If improving your time is one of your goals, there’s only so much that better technical skills can do for you. For such a long event, and especially given the many long and flat (less technical) sections involved, improving your ability to just plain go faster will be key. Many riders try to improve their average speed by always “just riding hard”. While this can certainly work, you’ll usually find that interval training is a more effective method. Break your efforts into 5, 10 or 15 minute chunks and go harder than you normally would. Recover between those efforts, and then go hard again. When that gets easy (or, easier!) then either add more time, reduce your rest, or add intensity!
About the author: Kurt Schaldenbrand has been racing bicycles since 1983. He’s been a licensed coach working with competitive and developmental cyclists since 1990 and has been head coach for the University of Michigan Cycling team since 2012.