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So You Signed Up for a Bike Race… Now What?

by | Jan 31, 2025 | Racing

If you recently signed up for a bike race, whether it’s your first gravel grinder, a local mountain bike series, a new-to-you enduro or a MTB stage race, you may be feeling a little panicked. The race is a few months away, so what the heck are you supposed to do? You may be considering getting a coach, or downloading a training plan, or you haven’t gotten to that point and you’re just freaking out a bit. Here, we’re breaking down the options:

Do Something!

Here’s the thing: The best time to start training, if you haven’t already started, is today. Not once you have the perfect plan or the perfect trainer setup or whatever. If you have a race on the calendar and you’ve found your way to this article, it’s time to do SOMETHING. Anything. Maybe that’s a 30 minute trainer spin while you peruse training plans for the one you’ll start tomorrow. Maybe it’s going for a walk. Maybe you can sneak in a ski or even a bundled up bike ride. Whatever you can do today, do it. You can start the official plan tomorrow.

That said, don’t let ‘something ‘ be the enemy of the ‘right thing.’ Doing something gets you started, but you’ll want to figure out some kind of structure and plan ASAP.

Coaching

If you’re someone who needs accountability, who loves to comment and reflect on your training, or who has a schedule that changes constantly, a coach may be the best way to prepare for an event. A virtual coach isn’t there to train with you every day, but they will program your training based on your schedule and goals. They’ll also edit it as life starts happening and you need to tweak and adjust to allow time to drive to your kid’s soccer tournament, or offer training alternatives when you get stuck on that work trip without your bike. A coach can also be a shoulder to cry on—and can provide advice on things like race-specific fueling plans, what tires work for certain courses, and how early you should travel to altitude if you’re racing Leadville.

We offer a few coaching levels that vary in terms of how often you communicate, so if you think you’ll prepare optimally with a bit more connection, we’d love to chat! Check out our coaching options here.

Training Plans

Think of training plans like a roadmap while a coach is more like a GPS that can constantly reroute you when needed. If working with a coach is out of your price range or you just don’t feel like you need the constant contact, frequent tweaks to your training, or accountability that a coach can bring, a training plan designed to bring you to race day can be a great option.

There are simplified free training plans on plenty of sites and in books, but if you’re looking for something specific that you can follow and upload your training to so you can see how you’re progressing, a training plan based in Training Peaks likely makes the most sense for you.

If you have a relatively stable schedule and a traditional Monday-Friday job with weekends generally more open for long rides, and your main goal is to get through the race reasonably well but you’re not going for a specific time or position, a pre-made training plan will get you there. We have a ton to choose from, from race specific ones for big events like Unbound and Leadville to more generic plans that get you ready for a MTB marathon or cyclocross season or big gravel grinder (among many others.) You can shop all the plans here.

If you have a funky schedule (like shift work), you have a really specific goal for the race, or you’re new to cycling and are coming from an extreme beginner mindset, a custom three-month plan is probably better for you than a pre-made option. These plans take your schedule, current fitness level and race goals into account to tailor a plan that works for your specific needs. Learn more here.

Not sure? Book a call!

If you read this and you feel like your head is spinning, we can help you figure it out and come up with a loose structure, a training plan or even help you envision what coaching would look like for you. Book a 30-minute phone consult with Peter and he can take you through your options based on your race, your life and schedule, and where you are on your cycling journey. Sometimes, all it takes is being able to talk through your goal with someone who’s been there and helped hundreds of other riders get to the start line feeling prepared. You may not need a full-on coach-athlete relationship right now, but having that objective voice explaining honestly what you can be working on? Super helpful.

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