Race reparation

There is nothing more frustrating that having your race or ride ruined by mechanical failure (of your bike, not your legs). This is what you need to do:

1. Always make sure to phone and make a booking for your bike. Make sure the shop you take it to is a reputable organization that will provide you with the right parts at the right price, and make sure they guarantee the work that they do.
2. Get to know your bike. If you need to, get hold of a glossary of bike terms, and get familiar with derailleurs, Bottom Brackets, Hubs and head sets. Get educated about the bike you ride, so when the techie starts spewing out unintelligible phrases and words, you can counter by throwing in a few of your own.
3. Write a list of all of the things you would like looked at: if you arrive at the bike shop without a list of problems, you might end up forgetting something. Go though the list with your bike technician, and make sure you are happy that you have explained all your concerns to him / her.
4. Get your chosen bike shop to quote before they replace anything expensive on your bike. It is important that you choose a reputable company, because you will need to trust them to a certain extent. If you are not sure about the job they are doing, phone a few other bike shops to confirm.
5. Test your bike when you pick it up. Make sure that the things on your list have been done, and done properly.

Here is a list of what your bike shop will probably do in the case of a normal service.

• Check fork trueness
• Align wheels
• Adjust gears
• Adjust brakes
• Re grease headset
• Re grease bottom bracket
• Re grease wheel hubs
• Lubricate freewheel
• Lubricate chain and derailleurs
• Lubricate gear cables
• Lubricate brakes levers and arms
• Lubricate brake cables
• Check tyres for wear and cuts
• Check and replace worn brake pads
• Check and replace frayed cables

It might not be a bad idea to have your bike set up checked at the same time as you have it serviced. Make sure you inform your bike shop of this, so they can have someone ready to set you up.

Ever noticed how some riders always seem to be motivated to train? What is the source of their inspiration? Sports psychologists have studied this for years. As an athlete you need to develop the sources of your motivation. The secret to your cycling success is your consistency of purpose in training, no matter what level you ride at.

Here are a few methods to remain focused on your cycling:

• Goals
  Make your goals attainable and enjoy being on the bike.
• Group Training
  Group Training is more effective than individual training. Set your training goals and stick to them.
• Regularity
  Practice regularly will help.
• Location

To train well, you must find the right balance between hard work and recovery.

High intensity work is a double-edged sword. It can lead you to your highest-possible level of fitness, or it can destroy your ability to produce top performances. Doing too much hard training can devastate your muscles, harass your hormonal system, and implode your immune system.

You're looking for the right balance of hard work and recovery, and that's the really difficult problem in putting together the right training program. Basically, you must figure out a way to complete a difficult training session, one which will produce the needed improvements in your fitness, and then recover for just the right amount of time before undertaking another quality session.

If you don't recover for long enough, your muscles won't be ready for the subsequent session, and muscle damage will occur. If you recover for too long, you're wasting your time. Instead of carrying out another fitness-boosting workout, you're taking it easy, thinking that you need recovery.

How not to do it

But how can you determine exactly how much recovery you need? Most athletes simply use a trial-and-error method. Many of them train hard until they become overly fatigued and then have to take time off to recover. It's an inefficient system, and one that carries a high risk of overtraining. Other athletes are more cautious, training hard once every three or four days or so because they're afraid to overdo it. This is also inefficient; these individuals could perform much better if they could fit more quality work into their schedules.

Recovery is a process involving the creation of new muscle proteins. If scientists could track how long this process goes on after intense sessions, they could help us reckon optimal recovery lengths. After all, you don't want to work out when protein creation is just getting started - or when protein is being produced at a high, steady level. Working out then would disrupt the recovery process. You want to wait until the protein creation has just about ended - and then immediately train again to start the process anew.

Questions you've always wanted to ask about the recovery process

Athletes are often confused about recovery. To ease that confusion, we've posed the most commonly asked questions about recovery below, along with the appropriate answers. First, though, we need to define a couple of recovery terms.

Compensation is what happens to your body after a workout is over. It involves a return to normal for heart rate and blood pressure, removal of excess lactate in the blood, storage of glycogen in muscles, repair of muscle fibers, restoration of normal hormone levels, and so on. Compensation brings your body back to its normal state of functioning after a training session.

