What Your Training Should Look Like on Race Week. The Science

Race week can be tricky. You want to taper your training so that you are fresh and ready to execute a great performance but you don't want to lose fitness or feel stale. Today we dive into the science to determine how to taper properly and at the end of the video I give you some example taper weeks so you can get a good idea of how exactly to prepare for your next race.
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Studies used in this video:

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

I've got online training plans available here: www.trainingpeaks.com/coach/dylanjohnsontraining#trainingplans If you are interested in coaching email me at [e-mail].

[@lechprotean]

I'm tapering for 3 years now. The results are underwhelming but I'll keep trying.

[@rolemodel15]

Me, a 4 hour a week hobby cyclist: "yeah, this video probably applies to me"

[@danielbum912]

*frantically taking notes*

[@15idog]

I've been tapering for months now! Going to kill it at the next group ride😅

[@KerenWang]

You never know!

[@mikexhotmail]

@@15idog 😂😂😂 nice one!

[@johnsasser3214]

🤣🤣😓

[@kevinderung8524]

i find the most race success comes on rides when the others dont know its a race

[@SandsCycling]

Man, this Jordan Sands guy sounds incredibly fast and handsome.

[@LeeLee-nc7xj]

BHD is going to get jealous!!

[@lcyarnelle]

Much like BHD, I taper every week in preparation for the coffee ride…

[@poochie8208]

We need a T-shirt with the FTP formula by BHD

[@samuelhodges7593]

I’m 5 weeks out from my A-race this year - Ironman Portugal - and this is a great video. I’m looking at a 12 day taper at the moment, restricting all my intensity to the bike and the swim only. Running is the anti-christ of recovery haha

[@mikehammersley3489]

I agree. Not really such a thing as an easy recovery run. For me anyway

[@lcyarnelle]

Much like BHD, I taper every week in preparation for the weekend coffee ride…

[@an33nielsen52]

Next week is race week for me, so thank you for the perfectly timed video :D

[@mickelkobeck7376]

BHD is my hero.

[@redtestarossa]

I’ve ridden with guys who’ve just finished grand tours and they are FLYING immediately after …that’s after 3 weeks of hard racing!!

[@AlecZier]

BHD's formula for FTP is flawless. I'm a hobbyist and don't race, but the information seems like it will be useful to make sure I'm fresh for the end of season club ride, a big charity ride, etc. Though after 800 miles in August, it's safe to say I would benefit much more from a structured program instead of piddling around :) Thanks as always for the videos!

[@calebnapier5601]

Dylan, love your videos mate. Giving me a competitive advantage as I am new to the sport. Please upload more!

[@balazspandi9782]

What a timing! My main race is on th 2nd of October and i had no idea what to do on my taper days. Thank you Dylan!

[@readikus]

Yet another fantastic video! I'm plotting a training plan for a 24 solo race in January (in cold, dark Scotland), and mainly basing it off your videos.

[@BikeLifewithRob]

Good tips, I like to follow around 50% reduction about 10 days before race day after a slight overload week, and intervals ranging from 15 seconds to 4 minutes. Thanks for solidifying my philosophy!

[@Bench_mark_113]

This was great video. It's nice to see my personal experience matches what you shared: I like to overload for A races, and then taper for week or so. Also keeping the intensity high, makes it so much easier on the legs to go race-pace, without feeling the shock of being stale. I kind of see taper like a warm up, you do some fast hard intervals/openers based on feel.

[@bradendiaz3787]

Ur 3 days late, i have a race on sunday but thank you, Amazing content :)

[@NeonGrayEdits]

Such perfect timing!! I’m 12 days from my A race. Great video

[@goaskdra]

great info. Thanks

[@scottswygert7165]

Solid advice! One thing that does not work in the overload period just before a taper: 4 hour ride in new aero bar setup.

[@martinextejt3453]

You should offer a specific el-cheapo plan on Training Peaks so idiots like me can follow it! (already doing 3 of your training plans).

