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7 posts in Race prep
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How to taper for a big ride: the last two weeks
The event is booked and the training is done — the last two weeks are where riders either bank their fitness or quietly throw it away. Drop the volume, keep the intensity, and follow a day-by-day fortnight that arrives at the start line fresh instead of flat.
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Everesting indoors: how to climb 8,848 m without leaving your pain cave
One climb, repeated until you've ascended the height of Everest — indoors, where there's no weather, no traffic, and absolutely nowhere to hide. The gradient maths, the pacing (it's an eating contest with pedalling attached), the two-fan setup, and the fitness you honestly need before you try.
How to preview a race course indoors before you ride it
The best way to know a course is to have ridden it. Here's how to preview a race course indoors — corner by corner, climb by climb — from its GPX file, in 3D, on your smart trainer, weeks before the start line.
The warm-up, matched to the ride you're about to do
The shorter and harder the effort, the longer the warm-up — and vice versa. Four protocols, from a 10-minute roll-out to a full pre-race routine, plus what to stop doing beforehand.
How to build a sprint that actually wins things
Almost every race finishes in a scramble, and the sprint is the least-trained quality in amateur cycling. The four phases, five sessions, and the recovery mistake that ruins most of them.
How to train for your first gran fondo (a 12-week plan you can actually follow)
A gran fondo is a long day in the saddle — but it's very doable with the right build. Here's a realistic 12-week plan, the key workouts, and how to pace and fuel the big day.
From zero to your first 100 km: a beginner's roadmap
A hundred kilometres feels huge until you have a plan. Here's a friendly, week-by-week roadmap that takes a new rider from short spins to a confident first century.
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