Dear Red Rockettes:

Enough of this distance training - let's go fast! The Furnace Creek Team 508 is eight weeks away. It's time to peak and then taper.

You spent 12 weeks of Base training, increasing your riding volume to about 250 miles a week. You built general endurance, with the goal of completing a double century.

You then completed a six week Build phase. You rode the same volume as you did at the end of the Base phase, but increased the intensity, doing brisk tempo rides and general speedwork, with the, goal of completing a hard fast century.

Peaking
Now comes the Peaking phase, six weeks of race-specific preparation.

But first - are you a bit tired from all that riding? Legs fried and lacking motivation after completing the Pacific Crest Tour? Take some time off - you have hard work to do and to get the benefit of the training, you need to be rested. As a rule of thumb after a hard tour, the recovery time will be about the same as the duration of the tour. I.e., you probably took a couple of weeks off after PCT.

During the Peaking phase, you decrease the number of miles but increase the quality of the rides. During the 508, you'll eachride about 125 miles, broken into 30 minute pulls. Your key workouts during this phase are to prepare specifically for these pulls. Your goal is to bring down your 20 km TT time.

Workouts
Time Trials: Each week ride a 30 minute (20 km) time trial. Warm-up for 30 minutes, then accelerate to your sub-barf (SB)pace. This is the pace you can hold for 30 minutes without tossing your cookies. It's about 100 - 105% of your lactate threshold. Since the 508 has about 30,000 feet of climbing, some weeks substitute 30 minute hill-climbs. The purpose of these pain-fests is to help you identify your SB pace and to learn to ride at that redline pace for 30 minutes. These rides are very stressful, mentally and physically; one all-out time-trial each week is enough.

Race simulation: During the race, two team-mates will alternate 30 minute pulls for four hours. You can guess what's coming! Every other weekend, go out for a 4.5 hour ride on Saturday (and another one on Sunday, at your peak). Warm-up for 30 minutes, then time-trial at 95-100% of your LT for 30 minutes. To recover, soft-pedal for 30 minutes at about 65% of your LT. Do a total of four 30 minute time trials and 30 minute recoveries. During the race, we won't have time to warm-up between pulls; however, you'll train more effectively and safely if you warm-up before the hard efforts and stay active between each pull.

Intensity: During the off-weeks when you aren't suffering through a race simulation workout, do another intensity workout , a hard ride totaling two hours or more (at least 35 miles). Warm-up for at least 30 minutes. Then do the intensity portion of the workout. The intensity portion of the workout is not all hard riding, but should be a combination of hard efforts and recovery. You can do structured intervals, or time trials, or just hammer short hills. You can make these very free form or totally structured - just get your heart rate up there! The hard efforts should be done at 100% or more of your LT and total at least 30 minutes per session. At the end, cool down for at least 15 minutes.

Tempo rides: During your Build training, you worked up to a 100 mile tempo ride. Maintain your high speed endurance by doing a brisk 45 - 75 mile tempo ride each week. Warm-up for 30 minutes, ride tempo at a sustained effort of 85 - 95% of LT, and then cool-down for 15 minutes.

Recovery rides: Two or three times a week, go out for easy recovery rides for an hour or two. The purpose is to stimulate the metabolism to remove waste products and to loosen stiff muscles, not to train hard.

Abs, back and stretching: At least four days a week, continue the abs, back and stretching exercises described in Training for the Busy Ultracyclist.

Weekly Program
Each week, write down in your calendar when you'll do the workouts. One possible plan for September might be:

Hard Week (225 miles)

Saturday

4.5 hour / 75 mile race simulation ride

abs, back and stretching

Sunday

75 mile tempo ride (or race simulation ride later in the month)

Monday

25 mile recovery ride

abs, back and stretching

Tuesday

OFF

Wednesday

25 mile intensity ride, including 20 km TT

abs, back and stretching

Thursday

25 mile recovery ride

Friday

abs, back and stretching

Easy Week (170 miles)

Saturday

75 tempo ride

abs, back and stretching

Sunday

OFF

Monday

15 mile recovery ride

abs, back and stretching

Tuesday

25 mile intensity ride, including 20 km TT

Wednesday

15 mile recovery ride

abs, back and stretching

Thursday

25 mile intensity ride

Friday

15 mile recovery ride

abs, back and stretching

Taper
At the beginning of October you start to taper for the 508. The purpose of the taper is to store energy so that you come into the 508 rested and ready to race hard. Cut your workout volume by about half. Concentrate on short, hard efforts so that you keep your leg-speed without getting fatigued. Your taper, starting two weeks before the race, might be:

Saturday

3.5 hour / 50 mile race simulation ride

abs, back and stretching

Sunday

OFF

Monday

abs, back and stretching

Tuesday

15 mile recovery ride

Wednesday

25 mile intensity ride, including 20 km TT

abs, back and stretching

Thursday

15 mile recovery ride

Friday

abs, back and stretching

Saturday

2.5 hour / 40 mile race simulation ride

abs, back and stretching

Sunday

OFF

Monday

15 mile recovery ride

abs, back and stretching

Tuesday

15 mile intensity ride

Wednesday

15 mile recovery ride

abs, back and stretching

Thursday

abs, back and stretching

Friday

travel to race