Stage racing
Training for stage racing:
1. Train for endurance first - if you can’t finish the course it doesn’t matter how fast you are.
2. Review the course and previous results to define what you need to do - the longest/hardest day, the steepest section, the longest climb and what gradient is it, technical sections, feed stations, etc.
3. If there are things you can’t do now, these need to be the focus of your training at least initially.
4. Train for the longest/hardest day and don’t worry about back-to-back days initially.
5. Focus on fundamentals initially such as VO2max intervals (4 x 5 minutes with 5 minutes recovery) and Threshold (4 x 8 minutes [2 mins recoveries]).
6. Include some short low cadence efforts for unexpected steep/technical section (3 to 6 sets of 4 x 10s [30s recoveries]).
7. As you get closer to your event, make things more specific with tempo work on loose surfaces.
Find Success with a Coach
A good coach is someone who is an expert in their field, who facilitates two-way communication with their athletes, and who uses an outside perspective to schedule their athlete’s training, plan periods of rest, and do everything they can to ensure their athlete performs at their full potential on race day.
Nutrition:
1. It's RACE DAY. It's 90 minutes to race time and you ate your breakfast one or two hours ago (allowing two or three hours post-breakfast for digestion). You've been following a sound nutrition plan and you have rested and fueled properly in the last 48 hours to assure your glycogen reserves are full.
2. With 90 minutes to go, you should be mainly focused on hydration, carbohydrate intake, caffeine, and beet juice. Now is not the time to eat high-fat or high-protein foods as they take more time to empty out of your stomach and won't serve you during your event. The focus would be on easy-to-digest carbohydrate-based foods or sports drinks.
3. Nutrition is vitally important to being successful. Obviously the most important is to get enough calories to keep you going and I can think of several accounts of experienced ultra-endurance racers where they have lost significant time and places in events due to inadequate nutrition. Learn what is likely to be available along your route and make a plan accordingly. Make a nutrition plan, practice it and make it a routine. If in doubt, play it safe and spend a bit of time making sure you have sufficient supplies. Glycogen Stores Are Limited.