It's 'Get Ready for Racing Week' on Cycling Weekly: your guide to the prep you can do to achieve your racing goals

From 13-17th February, here at Cycling Weekly we'll be providing you with all our tips and advice for bringing your best self (and bike!) to upcoming races and events - so you can better hit your cycling goals.

A large part of your performance comes down to your physical fitness and your freshness on the day. Following a cycling training plan through the winter (and into spring) is great preparation, but as race day draws closer you’re going to want to taper down your sessions and flush the fatigue out of your system - we’ll be taking you through just how to get the balance right later this week.

Come the big event itself, one of the next most important considerations is your cycling nutrition strategy - without the right fuel, and in sufficient quantities, even the best riders can end up coming unstuck. 

There’s a huge variety of different ways to take on carbs your muscles need. Energy bars can be easier on the stomach and deliver a less spikey release of energy, whereas mixing energy powders into your water bottles can provide an easy and instant hit of sugar just when you need it. The best energy gels sit somewhere between the two and make another useful tool. But with all cycling nutrition, it’s best to experiment before hand - what works for some people might not work for you, and you don’t want to find that out in the middle of a race!

Then there’s the bike. In terms of where you’re likely to see the biggest gains, it’s the physiological side of things that is generally most important - but a badly maintained bike can see even the strongest riders out of the running. We’ll take you through everything you need to know on getting your bike in tip top racing condition - as well as providing a few suggestions for those contemplating an upgrade.

You can find all our articles from the week below: 

• Follow our road racers' cycling training plan to sharpen your racing edge
• How to taper for a big event
• Hitting peak form is easier with the help of training apps - here’s how
• Is your bike race ready? Here's how to get your rig running perfectly ahead of any big event
• Ask a cycling coach: Can 'panic training' ever actually help ahead of a big event?
• Everything you need to know before your first crit race
• Taking the plunge: How to nail your first race
• Best aero bikes