Overcompensation is the process that actually makes you a better athlete. During over-compensation, your muscles stockpile higher-than normal amounts of glycogen, synthesize greater-than-usual quantities of aerobic enzymes, add new proteins to muscles to make them stronger, etc. In other words, your training stimulates you to 'rebound' to a higher physiological state.

Q: Should you try to conduct another quality workout during the overcompensation phase which follows a strenuous session, as experts recommend?
A: Ideally, the time to carry out the next quality workout would be at the exact end of the overcompensation stage, which appears to be about 36 hours after a previous tough session. If you try to train before overcompensation has ended, you won't be able to perform as well as you can, since restoration and repair won't be completed (your workout will be lower quality).

However, it is true that top athletes sometimes try to 'jam' workouts together so that a second exertion occurs well within the overcompensation phase (an extreme example of this is the Kenyan cross country runners' tendency to conduct two quality sessions within about four hours of each other when they are attempting to peak for the world championships). This jamming would interrupt the compensation process before it really got going - but might lead to 'superovercompensation' - a greater-than-normal response during the next 36 hours.

Q: Do men recover from tough exertions more quickly than women, as the experts suggest?
A: That would seem to make sense, since the male sex hormone, testosterone, is a noted booster of protein synthesis, but the available research doesn't support the idea. If anything, studies suggest that females may recover more quickly from roughly equivalent workouts (say, doing numerous sets of a tough weightlifting routine). It is clear that age and experience play a strong role in recovery; the younger you are and the more experienced you are at a particular activity, the quicker your recovery.

Q: Is the recovery process psychological as well as physical?
A: Yes. Anything which enhances your ability to relax between workouts will help you, because it will improve your concentration and motivation during subsequent exertions. Relaxation also helps reduce stress-hormone levels, which should promote greater glycogen storage in the muscles.

Q: What can I do to optimize the recovery process?
A: When you're training strenuously, make sure you take in about 16 calories of carbohydrate per pound of body weight each day. Also get enough protein - about three-quarters of a gram per pound of body weight daily. Bias your intake so that much of it occurs during the two hours after a workout. Stay relaxed and get plenty of sleep. And finally, follow the 36-hour rule between some of your quality sessions. All of these steps should allow you to get in more quality work - and yet still recover effectively. The bottom line is that you'll become a better athlete.

For positive physical change to occur, stress is necessary.
Workout Stress can be changed by manipulating the three elements of Training.

• Frequency-How often you train. Frequency increase and decreases depending what stage of your training program you are in.
• Duration-How long you train. Duration, increase and decreases depending what stage of your training program you are in.
• Intensity-How hard you train. Intensity, increase and decreases depending what stage of your training program you are in.

Too much and you end up overtrained and burnt out, too little and you are off the back of the bunch and will never reach your true potential.

A positive training response = More work at the same Heart Rate.
Training Adaptation occurs during “REST” – This is why Frequency [how often you train] is so important.

Why should one exercise at various intensity levels?

At various intensity levels the body utilizes different Power systems. These Power systems are either Oxygen independent (Anaerobic) or Oxygen dependent (Aerobic) The different Power systems only last certain durations. Power systems are not utilized separately and independently. At any given intensity you will predominately use a Power system, however the other power systems are always in use, but to a lesser extent.

Why Heart Rate?

The heart is primarily responsible for pumping oxygenated blood through the body, to sights of energy consumption [Legs] where oxygen is needed. During energy consumption, oxygen is required for the oxidation of carbohydrates and fats. The rate of energy consumption places an oxygen demand on the body. Heart rate is determined by the oxygen demand placed at the site of the working muscles. [Legs] The measurement of heart rate [bpm] therefore provides a status report on your body.

How heart rate?

Maximum heart rate. [MHR] MHR you will not see on your heart rate monitor in a race. [Unless maybe if the finish is up a hill and you sprint flat out until you cannot go any more] MHR is different for different sports. MHR depends on genetics. NB! A high MHR does not mean you are a good cyclist. Nor does it mean you are unfit. A low MHR does not mean you will NOT be a great Cyclist! This is what makes heart rate based exercise specific to each individual The MHR of individuals is used to personalize training & ensure training in the optimal heart rate ranges or Target Zones. MHR can not be changed with training, however an unfit individual will reach a true Max value.[Our bodies natural protection mechanism] MHR declines by about 1 beat per year.

Resting heart rate and training Taking your resting heart rate.

