1st Sportive advice

brianandrews

I would really appreciate it if you could provide me with any advice you can as to how to survive my 1st sportive. I am doing the 60m medium route in the Evans chilterns sportive next weekend. I commute 15 miles roundtrip X 3 a week and have tried to put some hills into this and have managed about 5 20-30 mile rides - 2 in the Lake district. I have not had the time to do any longer than a 30 mile ride yet, due to a 6month old baby and a busy job. I was pretty tired when I did a 30 mile ride in the lake district. I will try to get 40 miles in around Richmond this weekend.
I can average around 15-16 mph by myself for 2 hours so far. I believe the Chilterns sportive will be pretty hilly but perhaps not lake district hilly?

How much pain am I in for and any hints would be great.

Cheers!

me-109

Doubling the distance is quite a step. However, these typically have one or two feed zones so you should have plenty of opportunity for rest and a scoff.

gethinceri

Take it easy, ride at your own pace, have a sensible carby meal for dinner. Look around and take in the scenery, enjoy the chance to ride in a crowd, chat and make some new friends. Let us know how you get on.

JayKosta

Gethinceri wrote:

Take it easy, ride at your own pace, have a sensible carby meal for dinner. Look around and take in the scenery, enjoy the chance to ride in a crowd, chat and make some new friends. Let us know how you get on.

---

YES! do the sportive as a 'social ride' and not as a competition.
Starting too fast will tire you out very quickly. Find some pleasant companions who ride at a pace that is reasonable and all will be well.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

BeaconRuth

brianandrews wrote:

I can average around 15-16 mph by myself for 2 hours so far. I believe the Chilterns sportive will be pretty hilly but perhaps not lake district hilly?

It depends how devilish the organisers have been with their route and it also depends whether you sought out the toughest climbs in the Lake District when you were there.

If there are a lot of hard hills the thing to remember is that you can't afford to dig too deep on any of them because you've got to get round the whole route. So use a lower gear than you might normally and settle in to riding up each climb within yourself. Don't make the mistake of being competitive on the climbs - you'll be thankful you didn't when you're still feeling strong at the end.

How much pain am I in for and any hints would be great.

You're not in for much pain - I think you'll be surprised how (relatively) easy you'll find it. Just don't push for a fast time, keep the pace comfortable and enjoy it as others have said.

Ruth

bahzob

As above. In your place I'd make the main goal simply to enjoy myself and celebrate the accomplishment of finishing/setting a new personal best in terms of distance.

I'd offer the following tips. They've helped me over the years and apply equally well regardless of whether, like you, taking part in your first event or trying for a high finish in a competitive sportive like the etape.

Just ride at your own pace, keep with groups if they let you do this, if not ease up, another will be along shortly.

On hills go easy at the bottom and try to maintain a comfortable pace that you can sustain to the top. Simplest is just change to your lowest possible gear for every hill and focus on keeping a steady cadence rather than trying to power yourself up.

For the distance forget the 60 miles, just break it down into chunks, say 4*15 miles. At the end of each chunk give yourself a pat on the back for completing then refocus on the next. The chunk just after half way is often the toughest so prepare yourself for that.

Take advantage of feed zones for rest but don't use them to overeat. Your stomach should feel quite full after a good breakfast a couple of hours beforehand (ideally with plenty of low GI carbs like porage) but never full during the event itself.

Hopefully the weather will be good. If not and it looks as if it well be a bit nasty, get your waterproofs on asap. They work a lot better over dry clothing. Ditto if the weather turns from bad>good get them off quickly.

Good luck, hope it goes well

bobmcstuff

You'll be surprised how much easier it is cycling in a group. Just take it easy and you'll be fine

slowbike

I wouldn't worry - you'll be fine!

As others have said - take it easy.
I did my longest ever ride (100miles 8k feet climbing) this year only having really done some commuting (~10mile eachway) and 10mile TTs as "training". The advice from an ex Pro was to select the next gear up (ie one easier) and spin up the hills (no grinding - unless you've got no more gears left!). I coupled that advice with the target of going at no more than 80% HR max - and a sustained 65-70% for most of it and had no problems. Yes, I was tired at the end, but by pacing myself and eating sensibly I didn't bonk and still had enough energy for the 13% gradient just at the end.
A wheel to follow is handy, but if they're going much over your pace then you're best to let them go.

brianandrews

Thanks for the advice everyone.
I think I'll try to keep well within my limits for the 1st 40 miles while hopefully finding a group to ride with.
Do you get told to do one if you just hang on the back of a group? Is there a strict set of rules for group riding or does it depend on the group?

slowbike

Yup. Strict guidelines are to try and get someone else to ride in the wind so you can shelter.

Just ride. If anyone moans about you being on their wheel then back off .... I doubt they will though

bahzob

brianandrews wrote:

Thanks for the advice everyone.
I think I'll try to keep well within my limits for the 1st 40 miles while hopefully finding a group to ride with.
Do you get told to do one if you just hang on the back of a group? Is there a strict set of rules for group riding or does it depend on the group?

If you are not used to riding in pace groups the best for you and the group is to aim stay around the back.

Not right at the back or you risk getting dropped on a fast acceleration, say about 3/4 down the line Sharp corners are the biggest risk , as the group goes through and accelerates it stretches out and the further back you are the bigger the gaps become. If the group is going at a pace you are comfortable with then its worth going a bit hard to catch up and stay with it in this case.

