View Poll Results: Do you ride the day before a race?
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Day before race - to ride or not to ride?
#1
dude
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Day before race - to ride or not to ride?
Do y'all ride the day before a race? If not, why? If so, how much, how hard, etc.? Does it depend on the kind of race (long hilly road race versus 30 minute criterium)?
#2
pan y agua
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I find if I don't ride the day before a race, I'm sluggish the day of the race. Typical ride the day before is one hour of endurance with 2 2minute power intervals, just enough to open things up, but not create a lot of training stress.
With my old coach it was 5 minutes of tempo and 3 sprints.
Either way its the same principle, enough to open you up, but not enough to fatigue you.
With my old coach it was 5 minutes of tempo and 3 sprints.
Either way its the same principle, enough to open you up, but not enough to fatigue you.
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You could fall off a cliff and die.
You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
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You could fall off a cliff and die.
You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
OR YOU COULD STAY HOME AND FALL OFF THE COUCH AND DIE.
#3
ka maté ka maté ka ora
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if you were focusing on a result, as mel above said, easy ride with a couple of hard efforts. if you are preparing for a 5-7 day stage race and you are looking to use the race as part of a simulation, you might try a longer harder effort the day(s) before and after.
#4
Senior Member
Depends on what my goals for the race are. If it's one I really want to win, then I'll do as merlinex.. said. Some tempo and some sprints to wake the legs up. If it's not really an important race, I'll "train through" it and ride a training ride the day before if one is scheduled, and use the race as further training. For me at least, I've found it's impossible to keep my fitness up through the season if I am spending the second half of every week tapering for the weekend's race. Gotta pick and choose when you are going to bring the good legs.
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Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
#5
Uber Goober
I don't race, but I find that if I ride especially far one day, then take one or two rest days, I will really feel great the next day. If I ride every day, I'll have some days (like today) where I just feel great, and other days where I just feel old and slow and fat, for reasons I cannot comprehend.
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#6
pan y agua
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I don't race, but I find that if I ride especially far one day, then take one or two rest days, I will really feel great the next day. If I ride every day, I'll have some days (like today) where I just feel great, and other days where I just feel old and slow and fat, for reasons I cannot comprehend.
__________________
You could fall off a cliff and die.
You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
OR YOU COULD STAY HOME AND FALL OFF THE COUCH AND DIE.
You could fall off a cliff and die.
You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
OR YOU COULD STAY HOME AND FALL OFF THE COUCH AND DIE.
#7
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i prefer to ride day before a race. i'll be racing sat and sun this weekend, and plan to commute to work on the bike tomorrow, about 20 mi. ea. way. although i really do think "openers" are more psychological than psysiological.