• Find your pulse, and either time one minute while counting the number of times your heart beats or time fifteen seconds worth of beats and multiply that number by four.
• Resting heart rate should be taken daily and recorded on a graph. If you do not wish to take it daily, get a reading over three consecutive days and divide that number by three to get an average. You can then compare this average to your resting heart rate on any particular day. Just bear in mind that you should revise this average as your training program progresses (the reasons for this are stated later).
• Your waking habits should not vary when taking your resting heart rate. The slightest amount of activity will push your heart rate up, so for the best results, take your heart rate before you get up.

Your resting heart rate is partial to:

• An increase in fitness: your cardiac system undergoes adaptations to exercise that allow it to pump more blood, more efficiently around the body, thus slowing your resting heart rate.
• Training sessions: with races and harder training sessions the body needs more time to recover. If the body is not completely recovered, resting heart rate readings will be higher because the heart is still working to replace all that the it has used.
• Over-training: a condition described as fatigue that does not disappear with normal rest. This will affect your RHR in that it will actually be higher even though you are getting fitter.
• Stress or anxiety: factors such as these will cause an increase in RHR.
• Alcohol: this will cause a rise is RHR as it dehydrates your body, making your heart work harder than normal to replace fluids.
• Flu or illness: a rise due to this may be detected days before any other symptom.

How does this affect my training?

When your RHR is at an elevated level, it is up to you to recall exactly what you did the day before. How hard did I train? How rested am I? How hard did I party last night? Am I getting sick? These can all be contributing factors that affect your resting heart rate.

An elevated RHR is sometimes directly associated with an intense training session, and the fact that the body has not completed its recovery phase. The length of this recovery is determined by the duration and intensity of your exercise. If the body is still recovering and you decide to do an intense training session, it will not be able to complete its anabolism phase (constructive metabolism or replacement of used products). Subsequently it will re-enter a state of catabolism (Destructive metabolism with the release of energy; the breakdown of complex substances within the body).

A RHR that is 5-10 beats higher than normal and erratic requires a recovery ride or less intense training session. This will help your body rid itself of by products of exercise such as lactic acid.

If your RHR is lower than normal, you know that you can confidently train at a higher state than normal.

You may think that you know how to breathe, but as with all workouts and physical activity, there is a better way.

The genetic curse.

Lets face the facts: there is no method humanly possible to boost your lung capacity from your measly four to five liters without transplanting Miguel Indurain’s eight and a half liter monster oxygen suckers. You were born with your lungs and you’re pretty much stuck with them. All, however, is not doom and gloom. The key to this is that lung capacity is pretty irrelevant according to Dr Mike Lambert of the Sports Science Institute. What really matters is how efficiently you breathe. Professor Tim Noakes covered two fascinating points on the body’s respiratory function in his well-read book The Lore Of Running. Firstly, trained athletes in a state of rest can move more oxygen into and out of their lungs than they would ever need during exercise.

Secondly, the average persons blood oxygen content (in arterial blood) does not fall, or falls only slightly during exercise (that includes maximum exercise). There are changes in the amount of blood found in venous blood.

Here is a brief physiology lesson: The gasping feeling you get when you exercise is controlled by the body’s need to rid itself of the metabolic by product, carbon dioxide, which is produced in excess during exercise. Chemoreceptors in the brain sense an increase in blood CO2 levels and thus elevate your breathing rate.

Correct breathing :

Rather than trying to pump more oxygen into our lungs, we need to learn to breathe more efficiently. The answer is to concentrate equally on exhaling and not to let it be as submissive as most people allow it to be. This means actively pushing the air out of your lungs. An increased force of exhalation should mirror an increased rate of exercise.

Breathing should also come more from the diaphragm: letting your stomach do the in and out movements rather than your shoulders will not only help in relaxing your shoulders but also waste less O2 and energy. Tim Noakes’ exercise for this is to lie flat on the floor on your back and to place some heavy books on your stomach. Concentrate on making the books rise when you inhale and fall when you exhale. It will take a couple of months of practice to fully incorporate this into your exercise style.

Breathing when cycling.

During near maximal effort, cyclists should maintain a rhythm of 30-35 breaths per minute. Although shallow superficial breathing is more comfortable, deep breathing uses oxygen and energy more efficiently. Deep breathing not only increases airflow, but also helps the cyclist maintain a low road cycling position with a flat back.

