Preparation
So all the hard training is behind you at this stage. Unlike a big exam, no last minute studying will do any good at all this week. You need to be fresh for the weekend and any hard training won’t be recovered from in time, and will do more harm than anything. You gotta go with what you got now!
Nutrition
This is not a week to starve yourself. Just like the training you’re as good as you’re going to be for next weekend. Eat healthily and often to keep the metabolism up.
For the weekend, be sure to have a good dinner the evening before the Tour. And then of course a good breakfast on the morning of your cycle. For example: If your start time is 10.00am you should be finished eating at the latest by 8.00am.
Keep the breakfast similar to what you normally have before the weekend training. Don’t try something new. And it shouldn’t need to be said but NO fry up! It’s no different from putting treacle in the car and expecting it to run well!
Some of you may be a little nervous but be sure to have a breakfast. I hear it sometimes how someone was nervous and didn’t eat in the morning and of course they end up much worse off then, as they’ve no energy at all for the cycle. So relax and remember the breakfast is as important as all the training was to date.
Equipment
There shouldn’t be anything much to do this week with the bike or clothing as I’ve said before it’s not the time to make any changes and all should be done and checked at this stage. However, if you do need to do anything to the bike, or new gear has been bought, just be sure to try it out on your mid week spin to avoid any problems on the day.
On the morning, give a last minute check over the bike as sometimes things get moved a bit when travelling with the bike in the car. If you’ve a speedo on the wheel, just double check it hasn’t been pushed in and is tipping the spokes. Spin the wheels to make sure the breaks aren’t rubbing and then check the tyre pressure to make sure you have them properly inflated, cutting down on rolling resistance for the ride.
Training
This is the easiest week for training, you just need to do a little to keep the legs supple and fresh for the day itself. Aim for just one fairly flat 40-45kms mid week spin at a steady but not too hard of a pace. And if you can head out for about an hour the day before your Tour - just to loosen out the legs. And that’s it, you’re ready! Follow all the steps above on morning of your cycle and you should be fine. The only thing left to do is to put your bum on the saddle, take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy the spin!
I hope you’ve found my advice helpful in getting you ready for the cycle. Wish you the very best of luck now for it. And if you’re new to the sport I’m sure we’ll see you staying in it for many years to come. After almost 30 years on the bike I still find there’s nothing as nice as heading out on a spin for a few hours. The fresh air clears the head, and the exercise keeps the body healthy.
Scott McDonald – Winning Solutions.ie