THE FOCUS RIGHT NOW
BUILD THE ENGINE.
Sixteen weeks out, your job is volume. Forget intervals. Forget Strava. Build the aerobic engine that every later phase sits on top of. 80% of your time should be in Zone 2 — conversational pace, nose-breathing territory. If your base phase feels easy, you're doing it right.
THIS WEEK'S ANCHOR SESSION
THE LONG Z2 RIDE
One 3-4 hour steady Zone 2 ride per week. Flat to rolling route. Cadence 85-95rpm. Heart rate below first ventilatory threshold the whole way. This is where your mitochondrial density grows.
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