The effect of ageing on the lungs.

Cyclists wishing to counter the effects of ageing on their lungs should completely exhale and then inhale completely while standing up straight (on the floor, not on your bike). Your lungs are rarely completely full or empty – this exercise tests both extremes. Repeated 2-3 times daily, helps in combating the loss of elasticity and efficiency which an aging lung experiences.

To become a better climber, you need to do a few things:

Practice your hill climbing ability regularly

Across the spectrum, add climbs into your training sessions. The biggest mistake you can make is to ignore your weaknesses. Ride short climbs, long climbs, gradual drags and steep climbs. You also need to practice them in and out of the saddle. Just like everything else in cycling, climbing is very subjective. What works for your mate might not work for you.

It is important that you figure out what is comfortable for yourself. It is also important that you understand the benefit of "saving your legs" for later in the race. Try not to grind big gears on the longer climbs. Pick a lighter gear and rather try to use a higher cadence. The muscles that produce great force to be able to crank a heavy gear fatigue very quickly.

Improve your Power to Weight Ratio

With about a month to go before the race, weight loss should not be an option. An attempt at weight loss now has the potential to leave you feeling weak and lacking energy.

Continue to work on your strength rather, because more strength (along with added speed) means more power. So even if your weight stays the same, your power to weight ratio will have improved!

What does science say?

It's common practice for cyclists to stand on the pedals during hill climbs. However, few studies have investigated physiological responses of different body positions for competitive cyclists riding on inclines. Some research has found that cyclists were able to attain a higher VO2 max on a cycle ergo-meter when they were allowed to stand up. In theory, standing may allow cyclists to use an increased muscle mass.

Studies have shown that Energy expenditure and heart rate are significantly greater for standing compared with seated cycling when the cyclists rode up a 4% treadmill grade.

The results therefore indicate that for well-trained cyclists climbing moderate or low inclines, a seated position is the most efficient. For high inclines, standing or remaining seated are equivalent for efficiency, but standing just feels better! Remember though, the most important aspect is your comfort. Work on improving your climbing ability not by dramatically changing your style (that should be left for your off season) but rather by tweaking your current technique..

There is little or nothing that can be done to ensure that your race will be free of mechanical failure, and that your bike will get you over the line in one piece. No matter how well serviced your bike is, as a cyclist with 2 small pockets of air keeping you off the ground, you will always be prone to a puncture or two.

Prevention is better than cure

• You should pump bike tires up to the pressure imprinted on their sidewalls at least every 2 or 3 weeks, and more often for higher-pressure road bike tires. Many people pump their tires up every time they ride.
• Bike tires last longest, wear better, brake faster, protect the (expensive!) wheel rims better, and are less prone to punctures when they are kept properly inflated.
• Pumping up tires often enough is the most overlooked and expense-causing problem cyclists encounter, and pumping up your tires more often can dramatically reduce that expense and the chance of punctures.
• ALL bicycle tires have some kind of inner tube, and ALL inner tubes seep air. They deflate over time. This is NORMAL and USUAL!
• Get a good pump to make the tyre pumping easier, and use a pressure gauge made for bicycles to check tire pressure.

Fixing the Problem

Inner tubes puncture for two reasons: either a sharp object penetrated the tire or worked its way between tube and tire, or the wheel "bottomed out" and the tube got pinched between rim and tire. The latter usually causes a pair of telltale "snakebite" punctures.

You need two plastic tire levers, a pump (or bomb), and either a repair kit or a new inner tube.

Remove the wheel completely it is easier that way. In the case of the rear wheel, shift to the smallest rear sprocket first. Before you lose all the air, try to locate the puncture and mark that spot on the tyre. You will need to check the tyre for any sharp objects left there.

Let all air out of the tube and push the tire towards the center, away from the rim, all around the wheel. Insert the spoon-shaped part of one tire lever between the rim and the tire at the place where you suspect the puncture, scoop the tire out of the rim, and hook the other end into a spoke. Very carefully insert the spoon end of the lever only as far as needed to prevent pinching the tube. Repeat two spoke holes away from the first with the other lever. Repeat until you can pull the tube out of the tire. If you did not find the puncture on the tyre, pump up the tube to find the hole. Match this with the tyre to check if any objects are still imbedded in the rubber.

