THE FOCUS RIGHT NOW
DON'T DO ANYTHING CLEVER.
Race week is about arriving at the start line fresh, hydrated, and calm. The training is done. Hard sessions now cost you more than they give you. Every hour of good sleep in the final 72 hours does more than any workout could.
THIS WEEK'S ANCHOR SESSION
RACE MORNING OPENERS
20 minutes on the bike, morning of the event or day before, with 3x30sec at race pace. Wakes legs up without draining anything. That's it.
EVENT INTEL
WHAT THE HAUTE ROUTE ALPS ACTUALLY DEMANDS
Seven days of timed Alpine stage racing — 920km from Nice to Geneva over 21,000m of climbing, including Bonette, Galibier, Iseran, Colombière, and Joux Plane. Each stage is timed against the field; the GC after stage 7 is what people remember. ASO-quality logistics, transfer trucks, mass starts, and a peloton that races every day.
KEY CHARACTERISTICS
- ✓Seven daily stages averaging 130km + 3,000m climbing — the cumulative load is the event
- ✓Multiple HC climbs each day — Bonette (2,802m), Galibier (2,642m), Iseran (2,764m), Joux Plane (1,691m)
- ✓Timed format with daily GC — riders race, not just finish
- ✓Altitude exposure 2,000-2,800m on most stages — power drops 8-15% at the top
- ✓Recovery between stages is the real workload — massage, nutrition, sleep, repeat
COMMON MISTAKES
- ✕Riding day 1 like a sportive PR attempt and arriving at day 4 cracked
- ✕Under-fuelling the recovery window — calorie debt compounds across stages
- ✕No back-to-back long-ride training — sportive fitness does not transfer to multi-day
PACING
Treat each stage as a 70-80% effort, not a 100% effort. Day 1 power should be the slowest you can hold for 5-6 hours, not the fastest. The leaderboard rewards consistency — riders who finish day 4 at 90% of day-1 power move up the GC; riders who blow up on day 2 ride defence for the rest of the week. Pace climbs on rigid wattage ceilings, not on the wheel in front of you.
FUELLING
On-bike: 80-100g carbs/hour for 5-7 hours daily, with feed-zone discipline. Off-bike: this is where the event is won. 1.2-1.5g protein per kg body weight per day, refined carb intake 8-10g/kg/day during the week, and a recovery shake within 30 minutes of crossing every finish line. Sleep is fuel — riders who skip the post-stage protocol crack on day 4 regardless of fitness.
KIT
Climbing bike with 34x32 minimum, 34x34 if you have it. Two complete kit setups so one is always laundered. Light insulated layer for high-pass descents (Bonette, Iseran tops can be sub-5°C even in August). Recovery kit: foam roller, compression, recovery shake powder, electrolyte tabs. Massage is included most years — book early, every day.
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OTHER PHASES FOR THE HAUTE ROUTE ALPS