First cycling event advice

[Ellb123]

Hi all,

Started cycling just over a month ago, decided to sign up for something to give me a goal and keep me motivated, I decided on the Great North Bike Ride as its local and also 65 miles which seemed like a good goal.

I'm now doing 30/40 mile rides at a weekend, and a few 20 miles through the week (going to start commuting as of next week) and the ride itself is on the 26th.

This is my first cycling event, any tips on prep or advice through the day?

Cheers,
Ell

[lufbramatt]

Plan what you need to eat and drink

Wear decent bib shorts

Don't make any last minute changes to nutrition or kit

Make sure you know how to fix a puncture

Don't start too fast

Have a plan for getting there /back as public transport can be a nightmare for events like this

Don't forget your helmet

[Not Ideal]

+1 on the above.

Eat and drink often and little. If you wait until you're hungry or thirsty its too late.

Enjoy.

[Dr Murdoch]

Agree with the above.

Also its worth noting that it is important to hydrate the day before, don't just leave it to the day of the event (similar with carb loading, but not sure you will need it for 65). Saying that, can't see it doing any harm.

[sidicks]

Ellb123 said:

Hi all,

Started cycling just over a month ago, decided to sign up for something to give me a goal and keep me motivated, I decided on the Great North Bike Ride as its local and also 65 miles which seemed like a good goal.

I'm now doing 30/40 mile rides at a weekend, and a few 20 miles through the week (going to start commuting as of next week) and the ride itself is on the 26th.

This is my first cycling event, any tips on prep or advice through the day?

Cheers,
Ell

It sounds as though you are pretty well prepared already - some good advice on the nutrition above.

One thing I would say, if 30-40 Miles is the longest you’ve ridden in one go, then coping with this mentally is probably going to be as big a challenge as physically. It was for me, when I stepped up from doing 40-50 mile practice sessions on a turbo trainer to 80-90 miles a day on London to Paris.

My approach was simply to split the route into say 4 x 16miles and then (for me at least) it was much easier to get my head around the requirements.
When I got to the end of the section, I’d get off the bike briefly, do some stretching, have some food and then start again, focussing on the next 16 miles or whatever.

It certainly worked for me, but it does depend if your goal is mainly about finishing the event, rather than aiming to finish in under 5 hours, or whatever.

Edited by sidicks on Thursday 9th August 14:50

[rastapasta]

eat a banana and drink a half glass of beetroot juice prior to the spin.

[Harpoon]

Take food you are used to, for instance I wouldn't switch to some exotic gels I've not tried before in case they induced some digestive issues.

Learn some of the basics of riding in a group (etiquette and signals) if you don't already.

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/news/article/izn...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWWP7R-1Vi0

[snobetter]

Dr Murdoch said:

Agree with the above.

Also its worth noting that it is important to hydrate the day before, don't just leave it to the day of the event (similar with carb loading, but not sure you will need it for 65). Saying that, can't see it doing any harm.

Re carb loading, a colleague who is side lining in personal training advised against this when I discussed it with him. His reasons, the body can only consume x amount per hour, overloading sits in your gut and potentially reduces sleep quality. Eating a normal sized good quality meal the night before then getting up early enough to eat and have that supplying you, and then eating well and maintaining through the day / ride is the best approach.

Hydrating the day before more crucial so as not to start in a dehydrated state and constantly trying to catch up.

Made sense to me...

[Ellb123]

Cheers for all the replies, some helpful stuff!

Cracked the 50mile mark last sunday, my last long ride before the GNBR, feeling quite confident now, looking forward to it!

Going to see how it goes and then maybe sign up for the Wooler Wheel after, I like having something to keep me motivated and on my bike.

[Tempest_5]

I always have a big bowl of porridge before I go out on a big ride. It sits there gradually digesting and giving you energy for a fair while, or so I am told. It seems to work. Make use of feeding stations en route.

As said before, ride your own race/ride at the pace YOU want. At the start loads of people will go charging off, resist the temptation to keep up with them all.

Plan the route. The second MTB marathon I did that had two laps. The second lap was longer than the first and without proper planning I went for it a bit too early at the end and bonked about 1 KM before the finish. Clumsy but I learnt a lot from that.

If you haven't got one, get a trip computer to help track how far you have gone & monitor how much food drink you are consuming & how much you need to conserve.

Good Luck.