To reinstall the new (or repaired) tube, inflate it so it just barely holds its shape. Insert the valve and push the tube into the tire there. Working away from the valve, push the tube into the tire while slightly pushing it towards the valve.

Push the open end of the tire into the rim beginning at the valve, taking special care that the tube is not trapped between rim and tire, and work away from the valve. Usually it is hard to push in the last bit on the opposite side. If all this fails (and only then), you need the tire levers again. Put a little bit of air into the tube so it holds its round shape and insert the spoon-shaped end of a tire lever between tire and rim, but with the "wrong" side up - not hooking into the rim but with the inner side of the curve towards the tire. This makes it harder to push the tire in but reduces the risk of pinching the tube. Begin near the ends and work towards the middle of the section not yet pushed in. You can use the hook end of the other lever to keep the tire from pushing out of the rim at the other end.

Once you have the tube in, squeeze the tyre toward the center of the rim all the way around, to make sure that the tube is not caught any where along the rim. Inflate, and away you go.

You've bought the bike, then the clothes, shoes, helmet - you're nearly a pro. You're riding 20 km a day, then 40 km a day, averaging 25 km/h, but you're doing it on your own. You've seen the bunches about and you want to be part of it. Here are some hints about joining a bunch ride, if you have never been on one before.

TYPE OF RIDE
Try to find out what type of ride it regularly is. If the group meets weekly for a 26 km/h plod and you run up as the new boy/girl and decide to do 35 km/h, you will lose a lot of friends before you make them.

BRAKE CAREFULLY
Ride safely and try to stay off the brakes. If you are inexperienced and too nervous to ride close to the wheel in front of you, stay alone at the back and practice. When the pace eases, don't brake suddenly, instead ride to the side of the wheel in front and ease the pedaling off, then drop back on the wheel. Practice on the back and soon you will be able to move up the line with a partner.

DON'T PROP
Many riders, even experienced ones, freewheel momentarily when they first get out of the saddle to go over a rise or up a hill. When doing this, the bike is forced backwards. This can cause chaos in a tightly bunched group of riders. The sensation of the rider in front coming back at you is very unpleasant and can cause crashes. Try to keep forward pressure on the pedals when you get out of the saddle to avoid this situation.

LOOK AHEAD
Do not become obsessed with the rear wheel directly in front of you. Try to focus four or five riders up the line so that any 'problem' will not suddenly affect you. Scan the road ahead for potential problems, forthcoming red lights and be ready.

NO HALF WHEELING
When you finally make it to the front, don't 'half wheel'. This means keeping half a wheel in front of your partner. This automatically makes your partner speed up slightly to pull back alongside you. Often half wheelers will also speed up, so the pace invariably speeds up as the riders behind try to catch up. You don't have to prove anything to the group, it's just an easy training ride to build endurance with friends. Try to maintain the same pace as the group was doing before you took your turn.

STOP AT AMBER
Bunches should stop at red lights. If you are on the front and see an amber light, do not sprint through the intersection. The rear of the bunch can easily have a much too close encounter with an unidentified flying motorist, who will be completely in the right.

LEAD IN FRONT
Remember when you are on the front, you are not only responsible for yourself but for everyone in the group. When you're leading the bunch, try to monitor potential problems and give plenty of warning of impending stops or changes of pace.

WARNING CALLS
Point out potholes or similar obstacles, loose gravel and broken glass on the road for the riders behind you. A simple call of "hole" and pointing at the ground where the hole will appear can save a puncture or an expensive destroyed rim and the same with a shout of "glass!"

SWAPPING OFF
When your turn is up, carefully pull out of the line. Groups have various ways of replacing the pair of riders at the front. If it is the usual to swing off to the left or right remember this creates a line of four until you reach the back so ease right off to get back there quickly. If your group just moves up the outside line and crosses to the left, remember not to increase the pace too much to gain the front left side and settle into the rhythm of the group.

For all this information, it is important to be relaxed in the bunch. This comes only with experience and there is only one way to get experience - get out there and do it. Remember safety first. Safety from traffic and to and from other riders is essential.

Cyclists are infamous for 'just getting on their bikes and riding'. The trouble is, a bit like a car engine, the body needs to be warmed up before it will work properly.

