Prudential RideLondon Training With Dani Rowe: Week 15

About this Series

Welsh-born Dani Rowe is a former pro road cyclist and three-time world champion and Olympic gold medallist in the women’s team pursuit with Great Britain.

Each week she is sharing her story preparing for the 2019 Prudential RideLondon 100 using the “Prudential RideLondon 100” Zwift Training Plan. See her full list of stories, or learn more about Zwift’s Prudential RideLondon Training Plans

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I can’t believe how quickly the time has gone. After 15 weeks of training, we are finally down to the last one, tapering into Prudential Ride London on Sunday! I don’t know about you, but I have loved the journey from week one until now. I’m super excited about getting on my bike Sunday morning.

This week is just as important as the past 15 weeks of training. With all the hard work done, resting is important so you can soak all your good work up and perform at your best on the big day. I would advise you all to follow the Zwift plan in the last week as closely as possible. The keys to a proper taper are reducing the volume but maintaining a little intensity.

In the last week, the plan consists of:

• A 45-minute free ride which I would advise you to ride easy;
• An anaerobic session which includes six efforts of 35 seconds, perfect to expose your body to top end work without causing any fatigue; and
• A power max session which includes sprints with your own recovery time. Listen to your body, and if you feel tired, have more rest and cut the number of sprints within the free ride session.

Another crucial part of this week is to ensure your bike is in full working order. I always advise people to get a bike service to ensure you don’t have any mechanical problems on the day that could have been avoided.

Additionally, make sure you’ve made a nutrition plan for the day and the day before! You should focus on a high carbohydrate meal the night before the event and also in the morning before you ride to make sure your glycogen stores are topped up. I like to have either a pasta or rice-based meal the night before a long ride, then porridge and toast the morning of. Make sure you are well-hydrated the day before and make sure you only take in nutrition you’ve tested in training to avoid stomach problems.

During the big ride, aim to eat at least every hour, including the first hour. This could be an energy bar, gel, banana, flapjack, or anything with high carbohydrate content that is easy to digest. Also, focus on drinking one 500ml bottle per hour.

Most of all: ENJOY! I’m excited to complete this event without worrying about my time or average speed or power numbers. I’ll be taking in all the sights, so make sure you say hello if you spot me out there on the road.

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