REFRESH YOUR RACE PREPARATION
It’s six months since the UK locked down and the race season was brought to a juddering halt. Half a year without pinning on a number – that’s a long time, and thanks to the lack of practice, you’ve probably grown very rusty in your race preparation. As with any aspect of cycling, if you don’t use it, you lose it. Now, with time trials back up and running across the country, as well as some circuit races and hill-climbs, it’s time to tune back into your preparation routine – and we’re here with a handy refresher course.
“Failure to prepare is preparing to fail,” said Benjamin Franklin, and the Founding Father may well have made a handy cyclist – because what you do in the 36 hours before a big ride, whether it’s your local time trial or that long-awaited century ride, can make the difference between success and failure. If you’ve trained hard, make sure you don’t waste that fitness by being under-prepared as you return to competition.
Of course, there is no single pre-race checklist to suit all riders in all events, but understanding the key principles will help you
