wardie2000 said:I have just completed a 3day stage race. I need some help with recovery for future stage races. I will explain the problem below.
The first day wnt well, with a 9km prologue in the morning and then 105km covered at an average speed of 40kmh in the afternoon.
But on the second day, we had a 126km stage with a nasty climb in it. I felt absolutely awful. I was struggling all race, got dropped on the climb and then got back to the front group and just hung on for the rest of the race. I finished 10seconds behind the main group. Average speed was 37kmh.
The third day i felt good again, went on the attack several times. Finished behind the main group due to mechanical problems, but was pleased with the way i rode the tour apart form the second day.
My question is: does anyone have any ideas as to what i can do to eliminate this bad day?
Thanks
get fitter!?
was that the devon stage race?
how well you recover from such efforts is largely determined by your actual fitness, that's your MAP and your LT. By increasing the power of these two metrics then a given workload will feel easier and you'll recover from it at a faster rate.
on top of that it's crucial that you get your nutrition correct during a stage race. you'll need about 8 - 10 grams of carbohydrate per kg body mass, per day, with around 1.5 of those grams/kg body mass within 30-mins of finishing a stage. this will help restore muscle and liver glycogen at a faster rate.
during teh race stages you'll need to consume around 30 - 60 g of carb per hour of racing. this could be from drinks, gels, energy bars etc
you'll also need to consume ~ 1.5 to 2.0 g of protein per kg body mass per day.
massively important is hydration, you'll likely need 500 - 750 mL/hr during the race, and your sports drink should have a 6-8% carbohydrate solution and plenty of electrolytes. SiS Go, H5 etc are all good
plenty of rest after each stage. and sometimes an easy spin for 15 to 20 -mins on the rollers can also be helpful
ric
