There are less than 6 days left till you line up at the startline in Sandwell, but don’t fret you can still get faster before race day. Just be careful as getting significantly fitter in a day is almost impossible, getting injured or exhausted is all too easy.If you followed Jon Brooke’s advice and went for a long ride yesterday then tonight is recovery night. That means 20 – 30 mins ultra gentle spinning avoiding any hills or technical sections that need any power to get you through. This will flush through the toxins and waste products still left in from yesterday’s last hill and replace them with oxygen and nutrient rich blood to speed your recovery. Follow this immediately with 15-20 mins stretching of your legs, lower back and shoulders.If you’re only used to training / riding once or twice a week then tommorrow is your last hard day. Even then it shouldn’t be taken to exhaustion level. As a rule of thumb keep the intensity the same but reduce the time by 30% and certainly don’t ride for longer than an hour. Concentrate on your speed and how good it feels and keep those positive thoughts going for the rest of the week.

Even if you’re used to riding more often, you need to reduce your training duration by the same amount to make sure that you just take your body to the level of stimulation rather than
exhaustion. Think short, sharp and efficient.

More details and advice tommorrow – D-Day minus 5!