Race preparation is everything that happens between your last hard training block and the start line. It covers tapering (reducing volume while maintaining intensity), race-day nutrition (from 48 hours out through the final feed zone), pacing strategy, warm-up protocol, and the gear checklist that stops you standing in a car park at 6am missing a shoe. Get these right and you ride to your fitness. Get them wrong and months of training go to waste in the first 30 kilometres.
This guide pulls together what we've learned from coaching conversations with Dan Lorang, Joe Friel, and Alan Murchison on the Roadman Podcast, plus the real-world experience of hundreds of riders in the Not Done Yet community who have tapered, fuelled, paced, and pinned numbers on jerseys for everything from local 10-mile time trials to 200km alpine sportives.
In this guide:
- The taper: how to reduce without losing
- Race-week nutrition: the 48-hour protocol
- Race-morning fuelling: the 3-hour countdown
- Pacing strategy for sportives and road races
- The pre-race warm-up
- Race-day checklist
- What the experts say
- Frequently asked questions
The Taper: How to Reduce Without Losing
The reality of tapering: most amateurs taper too much, too early, or both. The goal of a taper is to shed accumulated fatigue while keeping the neuromuscular sharpness you built. It is not a rest week. It is a precision tool.
The standard amateur taper framework:
| Weeks Out | Volume Change | Intensity |
|---|---|---|
| 3 weeks | Reduce volume by 20% | Maintain 2 quality sessions |
| 2 weeks | Reduce volume by 40% | 1-2 short, sharp interval sessions |
| Race week | Reduce volume by 60-70% | 1 opener session 2 days before |
The critical rule: drop volume, not intensity. A 4x4min VO2max set in taper week keeps your top-end sharp. Replacing it with Zone 2 plodding leaves you feeling flat on the line.
For a sportive (as opposed to a road race), you can compress this to a 7-10 day taper. You are not peaking for a 4-hour criterium — you are preparing for sustained aerobic output, and too long a taper leaves many riders feeling sluggish.
→ Read the full guide: Cycling Taper Guide — Peak for Race Day → Read the full guide: Cycling Taper Race Preparation System → Read the full guide: Peaking for a Sportive — 12-Week Framework
Race-Week Nutrition: The 48-Hour Protocol
Race-day nutrition does not start on race day. It starts 48 hours before. The goal is to top off glycogen stores without the bloating and digestive stress that comes from a single massive pasta dinner the night before.
48-hour fuelling timeline:
| When | What |
|---|---|
| 48 hours before | Increase carbohydrate to 8-10g/kg/day. Spread across meals. |
| 36 hours before | Continue high-carb meals. Reduce fibre slightly to prevent GI issues. |
| 24 hours before | Familiar foods only. No new restaurants, no experimental meals. |
| Evening before | Moderate carb-rich dinner by 7-8pm. Not the biggest meal of your life. |
| Race morning | See below. |
The biggest mistake is front-loading everything into a single "carb-loading" dinner. That leaves you bloated at 10pm and under-fuelled for the 48 hours of glycogen synthesis that actually matters. Spread it across six smaller meals over two days and you arrive at the start line with full stores and a settled stomach.
→ Read the full guide: Race Day Fuelling — 24-Hour Timeline
Race-Morning Fuelling: The 3-Hour Countdown
The race-morning meal is not complicated, but it is non-negotiable. You need 1-3g/kg of carbohydrate, consumed 2.5-3 hours before the start, from foods you have practised with in training.
A practical race-morning template (70kg rider):
| Food | Carbs (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Porridge with honey and banana (80g oats) | ~90g |
| White toast with jam (2 slices) | ~40g |
| 500ml sports drink, sipped to start | ~30g |
| Total | ~160g |
That is roughly 2.3g/kg — inside the target range for most athletes. Adjust up or down based on your body weight and what your gut tolerates.
Three rules for race morning: nothing new, nothing high-fat, nothing high-fibre. This is not the day to try a new energy bar or a full English. If you have not eaten it before a hard training ride, do not eat it before a race.
→ Read the full guide: Cycling Sportive Preparation
Pacing Strategy for Sportives and Road Races
Pacing a sportive is the opposite of pacing a road race. In a road race, you respond to attacks. In a sportive, you execute a plan. The riders who finish strongest are the ones who start slowest — relative to their ability.
The negative-split pacing framework:
- First third: ride at 85-90% of your target average power. Bank nothing — hold back.
- Middle third: settle to target average power.
- Final third: if you have fuel and legs, increase to 95-105% of target.
For a 100-mile sportive, target power should be 70-75% of FTP for most amateurs. That feels easy at kilometre 10. It will not feel easy at kilometre 140.
Climbing pacing: on climbs over 10 minutes, hold 5-8% below your threshold power. The instinct to attack the bottom of a climb is the single biggest pacing error in amateur cycling. You will pay for it in the final third of the climb and in every kilometre that follows.
