Pre Ride/Race Ideas

Everyone prepares for an important ride differently and it’s truly up to the individual to know what’s best for them. That being said, I also believe that there are a few general rules that are beneficial to all riders.

In my experience, it is the sleep two nights before the ride that affects you the most. There have been many times I slept horrible the night before a race and still performed great but if I sleep bad two nights before it’s not good. I also read that 64 degrees is the optimal sleep temperature.

The day before, go out and do some short hard efforts to open up your legs. Don’t fatigue your legs, just get them ready. Stay rested.

If you race/ride early in the morning, eat a big dinner the night before with a higher fat content than normal to slow digestion. I only do this if I race really early and don’t want to get up at five to eat. The morning of, I usually eat some protein and it seems to make a big difference. Again, it’s different for everyone so find something that works and stick with it.

Stay off your feet as much as possible while waiting for your race. Get your bike ready the night before and have all your food and bottles prepared. Stay out of the sun and away from people that stress you out. You need to be feeling good and have energy to suffer during the race, not before.

Get to the venue at least 2 hours early to sign in, pin your number, check for changes, etc… I always drink some coffee or red bull while I’m doing this as well.

Whatever it is you eat right before your race make sure it’s out of your stomach before you start. I usually eat a turkey sandwich two hours before. Pasta kills me, and I don’t touch it on race day. Save the complex carbs for the day before.

For most road races you don’t need much of a warm up but if it’s going to be a fast CRIT make sure your legs are ready. Watch your competitors to see what they are doing. If the domestics on a big team are putting in a big warm up, odds are they’re planning to go hard from the gun.

Remember race tactics start days before the race not during. Stay off your feet and be as prepared and relaxed as possible.

We’d like to hear what other people do so please give us some more ideas.