It may take a bit of time management - like getting up ten minutes earlier, or preparing your clothes and bike the night before - but it's not a great idea to leap on your bike and pedal like mad to meet your club mates at an agreed hour. Your body will be far more responsive if you spend the first 10 minutes of your ride easing yourself into it, rather than putting heavy demands on your muscles, heart and lungs 'from the off.'

Ideally, you should also allow yourself a bit of time to stretch once you are warmed up. You can do this in the Pens while you are waiting for the gun to go off. The ideal approach is to use your own training rides and interval workouts as your data source. When you do intervals, when do you normally feel the best? What opens you up the best and leaves you primed for the rest of the workout. It's important to experiment and discover what works best for you while keeping in mind all the factors that will change your warm up routine from race to race.

Try to remember this simple rule: The shorter the ride and the higher the intensity you plan to race at, the more important the warm-up.

Prior to racing, you need to spend 10-30 minutes pedaling smoothly, gently increasing the intensity to about 80-85% maximum effort. You ought to arrive at the start line just lightly sweating but without feeling unduly fatigued. In this way your heart rate will reach its 'operating level' very quickly in the race and you'll be riding at your optimum efficiency sooner.

It is always frustrating to have to wait in the pens, but use your time wisely. Don't stand around getting nervous, rather keep mobile, have a good stretch and try to relax. Your cardio vascular system will already have had a wake up call, that goes for your legs too. Stay relaxed and focused.

After your ride or race, you should 'warm down'. The idea is that you don't get cold, but just to let the muscles get rid of the waste products that have been accumulating; you should spin a low gear for a few minutes. If you don't, these waste products will remain in the muscles for too long and you'll feel stiff and sore when you need to get back on your bike (if you gat back on your bike).

The aim for all cyclists should be to start races with carbohydrate and fluid stores well stocked. In most situations, combining your usual carbohydrate intake with light training or rest 24-36 hours before racing will be sufficient to fully stock carbohydrate stores.

The pre-event meal is important for topping up stores and for keeping the stomach comfortable during the race. There are many suitable options for the pre-event meal. Use the following suggestions as a guide and experiment to find the best option for you: * Have a normal- sized meal approximately four hours before the race and a snack one to two hours before the race.

• If your race is early in the morning, have a high carbohydrate meal the night before and a snack one to two hours before the race.
• Choose high-carbohydrate, low-fat foods to ensure easy digestion and to top up carbohydrate fuel supplies.
• Experiment with the type, timing and amount of food that works best for you.
• Include fluid with all pre-race meals and snacks. Drink regularly before the race to keep fluid levels topped up but don't over do it or you will find yourself feeling uncomfortable or having to urinate. Consume approximately 300-400 ml of fluid immediately before the race begins. This helps to prime the stomach and improve gastric emptying during the race.
• If you suffer from pre-match nerves, try a liquid meal supplement or a fruit smoothie as a pre-race meal.

Pre-race Meal Ideas

• Breakfast cereal with skim milk and fruit + toast + juice
• Muffins or crumpets + fruit + yoghurt + water
• Pancakes + syrup + fruit
• Baked potatoes with low fat filling + juice
• Pasta with low fat sauce + juice/cordial
• Rolls/sandwiches + fruit + yoghurt + water
• Liquid meal (supplements or homemade fruit smoothies)

Endurance Competition - Carbohydrate Loading
Carbohydrate loading is a method of eating which helps to optimize the amount of glycogen stored within the body. It is only really necessary for very long races or tours. Carbohydrate loading requires an exercise taper (for the week leading up to the race) combined with a very high carbohydrate intake.

For a 100 km race, you should not require a full carbohydrate loading regime. A lot of riders will go for a full Pasta meal the night before a race. This is not the correct way to ensure your glycogen levels are topped up. It is a better idea to take in slightly more carbohydrates for the entire week before your race. Remember, you will not be training too hard (as you will be in your final race-taper phase), so your muscle fuel will not be depleted too badly.

Hydrating yourself on the ride
Hydration is key to you being able to cycle well and function properly throughout the entire race. It is no good just drinking water, as water is not great for hydration. You will need to get some sort of sports drink in. There are several reasons for this. The first is that the drink will have some sort of carbohydrate content to help maintain your fuel levels. Secondly, it will contain an electrolyte component to replace the minerals you have sweated out.

More important that anything else, you should like the taste of your drink. If you do not like the drink, you could have the best product on the market, but subconsciously, you will not want to drink it. The day of the race is not a good time to experiment with new products that you have purchased at the expo. Stick with your tried and tested hydration routine, and you should have a fantastic race.

