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Seven steps to prepare for a multi-day sportive
Tackling a multi-day sportive this year? Here's how to prepare
Tapering
Once the training is all done and dusted then it’s time to plan the taper, which means reducing your training in the final run-up to the event to ensure you start as fresh as possible, without losing form.
It’s a delicate balancing act and for a multi-day event I would suggest going in slightly fresher than you would for a one-day sportive like the Etape du Tour. This means backing off the training earlier than you would normally. The thinking is that you will then be fresher after day one of a multi-day event than you would have been after a one-day event. This is important as your fatigue levels will compound with each day.
I would recommend starting your taper seven to ten days before the event. What you want to do at first is cut down the volume of training but keep the intensity in the sessions. For example, instead of your usual long ride on a Sunday, you might want to do a shorter session but include some hill repeats.
Your last hard session should be three days before your event starts, then take two days very easy, and on the day before the event do an easy ride but include ten minutes at tempo (zone three) and include a few sprints just to get your system firing again.
One important factor is to try and be very organised in getting all your kit and your bike sorted before the event. You won’t rest properly if you are running around various bikes shops trying to get things sorted so plan in advance, get your bike serviced in advanced so everything is running smoothly, and have as stress-free week as possible in the build-up to your event.
Once the sportive starts you will probably find that after day one you feel pretty tired and will be thinking ‘how am I going to feel on day five?!’. The most important thing is not to panic and to have faith that your training will get you through. Often during a multi-day event you will feel very tired after days one and two but won’t feel much worse after the third and fourth day – so don’t panic!
