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Jersey, Shoes, Shorts, Helmet, License:
Preparing For Success With a Race Day Routine
Before I leave to travel to a race, I have a mantra that I've been repeating
to myself since I was a Junior: "jersey shoes shorts helmet license;
jersey shoes shorts helmet license." I say it a few times as I load
up my bag, put everything in the car, and again as I'm driving away from
my house. It's a basic list of all the things I really can't be without
at the race. Everything that's not on this list I can likely borrow without
difficulty or without negatively affecting my performance. (The last thing
I want to wear is someone else's shorts...)
This mantra is part of a regular race day routine that I've developed
over the years to make sure I'm relaxed and well prepared for the event,
and ready to optimize my performance. It involves things like packing
your bag the same way every time, eating familiar foods at set times before
the race, and arriving with enough time before the start of your race.
Many developing and even experienced riders lack such a routine and don't
realize how much it effects their ride for the day. In this article, I'll
help outline the things to think about when planning your race day.
In actuality, your preparations for the race takes place over the course
of the week leading up to it, and reach a peak on the day before. Staying
on top of life and training, keeping your stress levels low, and focusing
on effective time management are keys to arriving to the weekend ready
to race rather than over the edge.
The Day Before
The day before the race is your last chance to take care of all the things
you need to do but have been putting off, and so we'll start there. For
me, this day is normally Friday, but if you work full-time during the
week and perhaps are only racing on Sunday, Saturday will be the day you
dedicate to making sure all is in order.
Many of the things you need to worry about are things you might take for
granted, like cleaning your bike or doing your laundry. But these two
items are crucial. It's likely you took your clothes from last weekend's
race and either dumped 'em in a pile next to the washer, or maybe even
left them in your bag all week. The last thing you want to do is be up
late at night waiting for the washer to finish, or even worse, sitting
at the laundromat at 11 PM if you don't have a washer at home. Make sure
you start that wash first thing in the morning or even the night before
so you can hang it up to dry when you wake up. Don't put your cycling
clothes in the dryer unless you have to!
A clean bike is one of those small things that make a big difference.
A grease-less, silver drivetrain that doesn't crunch with dirt and actually
shifts when you want it to means there's one less thing to distract you
when you go to the start line. Give your bike the once (or twice) over
with a bucket, brush and a mild degreaser (ideally one that won't kill
the flowers or the neighborhood cats) and you'll be in business. If you're
the one driving to the race, you might even put your bike straight into
the car once it's clean, so you don't have to do it in the morning.
The night before the race is the opportunity to do anything that you can
to make more time for yourself on race day. So, buy your recovery foods
and lunch supplies, fill your bottles and put them in the refrigerator,
and make sure the car has a full tank of gas. If you're laundry's done,
pack your bag and leave it next to the door. And of course, get to sleep
at a reasonable hour, which you should be able to do if you planned your
day well and followed your schedule.
The Morning Of
Many riders ask me what they should eat for breakfast on the morning
of a race. You might expect a technical answer backed up with a list of
nutritional studies supporting it. The real answer is "whatever you
eat for breakfast every other day of the week." The morning of a
race isn't the day to try and make changes to your diet, even if they're
improvements. You want to eat the foods your familiar and comfortable
with, and you know won't upset your stomach. Whatever you eat, be sure
to finish your last meal no later than 3 hours before the start of your
race.
When you're ready to leave the house, repeat the mantra and double-check
your bag. One argument for waiting until the morning of the race to pack
rather than the night before is so you can see and make sure you have
everything you need, rather than trying to remember if you put it in there.
You should leave so that you'll arrive 2 hours before the race, and have
a bottle to drink and food available if you get hungry or if it's a long
drive. Planning on arriving 2 hours before the start gives you time to
stop for coffee, get a flat in the car, or get stuck in traffic without
missing your race. Once you're there, it gives you 1 hour to register,
see if the race is on time, chit-chat, pin numbers, go the bathroom, change
into your riding clothes, put your race wheels on, and make any last minute
adjustments to your bike.
Ideally, be on your bike 1 hour before the start, warm up for 30 minutes,
and then head back to the car to take off your warm up clothes, and make
final preparations. Check in at the start/finish area 15 minutes before
your start to see if the race is on time. The first race of the day is
to the start line, so don't be late. If you get hungry in that last hour,
use a liquid pre-race energy drink that's easy to digest.
Immediately After
After the race, you should have a bottle of recovery drink already mixed.
Put your training wheels back on your bike, put on warm, dry clothes if
you need it, and head out for another 15-30 minutes easy cool down.
Back at the car, take the time to pack your bag up neatly, with a separate
plastic bag for your dirty laundry. It'll save time later. Make sure you
rehydrate on the drive home, particularly with plain water after you've
finished your recovery drink. The recovery drink will be ideal in that
first 30-60 minutes before you're really settled down enough to eat. Try
to have a normal meal within 2 hours, and pack food if you can, rather
than succumbing to Taco Bell. It'll save time on your drive home, and
keep you from having a stomach ache the whole time, too.
Even though the focus of this article is to help you with a set, regular
pre-race routine, it's also important to note that in order to be a successful
cyclist, you have to be flexible and able to go with the flow as well.
Sometime situations out of your control will arise that might keep you
from having the same oatmeal you always eat, or getting a bagel on the
way out at your normal coffee shop. Realize that minor deviations, and
perhaps even catastrophic deviations, won't destroy all the fitness you've
built up to that point. Stay focused on your event, and make the most
of any bad scenarios. A routine will help you be relax and prepare, but
if you're too rigid it can backfire and cause you more of the stress that
you were trying to avoid.
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