Originally Posted by merlinextraligh

If you're going to taper, keep up your intensity, decrease your volume. Make 2 days before the event a rest day or recovery ride. Then the day before, ride an hour or so with 5-10 minutes of tempo and some flat sprints.

For the majority of people a little bit of intensity (i.e. openers) the day before the event is better than a rest day, which can make you sluggish day of the event.