THE FOCUS RIGHT NOW
SHED FATIGUE.
Two weeks out you're in taper territory. Fitness plateaus or nudges up — you don't lose meaningful fitness in two weeks, but fatigue disappears fast. Short sharp efforts to keep legs awake. Everything else is volume reduction.
THIS WEEK'S ANCHOR SESSION
RACE-PACE OPENERS
60min ride with 3x3min at race pace + 3x1min at VO2. Not training — priming. The efforts remind your legs what fast feels like. Nothing more.
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