Getting things right don’t always happen on the first attempt. A person might still fail — even with their potential — without training and practice. This applies to many areas in life. For example, in cycling, a cyclist must commit every day to practice for a big day like a road cycling Etape du tour. It’s important to practice the way you would during the big day so that you can win the competition. Here are some ways to practice effectively until the big day.
Planning Your Strategy
The first thing to do is to familiarize yourself with the cycling event. Get a map and use that to remember details about this event. Seeing the map before the event lets you pick a strategy you can use during the event. Through these details, you can plan how you’ll ride and the physical fitness and technical skills you can use to win.
You should also visit the course to get a grasp of how it is to ride in that area. You can also see if there are challenges through that course like downhills and uphills. This will allow you to prepare better for the event.
Having said that, you should purchase a heart rate monitor. This monitor will give you important information about your pace during the ride. You can use this to your advantage as you can plan with the event and create a different pace scenario.
Setting Up and Working Out
Your practice sessions are no different from the day of the event. This means you should set up your bike during practice the way you’ll use it in the event. Set it up in a way that’s easy for you in different situations like sitting straight, standing, sprinting, power stroking, and leaning forward. There is no need to set it otherwise because it’s not going to be useful. Set it up in the most helpful way for you.
In terms of working out, make sure to build your leg muscles by doing leg presses, deadlifts, and squats. Do endurance exercises some weeks before your road cycling tour. You should also use an exercise bike to keep your leg muscles going.
Aside from that, you can also do sprint training if this workout is included in the event. Training outdoors is also important as this can simulate the environment for the cycling event. It’s a good way to prepare for possible obstacles during the event.
Keeping Healthy and Arriving Early
A healthy and balanced meal is as important as the things listed above. You want to build your muscles so eat lean protein. Complex carbohydrates are also good before the event and sports drinks, energy bars, and gels during the event. Keeping hydrated but not too hydrated is something you should keep in mind when you’re already there.
Lastly, arrive early. Being there earlier allows you to assess the course. You might have been there before, but it’s still different during the event and seeing it before you need to race is important to give you leverage against your competitors. After that, look for a quiet spot to do some meditation before it starts so that you get “in the zone.”
Preparing for a cycling event is no easy feat. It involves a lot of dedication and you must commit to it more than ever. That’s the way it needs to go if you want to win or at least not be in the last riders to arrive at the finish line. Remember to give it your all and, win or lose, the most important thing is trying your best and dedicating a lot for this event.