[@leighgoodwin1726]

This is a very helpful video. The only complication can be other events in life (especially family life during summer months when kids have activities at weekends), and also it is often necessary to spend a day or so travelling to major sportives and on the travel days it isn’t usually practical to have normal or sometimes any cycling. Hence some pragmatism required, but I guess it’s the principles that matter - trying to keep high intensity interval sessions but lower volume in the days before the big A race event

[@vietnguyen4312]

Thanks Dylan I just wanted to add something new that will change my training program this season. I have recently invested in a pair of Normatec Recovery Boots after a few of my racing buddies highly recommended them. I must say as a 52year old I am very surprised how well these boots actually work at flushing out lactate acid. After my 2nd session using them I was convinced they they significantly improved my recovery. Since I compete in handicap road races weekly I may even be able to increase to 3 hard sessions(including 1 x race) per week instead of 2 with these boots. Anyway, if you can borrow a pair for a few weeks I highly recommend giving them a go after each session along with your normal self massage, rolling recovery.. I am very confident that they will help your recovery.

[@laggypirates]

This was some A+ backwards hat Dylan content

[@liefyergensen9575]

This is exactly what I needed with sea otter coming up, thanks! Also, I’ve been interested, what are your thoughts on double days?

[@pauldobos2982]

I have totally tapered for a KOM.

[@ericsutherland461]

Thanks for this video. I am curious to know the science behind 'openers'. I suspect that this is just another training myth but would be happy to be wrong.

[@carlosgomezzzzzzz]

I found out I was tapering for too long when I raced on short notice, race was on sunday and I got convinced to race on wednesday night, I just did short but fast rides on thursday and friday, saturday 45 minute ride with short acceleration bursts and did a lot better than expected on sunday, felt great on the bike, it was a short XCO race

[@marcdaniels9079]

Ha ha. What a coincidence. Just kind of tapering for a 50 mile race on Sunday and was relying on sleeping and cakes to do the trick ! 🤣

[@rkentwenger5095]

This is an area where keeping a good training log really helps a lot. At one point I analyzed my pre-race weeks for something like 50-70 races, and modified my tapers accordingly. (And, of course, you need to analyze based on how you felt during the race and how well you rode, not by the result. If you felt great but had a bad result because of a badly-timed puncture, that obviously counts as a successful taper...)

[@CycoWarriorx]

Glad you broke that down… 🍻

[@c.wagner7482]

5:48. That's a good point.

[@philadams9254]

It's good to test out your process during some unimportant time, such as the C-races or the off-season and try some new strategies which won't affect anything should they go horribly wrong. My tapering was sub-optimal for years but I was too scared to change anything! You have to experiment and you will be surprised how far you can push things.

[@isaacyoung1868]

often i still felt tired after following my personal coach's advice.. but eventually i became accustomed to that tapering strategy.. the primers before the race.. think that's an important point to use B and C races as a way to become accustomed to a certain tapering strategy..

[@SnootchieBootchies27]

My training during race week; 🚴‍♂️🍺🍔🚴‍♂️🍺🍔 followed by; "oh, there was a race?"

[@ch_chone]

That dig at Phil G though. Well done!

[@austinbench110]

Haha good timing as a I have a race this Saturday

[@EVOQBIKE]

have you read Road to Gold paper; that paper really highlights some inaccuracies with these meta-analyses and theories on tapering. It's nordic related, but similar concept; found it interesting for sure. one thing to note, in the first two studies, these subjects were training 40 minutes a day...hard to extrapolate from to most cyclists "actually training". 2 week taper is really long!

[@clas683]

I love that the equation begins with (your 20 min power x 0) 😂

[@ricecrash5225]

Me watching this 36 hours before my race. 😂 Luckily due to illness, rain and work I have been on a forced taper of close to 60% 😂

[@elialexander-tanner5784]

Thanks this is perfect for me. Race day on 10/3.

[@elialexander-tanner5784]

Update: I got a lot out of this video. My legs were in great shape on race day. I love it when advice works, thanks Dylan!

[@jake_wisse]

Lol, that ftp equation got me 😂

[@patricklaureys1249]

Wish you had posted this at the beginning of the season. :)

[@grantwiersum7394]

It's race week. You were sick last week and didn't leave the house.

[@jibranjawaid]

Great information as always!... Does the same apply for the 4 week as recovery week after a 3 week training block?

[@mountaincat123]

Great video thanks, looks like I’ve been doing it right, does the amount you taper also depend on the length of the race ?

[@PatrickvonMassow]

Can you please make a video about how to train for track cycling?

[@zakwanzulkifli1438]

Hey dylan, thanks man for all the info you share with us. I would like to ask in regards if it is ok to train twice a day as I usually sometimes have 1-2 off day in a week . So I plan on cramping my train in a week in that day. If i can do twice a day , what kind of training should I start first. VO2 max, threshold, endurance, sprinting. I love to improve sprinting and just started cycling for 4 months. I usually use my off day to get ride 100km endurance but i would love to hear if i can cramp any other interval in the same day or same session. My current info FTP 210 5 second best 870watt

[@heavydam]

Thank you for this video, A race is in 9 days for me. Woud you advise me to get a last strength workout in before the race?

