The Gordon McCauley Ride the Rakaia Training Programme

Base Phase, Weeks 1-3

Keep the gearing easy on these rides, for this 3 weeks it’s all about building some consistency in your riding, if your new to cycling then this is the time to brush up on some skills like drinking whilst your riding and riding in a group.
Most towns have a local Sunday bunch, call in at your local bike shop and find out what time the bunch leaves and where from, they should be able to point you in the right direction.
If you can’t keep up with the bunch at 1st then don’t be disheartened, most of us couldn’t when we started, you’ll be surprised how fast you improve if you stick to the program.
For those that have a cadence meter you should be aiming at 85-100rpm on your rides, if it’s too hard to keep the cadence (RPM) that high then select a lower gear.
This is also a good time to try out any sports foods/drinks you are thinking of using on race day, there’s no point in getting to race day and finding out the drink mix your using for the first time makes you feel sick.

Build Phase, Weeks 4-6

Once again this phase is about consistency but on Tuesdays and Saturdays I want you to add a little more ‘oomph’ to your efforts, on those days put it in the Big Chain Ring when you get a head wind and push a bit harder, be sure to keep that cadence in the 85 to 100 range, it’s really going to help your legs on race day over the final 20kilometres.

Intensity Phase, Weeks 7-9

OK team, it’s time to crank it up, on Tuesdays and Saturdays I want to do at least 1/3 of each ride hard, put it in the big chain ring and give it heaps!
It’s especially important to get a feel for pacing yourself during these efforts, if you start too hard you won’t be able to keep it going, if you start too easy you’ll feel like you have too much gas in the tank at the finish, I normally do these types of efforts during the last 3rd of my rides so I can simulate the last part of a race when my legs are really tired.

Taper Phase, Weeks 10-11

Righto Team, by now you’ve put the base km’s, building phase and Intensity phase into action and you should be feeling pretty tired.
It’s time to rest up and let your body recover, we call this the ‘Taper Phase’ because your tapering back on your training.

Race Day

The day of the race is not a time to change things, this may be stating the obvious but I’ve seen some of the things listed happen on race day with disastrous results.

- Don’t change anything on your bike, pump the tyres up (about 120psi in dry conditions, 100psi if it’s wet), and oil the chain and that’s it, putting your seat up or down and/or changing your position can lead to injury, you’ve done the hard work..don’t undo it all now.

- Don’t change your diet, if you don’t normally eat a huge bowl of pasta before a ride then don’t do it on race day, of course you need to eat (3 hours before the race is the optimal time) but eat what you’d normally eat.
I prefer toast with mashed banana before I train so that’s what I eat on race day.

- Carry a spare tube and pump and know how to use it!, you can’t finish the race if your standing by the side of the road trying to figure out how to get a tyre off.

Good Luck and let me know how it goes!

Gordy McCauley