ETAPE DU TOUR JUNE TRAINING

Final month

This final training block is about sharpening up for your key event.  The hard miles are in the bank and you are ready to enjoy all this fitness you have worked so hard to achieve.  Believe in yourself!  Look at the taper section then work back from there to plan the next 3-6 weeks of training before your taper starts.

Goals:

• Continue to address any areas highlighted by your technical planning review
• Get 2 more simulation events completed (sportives or self supported rides)
• Plan your taper into your key event

From your technical planning review last month you should have a list (hopefully not a long one) of areas which needed addressing during this final phase of training.  These will carry over into this month to ensure you are in the best possible shape to perform on your big day.  These may be psychological, physiological, technological or even knowledge gaps; make sure you are fully prepared.

Whichever event you’re targeting you want to get at least two more big rides done at your race intensity and practising your nutrition in the lead up to and during the ride.  These can be self supported rides, or a local sportive in the UK or abroad.  The key is to practice everything you are going to do on the big day, from what clothing to wear, what breakfast to eat, what drinks and food to have on the bike (consumed at race intensity).  Any issues now can be ironed out before the main event.   The weekends where you don’t do a simulation event (sportive or self supported) follow the long ride session below, but again make sure you practice your nutrition as you plan to do on the day.

June Training plan

Key
SCR – small chain ring only
LCR – large chain ring only
WU – warm up
CD – Cool down
Rpm – revolutions per minute
% – use heart rate zones, functional threshold power, or simply rate of perceived exertion.
FTP – Functional Threshold Power

Session detail

Long Ride

4-6 hours

1^st hour gradually build effort

2^nd hour – 40min steady then 20min as (5x 3min effort 1min recovery). Efforts are either overgearing to work on strength with cadence of 70rpm, or threshold speed with a cadence of 95rpm – pick your weakness.

3^rd-4^th hour at race effort.

5^th hour repeat the 40-20 set as above.

6^th hour easy.

Speed Endurance

Warm up

6mins at race effort, then 3 mins recovery = 9min.  Repeat x6-8. Then spin down.

Tempo

Warm up

1. a) 5x 6miles tempo, 10min recovery.
2. b) 3x 12miles tempo 15min recovery.

 

Weekly Training plan

Monday: 

Recovery rides- easy 30-60mins SCR (include  x4-6 spin ups, gradually build to fastest sustainable cadence and hold for 1min- start and end of month do cadence test)

Core/Gym/Mobility

Tuesday: 

Speed Endurance

Wednesday: 

Core/ gym / pilates / mobility

Thursday: 

Tempo, alternate between rides a) and b) each week

Friday: 

Rest / stretch and mobilise

Saturday:

Easy- 2hrs

Core/mobility

Sunday:

long 4-6hrs.

Stretch and mobilise

Strength and Conditioning:

This is now a maintenance phase, so just a few key exercises to keep your body ticking over but without stressing your system too much.  If this is your first big event then don’t do any strength work in the final 2 weeks and only include 1 strength session 3 weeks out.  If you are used to strength training then you can continue until 10 days out then do a final gym session 4 days out from the event.  Focus on using the gym time to do your foam rollering / stretching etc to maintain good tissue quality.

Release:

Foam roller / tennis ball 30secs each area

Feet, Calves, Peroneals, Quads, Glutes, TFL/ITB, Groin/Adductors

Pecs, Lats, Posterior shoulder

Resistance day:

1a) Back Squat 3 x 8 | Recovery – 3 Min

1b) Chin up | 3 x the max possible | Recovery – 2 Min

2a) Step ups | 3 x 6 | Recovery – 90 Sec

2b) Pull ups | 3 x 15 | Recovery – 90 Sec

3a) Reverse lunges| 3 x 6 | Recovery – 60 Sec

3b) Dead bug | 3x 10| Recovery –30 Sec (Editors note: I had to google this one!)

 

Recover – 10min easy spin on the bike

Now it’s the Taper!

The magical taper time, this is the tricky balance of reducing the training stress so that you hit the big day fresh as a daisy, but not loosing any fitness or getting heavy legged.  Each person is different as to how they respond, some may need only a 7-10 day taper, others will need a more classic 21 day taper.   If this is your first event then I would recommend a generous 3 week taper, but those with more experience and knowledge of how your body responds may want to try a shorter taper period.   Remember that any training session will take 3 weeks to have an impact on your fitness, therefore any sessions you do within this 3 week window before your event are not going to make you any better on the day (so don’t bury yourself in the hope of further improvements), we just want to maintain the fitness you’ve built up.

Option 1 (first timers)

3 week taper – from your final big weekend you want to drop the volume to 50%, so the long ride is 2-3hours, do x4 reps of the speed endurance set and x2-3 6mile tempo’s.  2 weeks out this reduces to a 2hour long ride, x2-3 reps speed endurance and 2x 6miles tempo.

Option 2 (if feeling very fatigued)

3 week taper – from the final big weekend you aim to scrub a load of fatigue straight away by dropping the volume, but then building again 2 weeks out.  So the long ride is 90min – 2hours, 2 reps of the speed endurance and 2x 6mile tempo.   2 weeks out you then pick it back up to a 3-4hour ride, x4 speed endurance reps and 3x 6mile tempo.

Final week

The final week you will have the added stress of travel on your body, but we don’t want to get heavy legged so a couple of short sharp sessions to keep the legs feeling good.

Monday – recovery set

Tuesday – 2 x 3mile tempo

Wednesday – REST

Thursday – 20-30min easy spin with 5x 1min high cadence drills

Friday – REST / TRAVEL

Saturday – 30-40min easy spin with x5 30 sec sprints to flush the legs

Sunday – Your Big Day!

Remember that when you arrive for your event the Sports Tours International team will be on hand to help you with registration, setting your bike up, and answering any questions you may have

Taper madness

A few points about this final phase.

• It is normal to doubt your fitness and worry that you’ve not done enough, but don’t try and cram any extra sessions in as they won’t improve your fitness now but run the risk of fatiguing you further.
• It is normal to suddenly feel massively tired and doubt your ability to even climb the stairs let alone a mountain on your bike, especially at the start of the taper phase, it will pass and you will come good.
• It is normal to get loads of little aches and pains, your body is just enjoying the rest and dealing with all the built up stress, you are not falling apart.
• It is normal to feel like you are coming down with a cold, you will have had a hard final build up and your immune system is stressed to the maximum. If you do actually get a cold it can actually work in your favour by forcing you to rest for a few days or a week but giving you a solid week or two to recover before the big day.
• Do use the reduced training time to spend some quality time with your friends and family, payback for all the long hours you’ve been out on the bike, but don’t be having late nights down the pub!
• Do not use this time to tackle all those DIY jobs that have been mounting up, digging in the garden or painting the spare room is not resting!
• Do keep the hydration up, it can take a few days to fully recover from getting dehydrated so make sure you’ve always got a bottle of water available as soon as you get thirsty.
• Don’t go overboard with the nutrition, the volume of training is going down but the intensity is still there. You don’t need to be eating more, just keep it the same.  Excessive ‘carbo-loading’ will simply make you feel bloated and can lead to gastro-intestinal distress (emergency dashes to the bushes when out on your bike!).
• Do get as much sleep as possible, especially at the start of the final week as the travel and night before may disrupt your normal sleep pattern.
• Don’t go changing anything now. Stick to what you have been practising and you know works for you.

Thank you for following this 6 month series of training articles, all that is left is to say; trust the training, enjoy yourself and smile for the photographers!

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