Bytagread the post "The final stretch before a race"
It is clear that it is no longer in the very last days before a race that one must "train" to improve one's physical condition. However, if it is no longer possible to "change engine size" 48 hours before the start, the risk of "severing the engine" or conversely of riding "under revving" remains present. Indeed, for success to be achieved, performance factors must be optimized, whether it is lifestyle in general and diet in particular or even the last session, known as "unblocking". Countdown...
Text: Olivier Dulaurent – Photos: depositphotos.com
H-48
For obvious reasons related to fatigue and stress caused by the trip, If the event is held far from home on Sunday, it is even better to take the route from Friday. In fact, if the journey lasts five hours or more, it would take up a good part of Saturday, which would prevent the smooth running of the preparation for the unblocking.
Once you're there, settle down and put your gear back together. This is the perfect time to check your bike: you have at least a few hours to spare: check that the bike is working properly in general, especially the derailleurs: electric derailleurs often run out of power during transport if one of the levers is accidentally pressed. Also, remember to take the charger and check the condition of the batteries the day before the race!
As soon as you arrive, walk for a few minutes to get some fresh air and stretch your legs.
For the rest, avoid any major physical effort: Unless you are used to training daily, in which case you should not break your rhythm, it is advisable to avoid riding on Fridays. : Since fatigue often manifests itself 48 hours after a given effort (on average), anything you do on Friday could reduce your potential on the starting line on Sunday. Again, this is not true if your weekly total significantly exceeds 10 hours.
Some cyclists, arriving on site on Friday, will undertake a long outing of 3 hours or more, in reconnascent, which is more, part of the race at a pace well above an "endurance pace". This is a big mistake if you are not used to it: the waste produced will not be completely eliminated on Sunday and the fatigue caused by this outing will still be present. Besides, you need to recover from the trip first! For those who are used to it, riding smoothly and at a maximum of 60% of the PMA (Maximum Aerobic Power, i.e. the record average power recorded over five minutes) on part of a pass (if the topography of the area allows it, of course) can, however, allow you to get back into gear for the day after tomorrow.
But most of the time, at most, It is interesting to use an electrostimulation device in order to recover from the journey : cleansing, heavy legs, and even capillarization modes are particularly suitable for this purpose. Failing that, compression socks are very useful in this case.
H-36
Friday evening will be an important moment in your pre-race preparation: at this precise moment, you must avoid any additional fatigue. If your lifestyle has not been impeccable lately due to multiple but often professional causes, it will be necessary to reverse the trend by absolutely avoiding any source of additional fatigue, whether physical or mental.
From a dietary perspective, Friday night's meal should be high in carbohydrates: pasta, rice, potatoes, wheat, couscous, and to a lesser extent bread will be prominent on your table. White meat or fish will replacetagonly red meat. Fruits and vegetables will not be abandoned but consumed in small quantities because the fibers they contain can cause bloating when the effort required during the race. And here again, these upcoming efforts linked to a certain stress, it is not necessarily the best time to consume them when it is digestive comfort that is sought.
Finally, quite logically, go to bed at a reasonable hour : even more than the last night, very often disrupted by stress and which remains less important than the penultimate night's rest, this one is essential to recover well and store "juice"!
H-24
On Saturday morning, two hours after a breakfast which will also be protein and carbohydrate (bread, ham, egg, jam or honey, a hot drink, if possible avoid fruit) you will be able to ride for a so-called unblocking outing.
The unlocking itself
This session, traditionally carried out the day before the race, was the subject of a detailed article, to be reread HERE.
H-20 to H-12
Still assuming a race on Sunday, and after the famous morning release outing, Saturday afternoon will be devoted to rest.
So take advantage of this half-day to go and collect your race number, if possible the day before, and check the final preparations. : cycling one last time, the weather as late as possible and the clothing strategy to deal with it, supplies (solid and liquid, without doing a “first time”).
Nap lovers, don't change your habits.
Moreover, and more than ever, remember to hydrate yourself regularly, throughout the dayThis will have the effect of fixing glycogen (the cyclist's fuel) in the liver and muscles, in order to avoid running out of fuel the next day.
The evening meal, which will be eaten early enough to avoid disrupting digestion, will be, like the day before, high in carbohydrates but not too heavy to promote sleep. Especially since at this stage of preparation, glycogen storage is significantly less efficient than 48 or 72 hours before. Use pasta to reassure yourself, but be sensible! Plus, you'll avoid the possible feeling of fat thighs if you've gorged on slow-release sugars the night before.
H-3
If you are leaving very early (as in the case of a cyclosportive), set your alarm early enough to allow for digestion and a protocol that has already been validated in advance. Do not deviate from your usual routine, but don't eat too much: favor a suitable and regular diet during the test. Today, there are many preparations that are particularly suited to pre-competitive exercise. Easily digestible, they allow you to last throughout the event. They will, in any case, be more suitable than the traditional bread-butter-jam or even pasta, which are useless at this time and, above all, take too long to digest.
But it is also possible to prepare a good “Gatosport” yourself.
H-1
It's time to warm up: contrary to many practitioners who wrongly believe that there is no point in warming up, you should on the contrary prepare your body for the efforts to come. The main objectives will therefore be:
– increase in body temperature
– increased heart rate
– increased alertness and concentration
– “psychological” entry into the activity
A similar protocol to the previous day's de-blocking, but shorter in terms of both total duration and number of repetitions and effort, can be applied. A cool-down period of approximately 10 minutes should be followed.
Then it will be time to join the starting line. Depending on the format of the test, and even if it may be necessary to wait half an hour or moretagand before being "let loose" on the course, the conscientious warm-up that you have carried out will remain profitable. In fact, the heart rate will respond much more easily to the rapid start which will increase the “cardio” from 100 to 170 beats and more in a few dozen seconds.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Go!
This countdown detailing the last 48 hours shows how much this last line is a succession of details that, taken together, are no longer details. From the food strategy to the last pedal strokes before being released on the course, from the departure time to the logistical organization, it remains easy to put all the odds in your favor. Indeed, It would be a shame to reduce the efforts made in training for a few shortcomings in the final stretch.
Bytagread the post "The final stretch before a race"
