Pre-Sportive Routine

ridgerider

Just waiting to go down to the seafront to sign in and take part in my local Eastbourne Sportive starting in about an hour. 64 rolling miles through the Low Weald and South Downs. Very enjoyable, weather looks good, 15 degrees, sunny with 12mph winds.

So...got up nice and early (no alarm clock required(!), yesterday's leftover rice eaten along with a couple of fig rolls. Cup of tea downed followed by a coffee. Bike tyres still inflated from last nights prep, energy drink, toolkit and computer loaded onto bike. Too soon to get showered and dressed. Just got to wait...and wait...and wait...

Is there any better pre-event routine I could follow???

imposter2.0

It's a 64 mile sportive, not the world RR champs. No special prep needed, although a decent breakfast would be sensible - rice and fig rolls doesn't sound like much use for anything, let alone a bike ride.

ridgerider

Smashed it...30 minutes faster than last year. My first ever gold time. Believe in the power of fig rolls!

I was just wondering this morning what to do in that gap between eating nice and early to work it into your system, and actually doing the ride.

I got a medal so I must be some sort of champion! Next one in 8 weeks...

ugo.santalucia

Ridgerider wrote:

I got a medal so I must be some sort of champion! Next one in 8 weeks...

My advice is to be wary of events that give away medals...

Matthewfalle

Stuff the haterz above - top work that man. I seethe negative comments but I don't see them doing the business.

So long as you went out, enjoyed it and did yourself proud that's cool by me.

Well done on the medal and the time.

meanredspider

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Ridgerider wrote:

I got a medal so I must be some sort of champion! Next one in 8 weeks...

My advice is to be wary of events that give away medals...

That's pretty much every event, these days. What's wrong with these now (apart from being a waste of time & money)???

ugo.santalucia

meanredspider wrote:

That's pretty much every event, these days. What's wrong with these now (apart from being a waste of time & money)???

IMO if they make such a good profit that they can waste a pound to give a pointless piece of metal to every finisher, they must screw you pretty hard.

That said, it is not "pretty much every event"... in fact the last one I got was a few years back. It is very likely that with the new commercial ownership, you'll get one at the Fred Whitton next year... tempted?

meanredspider

ugo.santalucia wrote:

meanredspider wrote:

That's pretty much every event, these days. What's wrong with these now (apart from being a waste of time & money)???

IMO if they make such a good profit that they can waste a pound to give a pointless piece of metal to every finisher, they must screw you pretty hard.

That said, it is not "pretty much every event"... in fact the last one I got was a few years back. It is very likely that with the new commercial ownership, you'll get one at the Fred Whitton next year... tempted?

I don't need medals and they cost nothing like a quid when bought in the volumes that these people buy them so I don't care if they want to give them any more than I do if they want to give me any other "freebies". Funnily enough, the event I got most "stuff" was one in Luxembourg: great food all round the route, big plate of pasta, drink and a dessert indoors at the end, a buff and other stuff - total cost €13.

cougie

Personally I Just watch the rocky montage on loop....

Do people shower before exercise ? I had no Idea !

ugo.santalucia

That's typical in Belgium.

I begin to question the need for sportives. Most of them are ridden like Audaxes, meaning each to their own, or at least they are after the first hill. So you pay 30-40 pounds to have road signage, which you don't need as you could have a GPX file instead. You then pay to have official timing, which again you don't need, as you then refer to your riding time from Strava.
Then there are feed zones, which fewer and fewer people use, especially in those 3-5 hours events. Which begs the question... why paying so much money? Surely you can download the course from Strava and run it full gas with your club mates any day of the year for free...
There is some level of marshalling, which in the days when clubs were smaller, did seem to be provided free of charge by volunteers, indeed we used to, before Human Traffic or whatever is called bought the Chiltern 100, now that clubs are 3 times the size, nobody wants to do it and sportives are sold to commercial enterprises.

I guess I understand the need for some to ride in formation, but there are probably 3-4 events where that actually happens.

