Ironmate Sportive Top training and racing tips.
www.cyclemate.co.uk
Gearing
You will be riding in close proximity to many hundreds and thousands of other cyclists.
Expect the unexpected, cyclist suddenly stopping in front due to fatigue, poor gear change, dropped chains, punctures, others swerving to avoid a dropped drinks bottle. Try and avoid stopping using an easy gear will allow you to safely pass others who may have gone off too fast.
You need very easy gears. Use your fitness and save your strength at all costs. Especially if it’s hot a good way to keep cool is use an easy gear pushing against resistance creates your body temperature to quickly raise.
Training
If you cannot find a hill that is long enough then complete a 30 minute TT then complete a total of 30 minutes of hill repeats (not including recovering spinning back down to the bottom)
Cycling over geared 55-60 revs per minute before riding up hill can closely stimulate sportive. You need to get use to being tired when riding up hill.
Riding off road builds up strength while you have a high cadence again similar to long hot sportive climbs.
Set your watch to go off every 5-10-15 minutes and practice drinking. Learn how many swigs it takes before you empty a bottle. If you need to drink 500ml per hour keep a note of your swigs so you stay on track and hydrated.
Learn to spin your legs down hills, not necessary at 70 revs per minute but 10-20 revs keeps the blood flowing and saves your legs.
Sportive foods
Practice with the foods that you will eat in your sportive. Even have your 1,000 calorie breakfast before your long training rides.
Expect your taste buds to change and if the weather is much hotter in the sportive then gels and some bars can be hard to swallow!
You will be burning up 500-900 calories per hour.
A 10 hour sportive will therefore need 5,000-9,000 calories. You will not be able to consume that much and still cycle but you will still need at least 40% of your sportive needs during the event.
Altitude
The air will be thinner but also the air will be drier so you need to drink more the higher up you go.
Clothing
Prepare for 4 seasons during one long day.
Comfort 1st that you have tried many times in training not new clothing.
Cold to start then expect the temperature to rise. Even rain may fall higher up.
It can often be cold at the top. Staying warm requires extra energy (calories). Spare layers can make all the difference and defiantly worth stopping to put on an extra layer.
Once you get tired you will need a much wider ratio cassette to help you get up hills comfortably. Practice easy spinning on the hills to develop muscle memory.
Gear selection
Choose a gear that seems too easy save yourself.
No one will ask you what gear you used but were you able to cycle without stopping.
It is difficult to train on the same terrain so
See my table below of using an easy gear high cadence to comfortably cycle up a hill. Compare the sprocket and cadence required to maintain the same speed.
The climbs will be long so you need to find your own rhythm.
Keep your arms wide apart to allow as much air into your lungs as possible.
27" wheel x 36 (Chain wheel) divide by rear sprocket = number in inches travelled
I.e. 27 x 36 divide 20 = 48.6 inches for one revolution.
700c wheels – 36 inner front ring
Sprocket – Inches for one revolution – revs per minute to maintain
8 mph - 5 mph
20 48.6 68 42
21 46.3 71 44
22 44.2 75 46
23 42.3 77 48
24 40.5 81 50
25 38.9 84 52
26 37.4 87 54
27 36.0 91 58
Other Sportive gear ratio’s listed below.
700c wheels –
40/22 (49.1 inches)
42/23 (49.3 inches)
44/24 (49.5 inches)
46/25 (49.7 inches)
39/21 (50.1 inches)
38/21 (48.9 inches)
36/20 (48.6 inches)
36/19 (51.2 inches)
36/25 (51.2 inches)
36/26 (48.6 inches)
36/27 (51.2 inches)
650 wheels –
36/19 (49.3) inches)
38/20 (49.4 inches)
39/20 (50.7 inches)
39/21 (48.3 inches)
Carbo Loading
7 days before
In the 7 days before your sportive you need to keep snacking and never getting hungry.
Carbohydrate on race day will be your main source of fuel. Your readily available carbohydrate energy will be around 2,000-2,200 calories.
Liver 100g/400 calories and 400g/1,600 calories in the muscles and the rest in the blood. This is not enough for your sportive so you will need to have 300-450 calories per hour from foods and drinks.
Last 7 days make sure you keep you keep hydrated with a 6% carbohydrate drink and have a protein recovery drink after each work out.
3 days before
Increase your carbohydrate and reduce fat protein and fibre from your diet.
A reduction in training will mean you need fewer calories anyway.
Sportive Mistakes to avoid
Make no changes to your bike position. If you have to remove saddle handlebars etc for travelling make sure you use tape or marker pen to be able to replace everything back to normal.
Don’t just drink plain water in the last 7 days otherwise you could wash away your natural minerals from your body with your urine. Have food with your water or add fruit juice.
For long distance nutrition sportive tips click on link- http://www.ironmate.co.uk/nutrition-info.htm