Win a Limited-Edition Ribble Gravel AL with Erdinger Alkoholfrei

Kathy Beresford

• Training in the week before is usually ramped down so I can get some good recovery time in – all that depends on life and work though! 😉
• My ‘in house’ mechanic is very good at making sure the bikes are ready to go – so I don’t have to worry too much about that except adding bottles, Garmin and checking my tyre pressures.
• I usually try and get all my ‘on the bike’ stuff sorted and put into one bag – so helmet, shoes, glasses, spares/repairs, and gloves.
• The night before I try and prepare all my fuel for on the bike – bottles might go in the fridge overnight, gels/bars go with my helmet and other stuff. I also prepare any snacks and food for after I finish.
• For stage races like the two I’ve just finished, I like to prepare my clothes beforehand into separate bags for each day – the less decisions I have to make each morning, the better! I then just have a bag of ‘extra kit’ with things for other weather conditions like arm/knee warmers, jackets, headcovers etc. This is especially key if you’re camping like we were for both our events this summer – the less energy spent digging through a bag to find your favourite shorts is more energy for on the bike!
• I prepare my post-race clothes and have them in a separate bag ready to go along with warm stuff to put on straight away if racing during the winter.
• Depending on the type of race, the day before I will usually have looked at the racecourse and done some short efforts to wake the body up – I usually find this helps settle any nerves.
• On the morning of the race, there is always coffee…... And then simple foods around 2-3 hours before the race start – porridge, eggs, pancakes etc. Depending on the type of race I’ll usually try and do a warmup – but that will be different for a long race vs a shorter race – and depending on the weather. Anything to fill the time between breakfast and race start though to help focus on the race and not on the nerves!

James Holloway - In the last year I have become pretty regimented in what I consider my "Pre-Race Ritual". This all stemmed from turning up to the first race of the 2022 season without my shoes - I still gave it a good go in a pair of trainers on some borrowed flat pedals falling a few seconds short of the podium. I now have a race-ready day bag which stays pretty much fully packed in between uses and contains everything that I'll need plus spares (including spare shoes now of course!). On the morning of race day it gets unpacked and laid out so that I can meticulously check everything that's in it and pack anything that's missing. So far so good - there have been no repeated mishaps touch wood.

Once at the race, it's either heading out for a warm up loop or hooking the bike up to the turbo. I'm definitely someone that is motivated and fired up by music - so I have a specific playlist that I pop on whilst warming up and glugging a caffeine gel. There's definitely a buzz that comes from being in your own little pre-race bubble spinning on the turbo with some music blasting in your ears and watching other racers getting ready around you. There's definitely some mind games played in those car parks!

Dan Jones - As I ride mostly long-distance events like 200+ km audaxes and longer gravel events, my planning and preparation for a long steady ride is very different. Firstly, I need to ensure the bike loadout is tailored to the specific terrain and I have the luggage proportionate to the amount of kit I need to ride long distances unsupported.

The night before the event, I usually try and have a good carb meal with pasta or rice. Though these may not always be available or practical. I also remind myself that I’m here by choice and it’s just messing about on bikes and having a good time. Breakfast is where I usually struggle to begin with. You see, I can’t stomach porridge before an event but can any other given day. But that’s OK. I eat what I can and usually carry extra for when my body is ready to accept food.

I drink a coffee, listen to some music, either something heavy like tool, or relaxing like Bonobo or Jon Hopkins. I also recite the words of the late Mike Hall when describing the Tour Divide to Bikepacking.com: “Enjoy it, don’t lose sight of just how lucky you are to be there, and above all, manage your expectations. I was chatting about this with some friends in Banff. I think if we treat things as a pass or fail test that we can torture ourselves mentally over the outcome, but if we consider it more as an experiment with an uncertain outcome from the start, then we always at least get an answer.”

I always try to dress as light as possible, using my layers for multiple purposes. Will my waterproof keep me warm in the morning, or do I need a warm top? It’s also important to factor in wind direction, so I’ll know if it will be a headwind or that almost mythical tailwind, I hear people talking about. Then it’s checking the map for shop locations and noting these on my Garmin, so I know when I can stop and eat and when/where I’ll need to conserve my energy.

Calvin O'Keefe - Whether it’s an audax or an ultra-self-supported event, my pre-race ritual will remain the same.

The bike gets a proper service and any parts that need replacing are addressed at that point. Depending on the type of event, I will work out what I need to stay hydrated, and the number of bags I need to carry my kit. The formula has a baseline and the longer the event and terrain type will dictate how I load the bike. I also need to ensure the bikes as light as possible but the kit I carry covers all eventualities.

Visibility is essential when selecting clothing as a large portion of Ultra events will be ridden at night. Lights are tested and re-tested and power banks charged. Finally, I make sure I get a week of early nights and keep the pedals turning but nothing too big and I keep my diet simple – stick with what agrees with you and nothing new or spicy.