Is it better to train or rest in the week before an event?

[Hip Priest]

Sounds like more sleep would be better than reducing mileage. Easier said than done with kids though.

My wife is taking them to their grandma's all day tomorrow. I've decided to do a 50 mile hilly training ride first thing, then sleep all afternoon. Ha! I can't be helped. I am addicted to cycling.

 

[montage]

Sleep well, fuel well, make sure your bike is mechanically sound and you will be flying. Tapering to an event is all personal preference. Three days should do it; ay before - easy spin, 2 days before - rest day, 3 days before - easy spin. This way your mental sanity is protected by getting some rides in, and you won't have stiff rest day legs when it comes to the start line (personally, my legs tend to feel shite the day after a day off the bike, hence why I prefer short spins to recover rather than days off)

 

[Hip Priest]

Thanks for the advice.

Just went out for a couple of hours at a fairly brisk pace (18.4mph average). Now I'll just commute gently, eat & sleep well, and be confident that I've done enough...

 

[david k]

Thanks for the advice.

Just went out for a couple of hours at a fairly brisk pace (18.4mph average). Now I'll just commute gently, eat & sleep well, and be confident that I've done enough...

IME that is a sound way to approach these things

 

[Pedrosanchezo]

I think this really does depend on the individual. IME there are two major faux pas'. The first is training too hard all the way up to event day with no rest or "active recovery". The result is serious fatigue and your body has had no time to recover. You will essentially be starting whilst already fatigued. Second is taking to much rest before the event and your legs end up slow, non responsive and take too long to warm up or get going. The body essentially shuts down in an attempt to fully recover.
I once done a time trial where i couldn't ride at all for 3 days prior and was so far off the pace that i swore to never do it again. My legs felt better and stronger over the following two days of riding. It transpired that, for me, not cycling before an event had a negative effect on my performance.

If you need a rest then IMO you should consider taking one or two days off before the event and ride the day right before the event. Do a light ride (say about an hour) with a few sprints at 90% just to waken up the legs and get them firing again. Nothing too strenuous.

This article is a decent read and covers the subject. It's a difficult art to master IMO and might take some trial and error to find out what works for you.

 

[david k]

thats a very interesting read, made me realise a few things i didnt know before, or maybe i did but didnt realise there was a reason to it!

 

[Pedrosanchezo]

Our bodies are weird and wonderful things. Squeezing the best out of them is an ever ongoing challenge. If that wasn't hard enough you also have to contend with the mind, which will directly affect performance, for the better or worse, depending on a variety of factors.

 

[Mo1959]

Agree with the rest day thing........at least for me anyway. Had a spell of feeling a bit leg weary so thought a couple of days off would help...........didn't. Actually felt more lethargic, so for me I think active recovery seems to be the way to go.

 

[User482]

I usually find a couple of days' rest after a hard/ long ride are enough to sort out heavy legs.

 

[HLaB]

I find it a mistake to do both (rest or train) and try to just do gentle commuting in the week before.