The following rules will keep you safe during the race.

• Always be aware
  Many riders are not aware of their surroundings. You must be comfortable riding with and around others and aware of where other riders are in relationship to yourself. In a race there will always be plenty of riders on the road. If you are uncomfortable riding in the group then you will not be as effective in carrying out race tactics. You need to practice your group riding ability as often as possible between now and the race. The other riders need to know what you are doing in a bunch. If you move sideways in the group do so gradually so the other riders can respond and move out of the way. Violent movements cause crashes! Being comfortable and relaxed in the pack will make you a more effective racer and will make racing more fun. Remember, your actions will affect the riders around you.
• Drinking and Eating
  I have been noticing more and more cyclists attempting to warn other cyclists that they will be taking a drink from there water bottle, by swinging the bottle out to the side before taking a sip. In my opinion this is totally unnecessary and can even be dangerous. The first time I experienced this practice I was in a small tight bunch traveling at 50 km/h, and I thought the guy next to me was offering me a sip, or at least asking me to smell his secret concoction in his bottle. Simply take the bottle out of the cage and straight up to your mouth, and then straight back down to your bottle cage. The fewer things are waving around in the bunch the better.
• Stay focused on the road ahead
  Do not look behind you ! Especially when you here that terrible noise when cyclists fall, or when you want to move to the side of the bunch. If you turn your head, chances are your shoulders will follow. This in turn will make your wheel turn and you will drift unknowingly. To move around in the bunch, you only need to worry about what is happening in front of you. Move slowly in the direction you intend going. Remember: If someone touches your back wheel, they will fall and similarly if you touch a back wheel in front of you with your front wheel chances are you will take a tumble!
• Do not overlap on the back wheel in front of you in the Bunch!
  If the rider in front of you begins to drift and your wheel is overlapping, they will touch, and you will fall.
• Equipment
  Make sure your pump and any other equipment you have like tubby bags are securely fastened to your bike and that your water bottle will not jump out of an old bent oversized water bottle cage; this inevitably causes a big accident!
• Keep Calm
  Keep calm and remember nobody is trying to purposefully cause an accident. There is no need to scream and shout like a mad person. If there is a cyclist who needs a warning, a simple yet firm " Hold your Line" will normally suffice.
• Stay out of trouble
  If you are not comfortable riding in bunches or do not have much experience at this then try not to ride right in the middle of the bunch where you have no easy, quick escape route. Do not sit right at the back of the Bunch. This is where the weaker cyclists who are struggling end up and hence a lot of accidents occur here.
• Take your turn
  Do not sit in the first few positions in the bunch without being prepared to do a little work on the front of the bunch. If you do not want to work or are unable to help work then make sure you are not in the way of those that are prepared to tow you to a good time.By applying these rules to your race, you will be able to stay out of trouble and get home safely.

1. Do not buy new equipment just before the Big Day! Only use tried and tested equipment!
2. Do not try new nutritional products on race Day.
3. Keep all your race day [Morning] preparations down to a minimum.
4. Pin your numbers on the night before.
5. Put your bottle with your carbohydrate mix in the fridge the night before. You absorb it better when it is cold.
6. Increase your intake of carbohydrates in the couple of days leading up to the Race. The night before I like to have a large mug of my Carbohydrate mix before bed.
7. Eat breakfast 2hrs before the start.
8. Make sure you are familiar with the start procedure- what group you are in, start time etc.
9. Warm up well, even though you have to stand around and wait for a long time. You can stretch while standing waiting for the start.
10. Start at the front of the bunch.
11. I like to take a banana to eat on the start line before the start.
12. Try to remain in the front quarter of the bunch.
13. Try to make sure you are towards the front of your bunch at the start of the climbs.
14. Always ride out of the wind.
15. Eat and drink little amounts throughout the race.
16. Try to use lighter [easier gears] earlier on in the race, this will save your legs for later on.
17. If you get dropped [left behind] by your group, ease up a little and wait for the next group to catch you from behind and then get towed along by them.
18. If your group is to slow, then do not work flat out, rather wait for the next fast group to come past and then jump in with them.
19. Make sure you have adequate spares and know how to use them.
20. Make arrangements to meet your family and friends afterwards and enjoy the post race events.