Originally Posted by
chiggy
Not once in training. And i used to be a collegiate runner and never cramped during a run or race over many years.
Also, i came back and did the 20k TT the next day, no cramps. So its not simply a fatigue issue if i can bury myself in a TT with no problem. There's definitely something about either the duration or the repeated mini sprints of a long road race that get me.
My long rides have been about the same duration as the road races, 2.5 to 3.5 hrs. With similar avg power, same nutrition, and same hot weather. So I'm kindof talking myself into the mini sprints being the culprit. In fact even after i started cramping in the race i could still ride steady at FTP or even a little over. Its only covering attacks that would set it off.
Some of it is absolutely could be just pure fitness. Keep doing intervals and long rides. You might even do a longer ride and stick the intervals at the very end of it. A fast group ride as suggested above is another way to get used to big attacks for extended periods of time.
Also try adding more carbs in the 2-3 days leading up to the race. You'll add some extra water weight with it, but coming in a bit "waterlogged" with extra glycogen and water always helped me a lot.