Race Plan — Protocol

• Why is this rider doing this race?
• What would make this race useful even if the result is not strong?
• What is the main developmental aim of the day?
• Is this a learning race, a practice race, a support race, or a target race?
• What outcome matters, and what process matters more?

• Is this likely to be hard from the gun or selective later?
• Will terrain decide the race, or will positioning and chaos decide it first?
• Is this likely to be attritional, tactical, stochastic, or controlled?
• Does the finish favour a group, a reduced selection, or a solo rider?
• How much support will the athlete really have in this race?

• A race is not defined only by the profile
• The same course can race very differently depending on level, weather, and field
• Define the race the athlete is actually entering, not the race that exists on paper

• Use Veloviewer, Strava, GPX files, maps, profiles, race manuals, rider recon, and videos where possible
• Look beyond elevation profile - use maps and satellite view to understand road width, corners, surface, and exposure
• Use race manuals or tech guides to identify feed zones, sprint points, KOM points, time bonuses, sector changes, and support rules
• Use Strava or segment data to identify likely speeds, split points, and how sections are typically ridden
• Preview the course or key sections in person where possible

• Identify every section where the bunch will compress, narrow, or hesitate
• Look for gravel entries, cobbles, pinch points, road furniture, sharp turns, gutters, and transitions from wide road to narrow road
• Ask where poor position could cost more than poor fitness
• Treat these as pre-problems: the important work is usually done before the section itself
• Write down exactly where the athlete must already be near the front

• Decide whether each climb is selective, rhythm-based, positioning-sensitive, or fatigue-building
• Assess gradient, length, surface, run-in, and whether the bunch can fan out or will enter compressed
• Identify which climbs are likely to split the field and which merely stress the field
• Ask whether the climb suits the athlete's physiology or just exposes the athlete's weaknesses
• Look at what happens after the climb - many climbs matter because of what they lead into

• Separate straight, fast descents from technical descents
• On straight descents, ask whether riders can come back using speed and draft at the bottom
• On technical descents, ask whether front position gives a major skill and safety advantage
• Look for corners, visibility, road width, grip, gravel, mud, and changes in line choice
• Identify whether the descent is a chance to recover, gain ground, create gaps, or reduce risk

• Check likely wind direction, strength, and where the course is exposed
• Identify crosswind roads, open ridgelines, bridges, coastal sections, and sheltered-to-exposed transitions
• Ask where the race could split without climbing
• Note where teams may use wind to create selection or where isolated riders may get caught out
• Treat crosswind risk as a positioning issue before it becomes a physical issue

• Look for cobbles, gravel, mud, broken road, drains, painted lines, and changing grip
• Ask whether the section rewards stability, technical skill, confidence, tyre choice, or front position
• Identify where the race becomes more technical than physical
• Consider how surface changes affect bottle access, feeding, cornering, and confidence

• Mark all feed zones and support opportunities
• Check the terrain before, through, and after the feed zone
• Ask whether the athlete can safely finish bottles, rearrange, and take a new bottle there
• Note where a feed is more likely to be missed because of speed, bunch tension, or positioning
• Link feed zones to key sections, not just kilometres

• Where must I already be near the front?
• Where can I move up without wasting too much energy?
• Where does my physiology matter most?
• Where does my technical ability matter most?
• Where is the race likely to become smaller?
• Where can I win time, create selection, protect position, or reduce risk?

• What is my role?
• What must I do for the team regardless of how the race feels?
• What should I cover, protect, control, or support?
• What parts of the race matter most for the team plan?

• What am I trying to learn in this race?
• What skill or behaviour am I practicing today?
• What part of the race usually challenges me most?
• What would count as growth even if the team outcome dominates the day?

• Individual development must not compromise the team role
• The team role should not switch off the athlete's own awareness and learning
• The rider should leave the race having served the team and learned from the race

• Identify the parts of the course where the athlete's role can actually be executed
• Support riders should identify where they may need to cover moves, position leaders, take wind, or manage support tasks
• Protected riders should identify where they must stay sheltered, where they can stay patient, and where they need to be visible
• Aggressive riders should identify where early moves can form, where the course naturally stretches, and where attacks are likely to have value
• Breakaway-focused riders should identify where the field is disorganised, where teams may hesitate, and where terrain supports commitment

Good race plans do not only analyse the athlete. They analyse the opposition.

The rider should know who is likely to control the race, who wants what outcome, who is dangerous in certain terrain, and who may be vulnerable in others.

• Identify the favourites, GC threats, strong teams, and key domestiques
• Ask who wants a controlled race, who wants an early split, and who wants a sprint or selective finale
• Identify who is strong on climbs, who is technical, who is durable, and who is likely to commit early
• Identify where strong teams may control and where smaller teams or isolated riders may struggle
• Look for opposition weaknesses such as poor technical skill, isolation, reliance on one race type, or over-marking

• Attack where the race is awkward, not just where it is hard
• Use transitions, hesitation, technical exits, and moments of confusion
• Do not attack only because a section is steep - attack because the section changes the race
• Use terrain to reduce the field before trying to deliver a result
• Sometimes the smartest move is not going - it is waiting for the better moment

• Where can I likely fulfil my role?
• Where can I cover moves?
• Where can I realistically get in a break?
• Where would a solo move be logical, and where would it be pointless?
• Where should I stay protected or avoid working?
• Where does the finale start for me, not just on paper?
• Where should I attack if the race is small enough?
• Where does the opposition want the race to go, and how can that help or hurt me?

