8 Days in California; course preview

Here is the course preview for 8DC, remember you can sign up here, 9 days to go!

Stage 1

Duration: 1:15:00
TSS: 99
IF: 0.89

Starting off with two sprint points and a KOM, 8DC kicks off with a varied course that caps off its foray through the mountains with a fast and nervous circuit race. The varied course combined with the nerves and energy of the opening stage will keep the intensity high with a mostly aerobic profile spiked with short bursts well above FTP.

Stage 2

Duration: 0:59:00
TSS: 74
IF: 0.87

An almost prologue-esque ITT on a mostly flat, out and back course marks stage two of 8DC. After a quick warmup, the relatively simple and brief course profile will allow for two race-start intervals at 130% FTP followed by 11-minutes at 103% FTP. Don't go out too hard!

Stage 3

Duration: 1:35:00
TSS: 131
IF: 0.91

The long and varied stage three kicks things off with a solid amount of climbing, giving you a mixture of sweet spot and FTP work. Afterwards, a jaunt through some flat terrain provides some great opportunities to collect some sprint points with some brief anaerobic efforts. But make sure you ride smart, because an absolutely massive effort on the mountaintop finish will push you above FTP for eight, hard minutes.

Stage 4

Duration: 1:10:00
TSS: 99
IF: 0.92

Day four is a day for the sprinters. A relatively flat course will allow for a certain amount of recovery, but is sure to be kept interesting by constant tactical surges. But don't worry - these surges will only push you over FTP for brief periods of time. Even though today's course would seem easy, frequent but relatively minor changes in elevation could provide the perfect opportunity for some bold race tactics.

Stage 5

Duration: 0:56:00
TSS: 72
IF: .88

Stage five is full of opportunity to gain points, but its shorter duration provides a great chance to get some life back into your legs after four days of hard racing. Frequent climbs at or above 77% FTP are intermingled with anaerobic sprint efforts for those coveted sprint points. What makes today's stage most interesting is a strong climb towards the end, followed by a massive descent that is sure to keep everybody on their toes.

Stage 6

Duration: 1:28:00
TSS: 128
IF: 0.93

Upward and... upward. Stage six is arguably the hardest stage of the challenge. A lot of punchy, intermediate climbing followed by a massive mountain top finish makes for an excellent opportunity to leave a mark on the GC. The stage is sure to be highly tactical, so expect a fair amount of low intensity work in between seriously hard efforts ranging from 115% FTP to a whopping 180% FTP. The final climb is sure to be just as tough but without the luxury of tactical slowdowns in between efforts.

Stage 7

Duration: 1:10:00
TSS: 110
IF: 0.97

Your penultimate stage certainly won't provide any rest opportunities. Expect a ton of sweet-spot work as you navigate the initial rolling hills. But stay vigilant - you'll need to give everything necessary to cover important moves while you work your way towards the extremely intense circuit finish.

Stage 8

Duration: 1:21:00
TSS: 121
IF: 0.95

This is it. Your final chance to leave it all out there. A brutal circuit race awaits you on day eight with four, lengthy laps on a punchy and hilly course. Be ready for hard efforts at or above 110% FTP as you navigate the technical course on your way to the finish.

Thanks to Jonathan for sharing the preview.

I will have a couple more one month free giveaways coming up before the start so stay tuned!