Penyagolosa CSP

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 388m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Long race. Control your HR and effort. Early mistakes cost the most.
• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 66.2km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 101km.
• Start · 0.0km–1.8km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.8km–19.6km · Descent of 388m averaging 5%. Plus 1 more climb. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Work · 19.6km–51.7km · Descent of 283m averaging 8%, descent of 366m averaging 13%. Plus 2 more climbs. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Fade · 51.7km–101km · Climb of 756m, descent of 507m averaging 10%, climb of 848m. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 101km–104km · Descent of 267m averaging 7%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Long descent: keep it even and let go only near the end.

Course

By gradient, 44% of the distance is uphill, 32% downhill and 23% flat. The longest climb runs 13.1km at an average 6.5% grade (848m of vertical). The longest descent runs 8.2km at an average 4.8% grade (388m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 31.6% over 0.4km. The steepest descent drops at 24.2% over 0.3km. Surface: 66% trail, 14% road, 13% smooth, and 7% technical.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Tossal Gros (348m), 4.7km from the start. The course also passes close to Tossal de Sant Cristòfol (1132m) and la Roca Penyanposos (1055m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 14.5km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 43 of 100), with 49% of the load in the first half: 4 descents deserve a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 66.2km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 101km.
• #1 · 11.5–19.6 km · 388 m D−, -4.8% · 84.8 km ahead → control
• #4 · 36.1–39.4 km · 283 m D−, -8.5% · 65.0 km ahead → control
• #2 · 48.9–51.7 km · 366 m D−, -13.3% · 52.7 km ahead → control
• #3 · 61.0–66.2 km · 507 m D−, -9.9% · 38.2 km ahead → control
• 100.6–104.4 km · 267 m D−, -7.0% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end