I come from a swimming background and am just starting to get into cycling. I'm riding in my first road race tomorrow, and over the past week have realized that I have no idea how to prep for a race. In swimming, we would taper training off for 4-6 weeks before large meets (such as trials or nationals), but not for smaller meets. For smaller meets we would only cut back on the last workout prior to the start of the meet.
I work full time, and tend to train every morning for 1-2 hours. With longer, more intense rides on Sat and Sun. I rode very hard last weekend, but haven't done anything other than spin since Wednesday. Is this the best approach to resting for a race?
Also, do competetive cyclists tend to focus their training on only 1-2 races per season and "train-through" the rest?
I see this year as practice and learning, but want to be competetive next season. I'm looking for any advice/guidance you can give me to adjust my training the week leading up to a race, and during the season for the 1-2 races I may want to try to win. Thanks in advance.