

Here's another one:
"never stop eating"