[@SwanWillTearYouApart]

Great vid. One variable you didn't mention is the type of race / ride. Ie would the taper be the same for a 1 hour crit / cyclocross ride v a Century Sportive ? (I chose the extremes on purpose :)

[@bodieh1261]

Yes! I finally know how to taper for Sunday group... I mean my A-races. Jokes aside, super informative video as always. Quick off topic question regarding rest vs recovery rides. In a scenario where I coming out of a hard training week with 2 consecutive days off, assuming I plan to do a recovery ride on one day and rest on the other, is there a difference/preference for which day I should be doing the recovery ride on? Thanks!

[@DublinDapper]

Long live backwards hat Dylan😂

[@gregcavanaugh6259]

Dylan if you're looking for a topic, I've just committed to a 12 hour race...but as a 4 man relay, not something that I've done in awhile. Usually my 12 hour races are solo or duo. Not sure how to train for what is essentailly 2 or 3 hot laps each seperated but lots of time to recover. Also, I don't understand the difference in training cardio vs "power" on the bike. (pushing your lungs vs pushing your legs) Keep up the good work!!

[@BFinesilver2]

Interval length should be short 4 weeks before an important event. Enzymatic action can be improved quickly, which adds a turbo to your engine. In the week before just five 30s intervals are enough to maintain fitness twice per week.

[@aleksanderpusz892]

@Dylan Johnson, thank you so much for this video. But what would you do if you had 3 A-races week by week each on e.g. Sunday?

[@RevoltingRudi]

last 4 weeks: 3 weeks of for me mega hard ergometer intervalls last week easy mode. if race day is on Sunday. i do the leading Mo.-Fr. nothing but riding to work. on Sa. a 1h ride with 3-4 solid but not overly hard sprints. Sunday a bit of warm up pre-race and then go for it. pace the first half of the race a bit lower and then see what happens depending on how i feel. this is what i did for my 100km hobby cyclassics races. only using HR Monitor. (to broke for powermeter on my bike in the past) maybe not perfect and i am not very strong with only roughly 215W FTP according to my garmin, but it felt good. i do work in a warehouse so doing "nothing" hit a bit different for me.

[@benthilwind6908]

Wish you dropped this 4 weeks ago, been tapering wrong by your book, kept the miles not the intensity.. British gravel championships on Sunday 📖😭

[@freerida24]

Dylan you’re the man. I’m a little under two weeks out from a 165 mile gravel race. I train about 15 hours a week and race 1-2 a month for the summer season. Any advice? I usually do big ride 10 days out and then slow down, but I’m not super concerned with the results of this next race so, open to trying something different

[@steven871]

About to do 100 mile drive a ride. Curious how your tapering strategy worked?

[@Bendersnatchling]

What kind of plan (feel free to post a link to training peaks) would you recommend in the last 8 weeks before the race? I want to do good on May 1st and I realized that I am already late 🙈 My base training will last until February which gives me the 2nd half of February, March and April to get ready. Should I go for a "build" plan and then switch to a block periodization plan that ends 1 weeks before the race? The last week (number 4) of a BP is already taking it somewhat easy. How does that affect the taper? Thank you! So far I really enjoy your base training plan.

[@pe47115]

I’m curious what a training plan would be for people who race every week. I do a mid week XC mtb race series and race every week from May thru July. Most coaches want to build a program around one A priority race and a few B priority races each season. Plenty of other team sports compete every week for many months in a row, so there must be studies about how to structure training for weekly races. I’ve had one elite level coach tell me to reduce my workload by 1/2 during race season but this seems pretty vague. If you’re looking for content suggestions, a video on this topic would be great. I’m currently doing your Run/Ride/Strength off season plan. Thanks.

[@twiggyinc1]

Hi Dylan, how does a person's blood press affect performance? But more specifically does a "low" blood pressure person benefit from a slower and or longer warm up rather then a "high" blood pressure person? Also is one more sensitive to hydration and or fuelling? Would be interested to know your thoughts? Thanks in advance Chris

[@bakarenejayto5615]

How about a 3-day stage race or a 1-2 week stage race? Do you taper for the 3-day one if the first stage is crucial? Do you taper for the 1-2 week stage race? Or do you not want to taper at all?

