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Day before race - to ride or not to ride?

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Day before race - to ride or not to ride?

Old 05-13-10, 02:32 PM
  #1  
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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)?
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Old 05-13-10, 02:44 PM
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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.
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Old 05-13-10, 02:50 PM
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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.
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Old 05-13-10, 03:04 PM
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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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Old 05-13-10, 07:47 PM
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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.
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Old 05-13-10, 08:12 PM
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Originally Posted by StephenH
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.
Agreed you need rest days. However if you're trying to maximize performance for a particular race, it's highly likely that you would do better by taking the day 2 days before the race as a rest day or recovery ride, an doing openers the day before the race.
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Old 05-13-10, 08:38 PM
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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.
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