THE PROBLEM MOST RIDERS IN THIS SPOT FACE.
Most riders prepping for a target event train hardest in the four weeks before it. They ride more in race month than they did three months prior, panic-buy a fuelling product they've never used, ignore tapering, and improvise pacing. Then they spend the next year saying 'next time I'll do it properly.'
Event-day performance is one of the most coachable problems in cycling because it's so well-defined. The date is fixed. The course is known. Your weight, your FTP, your fuelling tolerance — all measurable. Periodise the build to the date, replicate the course in training, test the fuelling weeks out, taper properly, and write the race-day plan down. The difference between a hoped-for finish and a result you're proud of isn't subtle.
Most event disappointment isn't a fitness problem. It's a planning problem.
WHAT CHANGES IN THE COACHING
- ✓Plan reverse-engineered from your event date — base, build, peak, taper
- ✓Course-specific rides that replicate the demands of YOUR event
- ✓Fuelling tested in long rides for weeks, not improvised on the morning
- ✓Power-based pacing strategy with caps for each section of the course
- ✓10-day taper structured properly — sharper, not lazier
- ✓Race-day plan written down: fuelling, pacing, contingencies, kit
PEAK
HOW THE COACHING WORKS
The five pillars adapted for this segment. Same system — periodised differently to fit what you actually need.
PERIODISED BUILD
Base, build, peak, taper. The plan is reverse-engineered from your event date so each block feeds the next. No accidental peaking three weeks too early, no panic-training in race month. The architecture is set the day we start.
COURSE-SPECIFIC WORK
An alpine sportive is a different problem from a flat 100-miler. A gravel ultra is a different problem from a hill climb. We replicate the climbs, the surface, the duration, and the demands of YOUR specific event in training. The body that arrives on the start line has already rehearsed the day.
TESTED FUELLING
60-100g of carbs an hour for the duration of your event is a trained skill, not an improvisation. We dial products, timing, and gut tolerance in long training rides for weeks before the event. By race day the plan is automatic — and your gut is trained to handle it.
TAPERED RACE WEEK
Race week is shorter rides at the same intensity, openers two days out, and proper sleep. Most riders ride 80% of their normal volume in race week and wonder why their legs feel heavy on the day. The 10-day taper is structured: sharper sessions, less time, fuelled and rested properly.
RACE-DAY EXECUTION
A written race-day plan: power caps for each section, fuelling timing, contingencies for weather and crashes, what's in your jersey pockets. Most event blow-ups happen in the first hour because adrenaline overrides the plan. Writing it down is what makes the plan survive contact with the start line.
FIXABLE MISTAKES
MISTAKES TO AVOID
The patterns that hold this segment back the most. Each one is fixable — that's the whole point.
01. TRAINING HARDEST IN THE FOUR WEEKS BEFORE THE EVENT
It's the universal panic. You suddenly notice the date is close and ride more in race month than you did three months prior. Your fitness was built weeks ago — race month is for sharpening and resting, not for adding new work. Trust the build. Adding load now costs you the day.
02. IMPROVISING FUELLING ON THE DAY
If you've never eaten 80g of carbs an hour for 6 hours in training, race day is not the time to find out your gut can't handle it. Test products, timing, and total carb load in long rides for weeks before. The fuelling plan should be automatic by event day — not a brand-new experiment.
03. GOING OUT TOO HARD IN THE FIRST HOUR
Adrenaline plus fresh legs plus a fast group equals 30 watts above sustainable pace, every time. The first-hour blow-up is the single most common event-day mistake. Hold a written power cap for the first 60 minutes. The wheels you let go come back at hour four.
04. NO TAPER OR A HALF-TAPER
Race week should look like 50-60% of your normal volume, with shorter, sharper sessions and proper sleep. Most riders ride 75-85% of normal volume because cutting back feels lazy. The taper isn't optional — it's where the form arrives. Without it, the build doesn't show up on the day.
05. NO WRITTEN RACE-DAY PLAN
Power caps, fuelling timing, what's in your pockets, contingencies for rain, the climb you cannot blow up on. If it's not written down, the start-line adrenaline rewrites it for you. The riders who execute on event day are the ones who've put the plan on paper before they pin the number on.
IS THIS COACHING RIGHT FOR YOU?
YES, IF YOU...
- ✓Have a specific event 8-20 weeks away you want to peak for
- ✓Have done events before but want to perform, not just survive
- ✓Want a written race-day pacing and fuelling plan
- ✓Are willing to test fuelling and pacing in training, not on the day
- ✓Have a course-specific demand (alpine, gravel, climbing-heavy) your usual training doesn't replicate
- ✓Plan multiple target events a year and want a season-long structure
NOT IF YOU...
- ×Don't have a specific event in mind (start with our main coaching page)
- ×Want a one-size-fits-all PDF plan
- ×Aren't willing to taper and trust the build
FREE COMPANIONS
TOOLS & READING FOR THIS SEGMENT
Practical companions to the coaching — built around the same principles, free to use.
FTP ZONES CALCULATOR
Generate the training zones every event-day pacing cap is built from. The first-hour discipline starts with the right number.
FUELLING CALCULATOR
Carb-per-hour targets and total event fuelling load by duration and intensity. Test the number in training before you race it.
RACE WEIGHT CALCULATOR
Honest race-weight target for climbing-heavy events — built around fuelled training and held performance, not crash dieting into the date.
CYCLING TAPERING GUIDE
How the 10-day taper actually works — volume, intensity, openers, sleep. The block where the form arrives, not where it disappears.
TAPER DISCIPLINE: 15% GAIN
Why the riders who hold the taper line outperform the ones who panic-train in race week. The discipline that decides the day.
RACE-DAY NUTRITION GUIDE
Pre-event meals, in-event fuelling, hydration, and the full race-day timeline. Written down, tested, automatic.
100-MILE SPORTIVE NUTRITION PLAN
Hour-by-hour fuelling plan for a 100-mile event. Specific products, timing, and total carb targets — not vague advice.
12-WEEK GRAN FONDO TRAINING PLAN
The 12-week periodised build framework — what each block does, how the long ride evolves, and the taper that lands the form on the day.
COACHING FOR OTHER SEGMENTS
Same five pillars. Different periodisation depending on who you are and what you're training for.
MASTERS RIDERS
40+ — preserve power, manage recovery
OVER 50
Deeper recovery, heavy strength, joint-aware
BEGINNERS
Build a real base. Skip the bad habits.
WOMEN
Female-specific physiology and benchmarks
BUSY PROFESSIONALS
6-8 hrs/week — every hour earning its keep
TIME-CRUNCHED
Under 6 hrs/week — maximum return per hour
YOUR COACHING STARTS HERE.
7-day free trial. Five pillars. Personalised to your goals, your schedule, and your life. Cancel anytime.
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