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Will I be able to manage my first sportive?

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  • July 7, 2011 at 9:54 am #13789
    othello

    I’m taking part in my first ever sportive in about 10 days time, and to be honest I’m having a MASSIVE crisis of confidence. Will I be able to make it around?

    I’m tackling the short route on the Anthony Maynard sportive, which at 105km and plenty of climbing is perhaps not the gentlest of beginnings. But I wanted to support them and as it starts near where I live I thought it would be a good introduction to sportive events.

    I have been training for it, but not as much as I would like (isn’t that the same for everyone!). Having small children and running my own business has meant I’ve not been able to match the training programme I set myself.

    The BIG concern is I haven’t done that distance, or length of time riding before. My training so far has been:

    * A 30-35 mile ride at the weekends, averaging about 16mph
    * A turbo session during the week (using sufferfest videos)
    * A 20 mile ride in the evening during the week (again averaging about 16mph). Sometimes I do hill reps other times just a nice ride to clear the head and legs

    But I haven’t gone anywhere near 60 odd miles on a ride, so it is going to be a big step into the unknown. Should I just go for it, or am I mad attempting it?

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  • July 7, 2011 at 12:59 pm #647891
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    oldgit

    We had a couple of guys join
    We had a couple of guys join us this year as they had Sportives coming up.
    One I took out three months back hadn’t done much more than 15/18 miles. Some rides later and a little input on his riding, plus correcting his awfully positioned cleats he completed a hilly 57 mile sportive (ride to the Horns)

    The other one new to riding, though very fit just did the London – Paris 24 hour and rode the lot.

    July 7, 2011 at 12:56 pm #647889
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    Simon E

    Quote:Will I be able to make

    Will I be able to make it around?

    Yep.

    Eat and drink well beforehand, little & often during the ride. IIRC reviews say the Maynard has great (real) food, see http://road.cc/20612

    Pace yourself. Don’t go off like a scalded cat. Sit in the wheels if you find a group to ride with.

    I find this quote is coming back to me regularly, I hope it helps:

    “You are better than you think you are, and you can do more than you think you can.”

    By Ken Chlouber, founder of the Leadville 100 MTB race.

    For anyone else reading, the event is on the 17th of July and entries close this Sunday (10th): http://www.readingcyclingclub.com/anthonymaynardsportive/

    July 7, 2011 at 11:20 am #647887
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    dlp

    dave_atkinson wrote:
    FoD is a

    dave_atkinson wrote:

    FoD is a killer, no?

    Yes, yes it is. Especially if you aren’t fit and it’s your first ride of any real length. Particularly demoralising is the way they number the climbs – there’re a lot of lumps which aren’t classified but you don’t realise this until a fair way in!

    dave_atkinson wrote:

    If you can do 35 miles at 16mph, othello, you can get round a 60-miler

    Good shout #1

    dave_atkinson wrote:

    Pack more food than you think you’ll need.

    Good shout #2

    dave_atkinson wrote:

    Go out easy, don’t chase anyone from the off. Find someone who’s riding a bit slower than you think you need to, hook up with them.

    Good shout #3 This is a *lot* harder than it sounds but I used it to great effect in the 2010 Dragon ride.

    July 7, 2011 at 11:07 am #647885
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    othello

    Thanks dlp. My aim for my
    Thanks dlp. My aim for my first sportive many months ago was to get around and enjoy it. I wanted to be at a basic enough level of fitness that I would be tired at the end but have enjoyed it. Not struggling and hating it.

    But I can’t change my training now and I just need to MTFU and get on with it 😀

    July 7, 2011 at 11:05 am #647883
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    dave atkinson

    dlp wrote:My first sportive

    dlp wrote:
    My first sportive was the Forest of Dean Spring classic taken on with less than 2 months preparation during which time I had not one clue on how to actually get fit. I got a turbo trainer 3 weeks beforehand and thought that it would be fine.

    It was painful and horrible for my riding mate (who took a bunch of abuse for being so ****** chipper) but *I got round*.

