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- Specificity beats volume — train back-to-back long days, not single huge weekends.
- Resupply strategy determines your finish more than fitness does on multi-day races.
- Sleep on Tour Divide-style events: 3-4 hours per night is a starting baseline, not a goal.
- Race-week bike setup should be boring: proven, broken-in, and you know how to fix every bolt.
/ 01
Pick the Right Event
Ultra races span 200 km single-day events to 4,000+ km multi-week epics. Pick a distance and format that matches your life, your ambition, and your tolerance for sleep deprivation.
Major ultra formats and what they demand
| Event | Distance | Format | Key demand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unbound Gravel (200 mile) | 322 km | Single day | Power, pacing, heat |
| Mid South (100 mile) | 160 km | Single day | Speed over rough stuff |
| Tour Divide | 4,400 km | Self-supported bikepacking | Sleep deprivation |
| Atlas Mountain Race | 1,200 km | Fixed route, self-supported | Hike-a-bike toughness |
| Silk Road Mountain Race | 1,900 km | Fixed route, self-supported | Cold, altitude, isolation |
/ 02
Training Volume & Specificity
Build volume gradually — most ultra racers peak at 18-25 hours per week for an A-priority event, with the largest weeks coming 4-6 weeks out. But the specific stimulus matters more than total hours: do back-to-back long days (six-hour Saturday, five-hour Sunday) to teach your body to recover while still riding. Single huge days with rest days before and after do not prepare you for the actual demand of racing tired.
Include at least one block of riding at the intensity you plan to race at. Unbound pace for a mid-pack finisher is roughly 55-65% of FTP for the first ten hours. Practise holding that for four, then six, then eight hours.
/ 03
Bike & Equipment
Your race bike should be the most boring, most-tested setup you own. Race week is not the time for new tyres, new saddle, or new anything. Every bolt should be checked, every contact point broken in, and every bag position dialled in training rides that look like race day.
Tyre choice for Unbound-style single-day events usually favours a 38-42 mm tubeless setup at moderate pressure; for Tour Divide, 50 mm or bigger is standard because of the long descents on rough surfaces with a loaded bike. Carry two tubes, two CO2 cartridges, a patch kit, a multi-tool with a chain breaker, and a spare derailleur hanger.
/ 04
Pacing, Sleep & Resupply
Most first-time ultra racers go out too hard. The first quarter of an ultra should feel almost irritatingly easy — heart rate 10-15 beats below what you would ride a century at. You will pay for early enthusiasm with interest later.
Resupply is the most under-trained skill in ultra racing. Know where every store is, what you will buy (caffeine, simple carbs, salty food), and their hours. For multi-day events, plan sleep around resupply: a 90-minute nap behind a gas station at 3 AM buys you six more hours of competent riding. Plan sleep before you need it, not after you start making mistakes.
/ 05
Mental Prep & Race-Day Execution
Ultra racing is a problem-solving exercise with a fitness component. Things will go wrong: a tyre will flat, a route will be closed, a storm will roll in. The racers who finish are the ones who treat each problem as a logistics question, not a verdict on the day.
Write a checklist for race morning. Lay out your kit, food, bags, and backup batteries the night before. Race morning should be autopilot — eat, dress, check the bike, roll to the start. Save your decision-making energy for hour fourteen.
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