Preparing yourself for a cycling tour

Cycling can offer you a world full of joy and wonder.

Don’t put off that long-distance cycling tour.

You can do it.

But if you want to improve your comfort and performance, then you have to train in advance.

Whether you’re racing or touring, long distance cycling can be rewarding.

It’s just as important to prepare your mind and cycling gear as it is to prepare your body.

Before you take a bike trip , you should give yourself, your bike, your clothing and your equipment a realistic test. There’s nothing worse than being left behind by the pack, feeling that you’re holding up the group or pushing yourself too hard to enjoy the tour.

One of the best ways to prepare yourself for a cycling tour is to simply sign up and enter a cycling tour. Training can be a form of procrastination. If you’re not enjoying yourself while training, you’re pushing too hard. Preparing for any cycling event is important, especially for big events like the 2017 Cape Town Cycle Tour which is around the corner. This is one of the biggest cycling tours in the world and many enthusiastic riders are eager to take to the Mother City’s roads again.

Here are a few things you should do to prepare yourself for a cycling tour.

Start your training

You have to start your training as soon as possible and not delay it to the last minute. Train on a daily basis to ensure you’re ready for the tour. Perhaps 15 to 20 hours a week will do. It could be fewer hours during the week and more over a weekend when you have free time. Make sure you’re riding consistently before the big event. One of the biggest mistakes many make is to take a few days off before the race. It can negatively affect your performance as you might lose some of your skills. So ride a good number of hours leading up to the event and that way you’ll be familiar with it as you have been doing it for quite some time.

Get your bike ready

Before you head out to the race, you have to make sure your bicycle is safe and functioning properly. Check that the saddle height is right and comfortable for you because you don’t want to waste time during the race to change it. Make sure your tyres have plenty of tread and check whether it’s in good condition as it might’ve picked up objects during your training sessions. Another thing that needs to be checked out before the race is your bike frame. Look at affordable places where you can buy bike frames if yours need to be replaced. One of the most important things to check is whether your brakes are still working and whether it still has plenty of life in them. Consider checking out your, gears too. If you’re not mechanically minded, then you might want to take your bike to your local bicycle store for a check-up. Do it a day or two before the event to ensure it will be in an optimum condition on the big day.

Wear the occasion

Even the most experienced racers can be caught unaware by the weather. Therefore you need to wear appropriate clothing that’ll withstand any weather conditions. Another option is to check the weather in the week leading up to the event and perhaps bring another set of clothing for just in case. You can always put on layers of clothing, nothing too heavy, and take one layer off if it gets too hot. Bring a waterproof jacket along for when it might rain. The secret is to prepare for any kind of condition as the weather can be unpredictable.

Eat before the event

With regular training, you have to eat correctly and start a specific eating plan. Stick with that eating plan until the day of the cycling tour. Despite feeling that you couldn’t possibly eat anything, having a good meal before your race is important. It can determine whether you have a great race or whether you’re going to run out of steam halfway through. Try different foods and drinks to see what works for your body. Don’t make a mistake by trying out something new on the day of the tour, it might make you feel ill.

Remember, a tour is not a race and you can go as slow as you need to. Make sure you arrive an hour before kick-off to give yourself some time to relax. Whether you’re cycling from the one town to the next, through difficult terrain and climbing mountainous hills, following these four tips will have you prepared for any cycling tour.