Plan the perfect taper: Before the big ride, get the right amount of rest
Reaching your best requires a focused and challenging training plan; however, your fitness will be wasted if you are not fresh and energetic when you arrive at the start line. Your body needs a period of rest, or taper, to achieve its potential.
Aiming to be at peak fitness for a certain event gives your cycling a strong sense of purpose. Whether it’s a race, a gran fondo or a particularly demanding ride, an objective provides you with an occasion to test your physical and mental mettle. These tests offer a certain thrill. Reaching your best requires a focused and challenging training plan; however, your fitness will be wasted if you are not fresh and energetic when you arrive at the start line. Your body needs a period of rest, or taper, to achieve its potential.
Choosing when and for how long to taper depends on the significance of the event. You should relax for a day or two before every big ride. For the more important events, ones in which you truly hope to excel, you should plan longer tapers.
The main feature of a taper is a reduction in training volume. Long rides run down the body’s natural systems and deplete energy reserves. These take time to recover from. You should aim to finish your last block of serious training about a week before an important event. Then, rest and recuperation become your most important considerations. Rides during the taper should be short, easy spins with the odd burst of intensity to prevent your body from shutting down. If you are feeling good, you may want to include a slightly harder ride three days before your event to really get your engine firing. The day before your event, you should complete a couple of short, hard intervals to prepare yourself for the next day’s intensity.
You should manage your nutrition and rest carefully during a taper. Without enough sleep, your body won’t recover and you will not perform well. During the week leading up to your event, make a real effort to spend more time in bed. Your eating habits will also play an important role in your performance. With your training volume reduced, the amount you need to eat will naturally diminish. Still, maintain a well-balanced diet. During a taper, your muscles need to recover and you need to rebuild your energy stores, which can’t be done overnight. If you deprive yourself, and then try to load up in one giant feast, you’ll end up with nothing but dead legs and a sore stomach. Instead, eat normal meals throughout the week and add an extra serving or two of carbohydrates to the last couple of dinners you eat before your big event. This menu will ensure that your energy stores are full without leaving you bloated and uncomfortable.
Above all, a taper is a time to relax. It is easy to become insecure in the days leading up to an event but extra stress will only hinder you. Make sure that your equipment is in order and complete any organizing several days beforehand to lessen your worries. Throughout the week, imagine your ride unfolding as you would like it to. Be confident. You have trained hard; you are ready. Now, you just have to let the performance happen.