[@JohnAzzi430]

Everyone: Race season is over, what do I do in the off season to prep for 2022 Dylan: Here's how you taper for races But seriously, for those of us not in gravel/cross how to we maintain post race season fitness, and get ready for next year? when should base building begin?

[@franmcgowan4068]

Move to a country where race season is just starting :) "A" race #1 is next weekend.

[@MB-ve7nc]

Take up a winter sport like cross country skiing or skitouring if u live in a country with snow. And just move and have fun out there.et vóila-base training done💁🏽‍♀️

[@grahambleach]

I've heard that you can watch KZbin videos whenever you want ;) There are a bunch of videos Dylan's already made about planning a season, you can look at the channel videos to find them. I think this is the most recent kzbin.info/www/bejne/r364iX2fjt2mbM0

[@Bob_Shy_132]

Hey D. The world cup downhill is at Snowshoe this week. You going?

[@htonmusic]

in medicine, lets say we give an immunity medication such as a corticosteroid - the taper length would depend on the frequency which you would use the drug. if you used it for a long time and at high doses/high frequences you'd want to have a longer taper period. what happens if you quickly remove the drug, you get a rebound effect where the body will become more inflammed. while it's not the exactly same processes i can imagine biochemical processes/homeostasis can share some analogous responses. just food for thought.

[@bakarenejayto5615]

Should the 30x30s be 1 set? Or do you do a full 2 set 30x30 workout?

[@marsallefrancisco4851]

Hi Dylan.Sorry to be off topic but I was just wondering? Have you ever used any of the Garmin head units? If so,what's your opinion about the recovery recommendations from the Garmin? I just purchased the Garmin 1030 plus last week and it's advising me to take 60 hours sometimes 88 hours to recover from a endurance ride.Is this a mistake or does the unit need more riding data metrics over a period of time to figure the rider? Thanks for reading.

[@keithcottongim7930]

Jordan isn’t hypocritical! 😂😂😂😂

[@XavierHipolito]

Should your recovery week look like a pre-race week? Should you decrease intensity series, volume overall or should you just ride Z2?

[@marty197666]

I have a TT on Saturday, by chance I seem to have tapered and feel great. It’s only because I had a few long days at work where I didn’t get time to ride. Happy accident! Now I’ll probably fall over or something and get injured 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@MB-ve7nc]

What do I do the week before the race, when i‘ve been sick two weeks before the race and couldn‘t train?

[@yanislavmarkov3927]

Can someone explain what Endurance rides /session is ?

[@adrianecarloquestin3555]

Sti hoods tilt inward can make you faster, comfortable or nah?plss make a video

[@danieltscharnuter4794]

I feel like I have seen this one already.

[@DrewDillmanChannel]

Literally got a bike fit 2 days before my first UCI cyclocross race… 🤷‍♂️

[@Totalavulsion]

How does this advice and guidance sit for a cyclocross season with weekly races over 3-4 months?

[@CyclingChefDiane]

this advice seems aimed at your A level or B level race. you can only peak so many times in a season. Weekly races should be treated as a hard training day in your schedule.

[@johntroll7936]

Look at BHD, throwing out equations! Bro!

[@stanislaogerman3743]

QQ: do you eliminate the Recovery week immediately before the Taper Weeks of an “A:” race if your following a 3/1 periodization Build model?

[@007StarKiller]

Good question I was asking myself the same

[@acem82]

8:51 We've all been there, BHD. Anyone saying otherwise is lying.

[@MRDTBOSS]

Any tips on getting good quality sleep before a race? Nothing I do helps with the pre-race anxiety so it's hard to fall and stay asleep.

[@Penalist]

Believe (!) that you are well prepared and as capable as you can be, and let the sleep be the ease and ‘happy’ closure of your training-preparation

[@henrygoerdten6325]

Can you maybe do a video about lungcapacitie? Like does holding your breath (so you can hold it for example for 3min, my best was 2min and i race xco races in switzerland in the cat. U17) or diving or similar help your VO2max or endurance. I downloaded once an app where you do like lung intervalls wich gave me a good leap in holding my breath but im wondering if that helps me on the bike. ♥️Love your videos♥️ Would apreciate it.

[@Timmeh2Buck]

Why on earth would you think this?

[@sa2rdna]

@@Timmeh2Buck because there is at least some science to support this. Do some research and you will find some studies.