Whichever way you want to look at it, the very reason they were "invented" doesn't exist anymore... could that be the reason the market is shrinking?

tubaonwheels

Mull Sportive today. Up at 6.15, cup of tea, 1st poo, 6.45 2nd cup of tea with bowl of muesli, 6.55 2nd poo, 7.10 braved the midgies and drizzle to get bike off of rack (camper van). 7.20 3rd and final poo. 7.30 raining heavier so changed club shirt for warmer alternative. 7.40 bottles on bike, midgies now worse so dived back in van. 7.15 rode to start, sheltered from the pissing rain with all the other drowned rats, 7.55 ate a cereal bar as the rain got even heavier. 8.00 off we go.
86 miles later and back a lot sooner than expected, so worked for me

ridgerider

tubaonwheels wrote:

Mull Sportive today. Up at 6.15, cup of tea, 1st poo, 6.45 2nd cup of tea with bowl of muesli, 6.55 2nd poo, 7.10 braved the midgies and drizzle to get bike off of rack (camper van). 7.20 3rd and final poo. 7.30 raining heavier so changed club shirt for warmer alternative. 7.40 bottles on bike, midgies now worse so dived back in van. 7.15 rode to start, sheltered from the pissing rain with all the other drowned rats, 7.55 ate a cereal bar as the rain got even heavier. 8.00 off we go.
86 miles later and back a lot sooner than expected, so worked for me

Thank you...this is exactly the kind of information I was after.

I will read it again in more detail to see if I can take anything from it, but at first glance, I am glad I don't have to empty the loo in your van!

ridgerider

ugo.santalucia wrote:

I begin to question the need for sportives.

I have signed up for one audax, 3 UK sportives and a French one to finish off this year. Roughly one every 8 weeks. I am using them to motivate me to keep a reasonable level of fitness over the Summer months.

Compared to going out on my own with a gps, I like the fact I don't have to navigate, someone will feed me somewhere on it, and I get to see lots of nice bikes.

Sportiveman

Ridgerider wrote:

Smashed it...30 minutes faster than last year. My first ever gold time. Believe in the power of fig rolls!

I was just wondering this morning what to do in that gap between eating nice and early to work it into your system, and actually doing the ride.

I got a medal so I must be some sort of champion! Next one in 8 weeks...

What was your time ?
I did a 62 mile sportive today was really good .

ridgerider

It ended up at 62 miles, did it in 3:55. 1400m of climbing I think.

ugo.santalucia

Ridgerider wrote:

Compared to going out on my own with a gps, I like the fact I don't have to navigate, someone will feed me somewhere on it, and I get to see lots of nice bikes.

Makes sense

tubaonwheels

Ridgerider wrote:

Thank you...this is exactly the kind of information I was after.

I will read it again in more detail to see if I can take anything from it, but at first glance, I am glad I don't have to empty the loo in your van!

I'm just about to tackle that task, not looking forward to it!
:?

dish_dash

ha ha... so routine from Sunday's Yorkshire Corker.

Sorted tyres, ride food, bottles etc the night before.

Up at 6am, glass of juice, put the kettle on, go for first poo, 6.10 put on shorts, socks, HR monitor, then go have a cup of green tea, eat bowl of musili with nuts and seeds (usually porridge but we were staying at a friend's), 6.30 lather up sunscreen, drink another green tea, then go for second poo, put on jersey, 6.45 start loading the car with bikes and luggage, encourage the other half to get going. 7am in the car and driving to the start. 7.15 arrive at start, get bikes out of car and put on gps/bottles etc. pop for a final quick poo, register and pick up number, 7.30 final checks of the bikes and weather (pop gilet and arm warmers in my back pocket), drink some water, helmet and sunnies on, 7.35 head to the start eating a banana and then off we go...

saftlad

3 in 90 minutes - you need to ease up on your fibre intake lol

jay_clock

+1 for multiple toilet visits as great prep

ugo.santalucia

Jay Clock wrote:

+1 for multiple toilet visits as great prep

+2

fat daddy

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Jay Clock wrote:

+1 for multiple toilet visits as great prep

+2

I don't have a say in it .... anxiety stress means I am going 3+ times what ever the occasion

ridgerider

Ruddy Nora, I feel so inadequate...

Am I not getting stressed enough?
Am I not eating enough muesli (or fig rolls)?

Now I know what you all do to fill that hour between eating and riding!