• Do not confuse effort with effectiveness
• Good position saves energy repeatedly
• Poor position creates repeated surges
• Protect cadence and smoothness early where possible
• Out-of-saddle efforts should have purpose
• Save your hardest efforts for when they change the race

• Treat hard accelerations, repeated surges, and full commitments as matches
• Do not burn matches early just because the race feels loud
• Ask whether the effort changes position, outcome, or safety
• If the answer is no, the effort is likely too expensive
• The rider should know where they are willing to spend heavily and where they are not

• Keep cadence high enough early to reduce muscular damage and avoid grinding unnecessarily
• Stay smooth in accelerations where possible
• Avoid repeated out-of-the-saddle surges unless they serve positioning, safety, or a meaningful move
• Use the early race to protect freshness, not burn it
• Do not ride emotionally because the bunch is nervous or the names are big

• Positioning is energy management
• A rider who sits too far back often pays repeatedly through closing gaps, braking, and re-accelerating
• Good position usually costs less than repeated recovery from bad position
• Move before the bunch compresses, not after

• Protected sections with low tactical value
• Headwind solo sections unless the move is highly justified
• Calm middle phases where steady intake and recovery matter more than visibility
• Points where another rider or team is happy to do the work
• Sections where being patient creates better options later

• Before choke points and selection zones
• When a truly important move goes
• When the role demands it
• In terrain that suits the rider and disadvantages others
• In the lead-in to the decisive phase when position must be protected

• High torque efforts may be necessary, but should not become the athlete's default too early
• Repeated grinding often creates hidden fatigue
• Protect rhythm where the race allows it
• Recognise when the rider is starting to force speed through muscular cost rather than race value

• Repeated pointless surges
• Frequent time in the wind without tactical value
• Emotional chasing
• Missing fueling because of poor rhythm
• Riding out of the saddle too often before the race matters
• Feeling 'active' but arriving empty

• If a key move goes here, must I follow?
• If I miss it, do I chase, settle, or wait for the race to come back?
• If I arrive in poor position, what is the least costly correction?
• If the race is calmer than expected, where should I reset and prepare?
• If the race is already harder than expected, where should I simplify?

The start phase is often about safety, position, and immediate race shape.

• Know whether the start is neutral, rolling, technical, uphill, or immediately selective
• Protect position without over-spending
• Understand whether the opening minutes are about staying near the front, moving up quickly, or surviving the first split
• If the race is likely to go hard immediately, start mentally and physically ready for that

This phase often decides whether the athlete enters the real race in a useful position.

• Move into useful position before the first major stress point
• Avoid panic spending
• Read how teams, favourites, and stronger riders are behaving
• Start fueling if the race allows
• Stay engaged - do not hide passively and let the race happen in front of you

This phase is often where poor plans drift and strong plans stabilise.

• Maintain baseline intake and support systems
• Stay alert to changes in race shape, weather, terrain, or rider behaviour
• Use calmer sections to recover, drink, and reposition gradually
• Be clear on whether this phase is for conservation, coverage, or shaping the race

This is the point where the race really matters for this athlete.

• Know when the finale begins for this rider, not just according to the profile
• Increase commitment to position and timing
• Reduce unnecessary complexity
• Be ready to follow, launch, protect, or commit depending on role
• Use the terrain and race state to express strengths

The finale should be raced intentionally, not emotionally.

• Know whether the rider wants a sprint, a reduced group, a late move, or a solo finish
• Know where the last meaningful move can go
• Know where the finish approach requires position, patience, or early speed
• Do not wait until the finish line to start thinking about the finale

• Is the fueling plan aligned with the race phases and feed points?
• Is the equipment setup aligned with terrain, conditions, and support level?
• Are environment and cooling plans aligned with the likely race stress?
• Does the athlete know how the race plan connects to their readiness and execution cues?

• If I miss the key move, what is my smartest next step?
• If the race is harder than expected, what do I simplify first?
• If the race is easier than expected, where can I stay patient?
• If I am alone, how does my tactical freedom change?
• If my role changes mid-race, what becomes the new priority?

• Calm response beats emotional reaction
• The first problem is rarely the last - do not make it bigger
• A changed race still needs a clear plan

• Position early
• Stay smooth
• Fuel before the next stress
• Do not chase noise
• Commit when it matters

• Choose 3-5 cues only
• Use language the athlete already uses
• Make sure each cue drives action, not just mood
• Tie cues to the key moments of the race

• What would make this race good even if the placing is not?
• What specific behaviours should be visible?
• What should the coach be able to say the rider did well?
• What should the rider be proud of regardless of result?

• Race purpose and whether the race served it
• Role execution
• Positioning at key moments
• Use of strengths and exposure of weaknesses
• Energy management and match spending
• Fueling and support execution
• Decision quality
• Composure under pressure

• Do not overreact to one race
• Look for repeated problems across races
• Some issues are race-specific; others are recurring development needs
• Strong reviews identify patterns, not just emotions

• What did the race say about current physical capacity?
• What did the race say about technical skill?
• What did the race say about tactical understanding?
• What did the race say about execution under pressure?
• What needs training?
• What needs skills practice?
• What needs race simulation or group practice?
• What needs to be simplified?

• Do not try to fix everything at once
• Choose 1-2 key development priorities from the race
• A good next block is targeted, not reactive
• If it is not trained or practiced, it will not improve