Before you jump on your bike and hit the trail, ask yourself these questions.
Have I spent enough time physically preparing? - Do I have the correct equipment?
- Have I fuelled my body adequately?
Be realistic about your capabilities and always make sure you have completed the distance in training some time before the day of the event. Proper training and preparation are essential before tackling an event.
The most important thing to remember is to build up slowly. Your body will not like being thrown in to a six hour mountain bike ride if you have never gone more than 20km before.
If your normal distances are nowhere near what can be covered in an endurance race, the best thing that you can do is to extend your distances little by little to get up as close as you can to race distances.
Only work on the extended distance 1-2 times weekly and allow rest before and after each one. A day where you ride easy for a long time works on your endurance, and will certainly be considered a hard day, as will the shorter more intense ones. Read more...