Race Tune-Up

The day before a race should be a rest day. However, by "rest day" I'm not implying that you should take it off. I just mean that you shouldn't be tearing yourself down so much that you need serious recovery afterwards. It should be called a "tune-up day" rather than a "rest day".

My favorite "tune-up" routine the day before a race is the following:

About 1.5hours total with 3 x 1 minutes hard, with at least 5 minutes of easy riding between each. Also do 3 x 30 seconds hard sprints, with 5 minutes between. Easy cruising home.

This will wake up and recruit the different muscle fibers needed for tomorrow. This will make you feel much better the next day than if you took the day off.