blove8

I posted this in the 'Training and Nutrition' forum and have 38 views and no replies so thought I'd try here. I'd be grateful for any tips. Cheers.

The Iceman is a 27 mile point-to-point mountain bike race located in northern Michigan on November 10th. Roughly 5 weeks from now I will be taking part as a 30-34, expert racer. Last year's winner in my class finished in 1:51:30 which converts to an average speed of 14.5 mph (23.3 kph), while the overall winner rode 27 miles at an average of 16.9 mph (27.2 kph). The guys I was keeping up with a couple years back rode it at about 12.8 mph (20.6 kph).

Knowing that I have been riding all summer, including a 43-day 1900 mile tour around the Pacific northwest and have a good base, what would you recommend I do over the next 5 weeks to prepare specifically for this race? Is this enough time to get into top racing form? What diet is best for this type of thing? I've been reading different books in the library, but can't find anything specific to my situation. Any help would be very much appreciated!

Rutnick

man, I want to do that race so bad....I was actually on a team to race it last year but couldn't make it happen.

What current training are you doing? What are you riding/eating?

ZeCanon

if you have a good base, speed work in the next 2-3 weeks is your friend. Finish that up, taper a week out, and you'll be good to go. 5 weeks is only barely enough to really feel a difference, but if you start speedwork asap you'll get some benefits.

blove8

This will be my first Iceman. I'm really looking forward to it. Thanks for the replies. Regarding my currentl training. I been riding 2-4 hour rides on the mountain bike 25-50 miles each ride. I wrote more about it here:

https://www.cyclingforums.com/showpos...90&postcount=4


My other threads on this particular subject:
https://www.cyclingforums.com/t429212.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/training-nutrition/348857-race-5-weeks-away-what-should-i-do.html

blove8

Speed work = interval training?