Training Plan - Upcoming Road Race

Ride the race route. Ride most of the route at 20-25mph and then hit the climb as hard as you can. 2-4 times should give you the 20-40 you are doing now.

Practice that climb. Odds are that's where the selection will be.
Lower back issues usually relate to bike fit. Are you too stretched out or too low?
Yes take a rest day.
If you look around you'll find lots of info, but the general thrust of it will be for the next two-three weeks, hard efforts. For the week before, same intensity, less duration (small taper).

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by hrumpole [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Practice that climb. Odds are that's where the selection will be.

This just about sums it up. You will have to do the climb 3 times and each time is a chance that the race will fragment. I'd practice doing 2 min hard efforts (4x or 5x, twice a week) and instead of full-rest/slow pedalling afterward I'd ride at or slightly below my threshold for a few mins. I think some folks call these over-unders. It will certainly help to hold wheels at the top of the climb if some hotdoggers decide to drop the hammer. If I was feeling in superb command of my FTP I'd be looking to go right at the top or slightly beyond when the pace eases back a bit and many become quickly complacent as they are possibly on the verge of O2 debt and simply happy they made it to the top with the main group. Otherwise 33 is a long way to solo (it is however much more possible successfully in the 5's than it is the 4's - working together is often an oxymoron in the 5's), and I'd do zero work till the last climb, position myself in the 1st third and then just give it everything being careful not to blow up. Not sure how wide the road is but you may want to be even further up than that if your fitness allows. It does sound like the kind of course that will elimate the beefcakes.

In training, I would also try attacking the hill a few times when not fully recovered - basically what OG said, or try to duplicate w/intervals if the course is not easily accessible. This is how the last climb will likely go, but it is Cat5, and from my own experience tactics in your group sometimes operate in their own bizzaro world - either the pace will drive hard to the climb or it will dilly dally and then explode at the base.

Btw, I would still keep at least one long ride in the mix (3+ hours) each week to keep your endurance robust.

There won't be a "selection" per se on the climb, more of the "march of the lemmings" - riders over enthusiastically going to hard to try and attack and blowing up and dropping off the back like water dripping off winter snow melt. The "main bunch" will still be intact. The second and third laps will probably see less attrition. There'll likely be a bunch gallop where someone will fall off and break a $6000 bike. :p

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by swampy1970 [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

There won't be a "selection" per se on the climb, more of the "march of the lemmings" - riders over enthusiastically going to hard to try and attack and blowing up and dropping off the back like water dripping off winter snow melt. The "main bunch" will still be intact. The second and third laps will probably see less attrition.
There'll likely be a bunch gallop where someone will fall off and break a $6000 bike. :p

Lol! Too true. Cat5 races are capable of blowing more gaskets than an old Fiat.