→ Read the full guide: Pacing Strategy for a Cycling Sportive
The Pre-Race Warm-Up
For events under 60 minutes (time trials, short crits), a warm-up is essential — 15-20 minutes building to two 1-minute efforts at race intensity, finishing 10 minutes before the start.
For sportives and long road races, a formal warm-up matters less. Your first 20-30 minutes of riding is the warm-up. But there are still basics worth covering:
| Warm-Up Element | Short Event (under 60 min) | Sportive (over 2 hours) |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | 15-20 min on turbo | 5-10 min easy spin or none |
| Intensity | Build to 2x 1-min at race pace | Easy spinning, 1-2 short accelerations |
| Timing | Finish 5-10 min before start | Ride to the start line |
| Caffeine | 3-6mg/kg, 45-60 min before start | Same |
| Final fuel | Gel or drink in final 15 min | Gel or drink in final 15 min |
The caffeine dose matters. 3-6mg/kg body weight, taken 45-60 minutes before the start, is one of the most consistently supported ergogenic aids in endurance sport. For a 70kg rider, that is 210-420mg — roughly 2-4 strong coffees. Test this in training first.
→ Read the full guide: Pre-Race Warm-Up Protocol for Cyclists
Race-Day Checklist
The checklist exists so you do not have to think at 5am. Print it. Tick it off. Leave nothing to race-morning memory.
Kit bag:
- Helmet, shoes, glasses
- Race number and pins (8 minimum)
- Timing chip (if applicable)
- Jersey, bib shorts, base layer (check forecast)
- Arm warmers, gilet, rain jacket (pack even if forecast is clear)
- Gloves (full-finger if under 12C)
Nutrition:
- Race-morning breakfast (pre-measured)
- On-bike fuel: gels, bars, drink mix (enough for the full distance, do not rely on feed zones alone)
- Caffeine source (gels, tablets, or coffee)
- Recovery shake or bar for post-finish
Bike:
- Tyres checked and inflated (check the night before AND the morning of)
- Chain lubed
- Brakes tested
- Computer charged, route loaded
- Spare inner tube, tyre levers, CO2 or mini pump
- Multi-tool
Logistics:
- Directions to start, parking info
- Start time and wave assignment
- Emergency contact written on arm or in jersey pocket
- Phone (fully charged, in waterproof bag)
- Cash (for the cafe stop you promised yourself)
→ Read the full guide: Race Day Checklist for Cyclists
What the Experts Say
- Dan Lorang — Head of Performance, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe — on how World Tour riders taper differently for one-day classics versus Grand Tours, and what amateurs can borrow from that framework.
- Joe Friel — author of The Cyclist's Training Bible — on the periodisation principles behind a proper taper and why most self-coached athletes cut volume and intensity simultaneously, losing sharpness.
- Alan Murchison — Michelin-starred chef turned sports nutritionist — on practical race-day fuelling that works for real people, not lab athletes, and the 48-hour carbohydrate protocol that replaced the old pasta-party approach.
→ Hear the conversations: All Podcast Guests
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should I taper before a race? For a road race or time trial, 10-14 days. For a sportive, 7-10 days is usually enough. The key principle is the same: reduce volume by 40-70% over the final 1-2 weeks while keeping 1-2 short, sharp intensity sessions. Drop the volume, keep the intensity. A taper that removes both leaves you flat.
What should I eat on race morning? A carbohydrate-rich meal of 1-3g/kg body weight, 2.5-3 hours before the start. Porridge with honey and banana, white toast with jam, or a rice-based meal all work. The only rule that matters: eat what you have practised. Nothing new on race day.
How do I pace a 100-mile sportive? Start at 85-90% of your planned average power and resist the temptation to ride with faster groups in the first hour. Target 70-75% of FTP as your average for the full distance. Eat from the first 30 minutes — 60-90g of carbohydrate per hour from gels, bars, and drink mix. The riders who finish strongest are always the ones who started with restraint.
What should I bring on race day? Beyond your bike and kit: race number and pins, timing chip, on-bike nutrition for the full distance (not just what you think you will need — what you will need if a feed zone is missed), spare tube, CO2, multi-tool, arm warmers and gilet regardless of forecast, phone in a waterproof bag, and cash. Lay everything out the night before. Use a checklist.
Should I ride the day before a race? Yes — a short, easy spin of 20-40 minutes with 2-3 brief accelerations (10-15 seconds at race pace) keeps the legs feeling responsive without adding fatigue. This is the "opener" session. Do not ride hard, do not ride long. Easy in, easy out, done by lunchtime.
How much caffeine should I take before a race? 3-6mg/kg of body weight, 45-60 minutes before the start. For a 70kg rider, that is 210-420mg. Start at the lower end if you are caffeine-sensitive. Always test your race-day caffeine protocol in training first — some riders get GI distress from caffeine gels on an empty-ish stomach.