    As will you.

    FoD is a killer, no?

    If you can do 35 miles at 16mph, othello, you can get round a 60-miler. bear in mind that 105km is over 65 miles though, best that it’s not a shock on the day 🙂

    you probably won’t do it at 16mph, it’s a tough course. But you’ll get round. Pack more food than you think you’ll need. And more gears 😀

    Go out easy, don’t chase anyone from the off. Find someone who’s riding a bit slower than you think you need to, hook up with them. Overtaking people at the start is a lot less satisfying than overtaking them at the end…

    July 7, 2011 at 10:36 am #647881
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    dlp

    Oh yeah and good advice from
    Oh yeah and good advice from Spicypedro: go with what you know food-wise, if necessary taking all your own gels etc. Get a good (c.50 mile) ride in this weekend (or before if possible) and then a shorter one 2 or 3 days beforehand and then do nothing other than VERY light spins and eat pasta until the big day 🙂

    Good luck, but seriously you’ll be fine.

    July 7, 2011 at 10:34 am #647879
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    dlp

    Don’t sweat, you’ll be fine –
    Don’t sweat, you’ll be fine – you can *always* get round (it might not be funny or pretty but you can *always* get round).

    My first sportive was the Forest of Dean Spring classic taken on with less than 2 months preparation during which time I had not one clue on how to actually get fit. I got a turbo trainer 3 weeks beforehand and thought that it would be fine.

    It was painful and horrible for my riding mate (who took a bunch of abuse for being so ****** chipper) but *I got round*.

    As will you.

    July 7, 2011 at 10:26 am #647877
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    othello

    Thanks spicypedro. Totally
    Thanks spicypedro. Totally agree that I should have upped the distance and it was my plan. But life pressures have made it hard to take out the time required to do 50 miles. Getting out for 2hrs has been manageable but 3+ has proved impossible. I keep getting thwarted every time I try!

    Thanks for the tip about the 30miler a few days before. i was wondering what to do next week. Ease right off or try and ride a bit. I’ll stick a 30miler in on Wednesday/Thursday.

    I’ve purposely not ridden flat routes over the past 2-3 months as I know I have lots of climbing. So my 30 milers have been lumpy (or as lumpy as they get around here). A mix of 5% drags and 12%+ short sharp ones. I did a flat 20 miler this week for a change of scenery and my average speed went up by 1.5mph, so the power is there. But I’m a big guy so I have to haul my arse up the hills!

    A case of nerves really at this stage combined with a feeling of being a little under-prepared 😐

    July 7, 2011 at 10:11 am #647875
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    spicypedro

    Actually, if you’ve got time,
    Actually, if you’ve got time, try and do a 50 miler in the next day or so, then a 30 in between that and the sportive.

    July 7, 2011 at 10:10 am #647873
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    spicypedro

    Personally, I think I’d have
    Personally, I think I’d have pushed my distance up a bit more before hand, but as it’s your first sportive, I think you’ll appreciate the sense of occasion that comes with riding a distance you’ve never attempted before. Also, if you’re doing 30-35milers often enough, the push up to 60 on the day won’t kill you, especially as you’ve been doing hills.

    I think what can really get people is when they train for the distance but avoid hills.

    I can offer a couple of tips:

    1. Do a 30miler a couple of nights before the ride.
    2. Get your fueling right beforehand and during
    3. Go off steady. It’s your first sportive. Set a time that you can beat in your next one.
    4. Try and get in a group with a similar paced rider. This has always just worked itself out for me. It’s easy to find people on the same pace as you and then you’ve got someone to chat to.
    5. Make use of the feed stations but don’t eat anything you wouldn’t normally eat. I made the mistake of trying a cheese and onion wrap at a feed station once that repeated on me for the rest of the ride. Should have just had a banana.
    6. Enjoy it. It’s not a training ride and you’ve paid to be there. Push yourself but only in the knowledge of the sense of achievement you’ll have in the end.
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