Hills will also have an effect. Watch out for these as the group will suddenly slow, change down to your lowest gear as soon as you see the climb, don't wait until the road goes up.

On climbs groups will naturally splinter. Don't expend any extra effort trying to stick in it, just focus on getting to the top at your pace and catch a ride from the next one that goes past.

Your main responsibility is to stay alert and keep a steady 2-3 foot gap between you and the wheel ahead. Keep an eye on the road surface as not every danger will be signalled by the riders ahead.

If the group is organised (not that likely tbh) then the stronger riders will be doing turns and as each stops pulling they will move down the group to recover. Just let them slot in front of you. If you get any comments about this just ignore them, none of the riders in the sort of group you will be with will be elite level and any of those with pretensions of going fast will have done just the same as you.

What's more likely to happen is that the front will be a bit of a dog's breakfast in which case you can just keep your position and enjoy the ride.

All the above applies to groups of around 6 or more. Smaller groups chances are you will end up at the front at some time. In this case just do 10-15s to keep the speed steady then move over to the right and let the next rider through. If anyone complains just tell them this is your first sportive and they should understand. If they don't just ignore them.

bobmcstuff

I seriously doubt anyone will mind you hanging onto their wheel unless you do something dangerous. Just be polite and friendly and chat to people. If it looks like someone takes themselves/the ride far too seriously make some comment about their bike being nice or whatever as this flatters their ego... Not ever had any real problem though.

I often try to hang onto much faster riders for a bit of practice and if I see them again later I might thank them for the tow. But seriously, won't be an issue.

brianandrews

Gethinceri wrote:

Take it easy, ride at your own pace, have a sensible carby meal for dinner. Look around and take in the scenery, enjoy the chance to ride in a crowd, chat and make some new friends. Let us know how you get on.

Again, thanks for all the advice.
I really enjoyed it and it was a lovely day. I wasn't really able to hang onto a group, as I couldn't find one doing my pace but maybe next time.
What I leaned
Bring your own Stand pump ( I had an issue and had to run around to find one, which was after the start line, so I lost my group from the off)
Bring 2 or more spare inner tubes and repair kit(I had two punctures in 30 miles and was worried the rest of the way round).
Eat lots and drink lots
Know where the climbs are ( wasn't psychologically prepared for a couple of toughies at the end)
Someone gave me the advice to break it up into chunks, both on climbs and overall. I really had to use this advice on the last couple of climbs! :oops:

I had a bad case of numb toes most of the way round, which I may have solved now by moving the cleats.

Overall a great experience and I will be back for many more. I have learned I am very average cyclist but that's ok by me.

Thanks all!

wandsworth

brianandrews wrote:

Gethinceri wrote:

Take it easy, ride at your own pace, have a sensible carby meal for dinner. Look around and take in the scenery, enjoy the chance to ride in a crowd, chat and make some new friends. Let us know how you get on.

Again, thanks for all the advice.
I really enjoyed it and it was a lovely day. I wasn't really able to hang onto a group, as I couldn't find one doing my pace but maybe next time.
What I leaned
Bring your own Stand pump ( I had an issue and had to run around to find one, which was after the start line, so I lost my group from the off)
Bring 2 or more spare inner tubes and repair kit(I had two punctures in 30 miles and was worried the rest of the way round).
Eat lots and drink lots
Know where the climbs are ( wasn't psychologically prepared for a couple of toughies at the end)
Someone gave me the advice to break it up into chunks, both on climbs and overall. I really had to use this advice on the last couple of climbs! :oops:

I had a bad case of numb toes most of the way round, which I may have solved now by moving the cleats.

Overall a great experience and I will be back for many more. I have learned I am very average cyclist but that's ok by me.

Thanks all!

Well done! You won't stay average if you keep challenging yourself.

I'm doing the Velothon Wales (120km, including the Tumble near the end) next June, which will be my first Sportive, so this was a very useful thread.

I guess another thing to think about would be nutrition/fuelling along the way.

gethinceri

I would advise against Velothon as your first sportive as it will be a massive event, there are multiple reasons why this makes a difference. Tumble is not near the end and you will still have Caerfilthy Mountain to enjoy. I advise you to do a sportive between now and Velothon and to understand the route and profile of any event in advance.

wandsworth

Gethinceri wrote:

I would advise against Velothon as your first sportive as it will be a massive event, there are multiple reasons why this makes a difference. Tumble is not near the end and you will still have Caerfilthy Mountain to enjoy. I advise you to do a sportive between now and Velothon and to understand the route and profile of any event in advance.

Thanks for the advice. I'll certainly try to do one beforehand, and will study the route/profile.

official Velothon website wrote:

The 120km route is a challenging route, incorporating two famous and notoriously difficult climbs.

Riders will leave Cardiff to the east, visiting Newport and Usk, before entering the Brecon Beacons National Park to tackle the legendary Tumble climb – a highlight of stage 3 at this year’s Tour of Britain and home to Velothon Wales’ King of the Mountains challenge.

The route then heads south via Pontypool and Newbridge on its way to Caerphilly for one final climb up the stunning Caerphilly mountain, before finishing with a fast decent towards the finish line located in the heart of Cardiff city centre.

Total climb: 1403 metres

gulp ...

gethinceri

You should try living here!