For Major Goal (Saturday race)

Ensure you arrive on the start line in top form - and feeling fresh with this tried and tested Taper routine.

Whatever event you’re targeting, chances are you’ve been training hard to build your fitness and form for some time.

It's easy to get carried away and train to train hard all the way up to race day but without tapering properly all that hard training could be for nothing. You need to give your body time to rest and recover, so you arrive on the start line as fresh – and fast – as possible. A taper is a reduction in training to ensure you are ready to race on the day of a major event.

As a result, this taper is perhaps the most important part of your entire training plan – if you get the taper wrong then all of that time training could be thrown away. While you won’t want to do a full taper for every event you ride, for your most important goals, it will help you produce your best performance on the day.

This plan provides the correct balance ensuring you lose the fatigue built up during training whilst at the same time not losing any fitness.

At the end of this plan, you will be fit, fresh and ready to race!