Preparing for an Important Race

Start of National Hill Climb championship 2006

This Sunday is the 2008 National Hill Climb Championship in Matlock.

It’s great to take part in National championships because

• There is a big crowd
• Roads are closed to traffic.
• Good to ride against the best in the country.
• You might get your name in Cycling Weekly!
• Last race of the season. It’s good to finish on a high.

These are some things to do before a big race

1. Know the course.

If possible ride the course beforehand. It is good to know what to expect so you know exactly how to pace your effort. For some races, knowing the course can give you an advantage in cornering at high speed. Last weekend, Damiano Cunego used his knowledge of the descents to ride away to victory in the Tour of Lombardy.

• I was going to go up to Matlock to ride the course beforehand, but, when I learnt it was only a 2 minute climb I lost interest. If it had been 5 minutes I would have done it. (Dave Preece over at Penny Farthing Blogspot rode the course

2. Make Sure the Bike is in Perfect working order.

I remember before a National 100 mile championships 2005, I adjusted my tribars on the evening before the race. At the start line, 4 minutes to go, my handlebars came completely loose, there was no way I could ride. I asked other riders if they had a spare allen key – they didn’t. But, one guy at the start line (one of the pusher offers) happened to have one. I tightened up the bars with 2 minutes to go and ended up coming 4th. I was lucky, but, the moral of the story is be prepared. If you have to make changes make sure you give yourself a chance to ride the bike after the changes have been made.

For the National hill climb, I will be taking away the large chain ring. I will also be putting in lightweight brakes with cork brake blocks for the carbon fibre wheels. I will make the changes today, and ride a few times on the Zipp 404s and with a single chain ring.

• Note: It is tempting to take off the front mechanism to save a bit more weight. But, the risk of the chain jumping off, outweighs the potential benefit of saving 100g. 100g is about 0.1 second. A chain slipping off is the end of your race. Good to keep things in perspective.

3. Tapering period.

The most important thing you can do for a big event is to taper your training so that your muscles are fully rested and ready to go.

The British Olympic team were broadly following a strategy of having a very light last 6 days. 6 days before race take two days off training. Then have a short but relatively intense day. Then take the last 2 days off. This kind of tapering you only want to do 1 or twice a year. But, it can make a big difference.
Usually, at the end of the hill climb season in October, I feel inclined to taper my training anyway. More on Tapering for race

4. Arrive in Plenty of Time.

It might sound hopelessly obvious. – Arrive in time, remember your bike, wheels, shoes e.t.c, know where to go. But, the problem is too often I’ve failed to follow my own advice and arrived for a race on the wrong day / with wrong equipment e.t.c.

5. Give it Everything.

For a big race, it is important to have the right mental attitude. It is the willingness to push yourself as hard as you can go, to race at your absolute limits, which is important. For this it is necessary to be really motivated and focused.  At the same time, you want to avoid getting nervous. I also try to enjoy the events as much as possible. – Being happy with whatever result occurs.

6. Eat Well

It’s important to have the right preparation in terms of food and energy. If the race is early in the morning, it is particularly important to make sure your blood sugar levels are high.

For a race like a hill climb, you need to leave a gap of at least 3 hours from a heavy meal. It is better to eat often but light before a race. In the last hour and a half I will not eat any solids, but some liquid gels. I once did a hill climb with too much food in my stomach – it wasn’t a pleasant feeling!