[@Timmeh2Buck]

@@sa2rdna dO sOmE rEsEaRcH

[@sa2rdna]

@@Timmeh2Buck not sure what you are trying to accomplish here. I was not trying to put you down in any way. Like I said there is scientific research around this topic, you should do some research.

[@ProfGoodlife]

It's Thursday night before a race sunday. This video comes too late.

[@davidzzz94]

Hello Dylan, quick question. Is cool down necessary after pure zone 2 rides? If yes, what about for very time-crunched cyclists?

[@danfernandogaming1851]

nahhh zone 2 is a recovery ride pace itself

[@jasonhendrickson2289]

No

[@ElonMuckX]

What’s your HR in Zone 2? Mine is 137. I cool down with 10 min, with my HR between 110 to 120. My RHR is is ~65. I always do a 10 min warmup & cool down, no matter cardio or weights.

[@danfernandogaming1851]

@@ElonMuckX yes warmup up is good, if you are doing any stretching before working out or ay excersize cycling included always do dynamic stretching before never ever do static before, static stretching is always after. but doing a cool down after zone 2 is like cooking down after walking😂. do some Hiit style cycles, long distance cycles at lower pace (Liss) and incorporate something like a run or swim every week. recovery will be walks or zone 1/2 cycles for active recovery after any intense workouts or even the day after is allright.

[@danfernandogaming1851]

@@ElonMuckX also I starterd cycling a year ago and my rhr was similar to yours now it is around 48 bpm and still steadily getting even better

[@stevenbalderstone709]

Dylan, what does the science say about the optimal recovery period after a major race? (maybe you've already covered this topic in a prior video.) Are there blood markers or other measurable indicators of having adequately recovered, before getting back into a heavy training load? Related to this; inadequate recovery from race events as a driver of overtraining?

[@RichieB636]

Ever heard the expression "there is no such thing as over training, only under recovery"

[@moabadventurecondo9579]

How should we recover from an extreme effort? Just completed a 7 hour race.

[@robmessmer6366]

Dylan, a cycling friend and I have an argument around if Magnesium is beneficial for cycling and tight muscles. What does the science say?

[@Oakdogg]

😂 the backwards hat equation

[@pve6041]

That FTP formula 😂😂😂😂😂

[@dustinmeeker5427]

I'm curious if someone who isn't able to train at their maximum volume should have a less dramatic taper. For example, in this training cycle, I've maxed out at 12 hours per week, mainly because I work full time and have young kids. So, although I'm physically capable of training at a higher level, and my fitness would benefit from doing so, I can't do more miles. Thus, I'm not accumulating the fatigue that I did years ago as a marathoner running up to 100 mpw, which warranted a big taper. I'm hesitant to do reduce my volume by 50% during race week and might instead aim for a 33% reduction: 12 hours down to 8. Thoughts?

[@cedricfleurot6414]

At 2:59 is it in mauritius?

[@twowheelslater7112]

I wander how much of this is physiological and how much is phycological? Seems like your actual fitness should not change that much in a week or two. Your perception of pain after a little time off the bike can change a lot though. Kind of the frog in hot water theory. IDK just a thought. I think thats why openers help so much before a race.

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Great point. Perhaps a topic for a future video.

[@gerritfourie2239]

Dyl???,,,,do YOU ever ride with "legspeed",,,,,,meaning more revs than Torquework????,,,,,(RSA)

[@SimonTheWattopian]

The line between Dylan and Backwards Hat Dylan is starting to blurr... the matrix is starting to crumble, question is, which one is the real one?

[@takenomorimonster]

Here’s a question Overweight cyclist here. 40kg overweight and the majority of that in the torso. So How would you recommend training for a person like this and what are the benefits of exercises at this weight such as bodyweight squats etc. Maybe also what kind of factors will change as a cyclist like this loses weight and maybe maintains or even increase his power etc.

[@julianhowell6351]

Search this channel for the weight loss video

[@syrus3k]

Also don't mess with your bike on race week.

[@jcflorestx]

First like and comment 🤣

[@Flyboard12345]

Great! 👍

[@TheBestKindOfJack]

I don’t even have a bike

[@BenAroundo]

I’m giving Dylan a heads up and reminding him ( and he knows this ) that we don’t know everything and making videos accordingly. Sacrifices like going to school ( within reason ) the gains in proven scientific knowledge is amazing & unmatched. Allot of earth shattering and effective training is counterintuitive and only believed on a college or university blackboard after a long debate.

[@ernie12man]

"that we don’t know everything and making videos accordingly."