by Ben Hallam
I haven’t done many sportives but the
other week I had the pleasure of riding the 170km Mont Ventoux sportive. While
riding, I saw a few things people making some common mistakes, so I thought I’d
quickly write about them here.
Too
hard too early: When we hit the climb for the first time, some people attacked
it like jackrabbits. Surprise surprise, these people proceeded to blow up and I
easily rode past them. Don’t get too excited too early. This where riding with
a power meter helps no end. Doing a physiological test at Bespoke Performance
Lab can give you the power bands that you can sustain for a given duration.
Heart rate takes time to raise, which means that you can spend the first minute
going too hard and produce lactic acid that you will not have an opportunity to
get rid of until you reach the summit. Power gives you instant feedback and you
can hit your pace spot on.
Riding
at other people’s pace on the big climbs: Just because someone has past you
does not mean that you have to try and hold their pace. They may be going too
hard and blow up anyway. You risk over cooking yourself and ending up with a
slower time overall. Find your pace and stick to it. Again, riding to a power
zone is a perfect way to ride your own race.
Not stopping for water on hot days: I
saw plenty of people riding past the feed stations. It’s not a sign of weakness
to stop briefly on a hot day, especially for the early ones. Dehydration and
heat stroke will slow you down a lot more than a 4 minute stop to top up your
bottles. Suffice to say, I saw plenty of people collapsed at the side of the
road throwing up with heat stroke on the route.
Control your core temperature: If it is really hot, it’s important to keep your core
temperature under control. This is the heat deep inside you. If there is a
village fountain, wet the areas where the blood comes closest to the skin:
a. The head,
b. The neck,
c. The armpits,
d. The elbow crease,
e. The wrists,
f.
The
back of the knees,
g. The ankles.
However, don’t do this straight
before a descent as you will probably get too cold.
Line through uphill hairpins: When climbing through hairpin turns, I saw lots of people
taking the inside of the bend. Yes, it is the shortest line through the corner
but it is also the steepest. This steep bend takes more energy to get up and
stops all your momentum. If you swing wide, take the outside line and then cut
in late, the gradient is often almost flat. Here you can click a couple of
harder gears, accelerate and gain some vital momentum for the next part of the
climb. The line illustrated below is for a closed road like the Etape. On an
open road, it is very important to keep looking around the corner for oncoming
traffic and don’t us other side of the road.
Line through downhill turns: My first descent down Ventoux was with two riders, one was
taking good lines and the other wasn’t. The latter rider nearly totalled
himself into an oncoming car when he turned in too early, panicked and braked
mid corner. The key to fast safe descending on a mountain is the line through
the corner and, when the roads are closed, using the other side of the road to
maximise your ability to see round the corner. At no point should you be on the
other side of the road if you can’t get out of the way if something comes the
other way.
i.
The
first mistake people make is not setting themselves up wide enough on the road.
Always check that there isn’t a car or faster rider behind you before moving
out. Using part of the other side of the road (when the roads are closed)
allows you to see further round the bend. If something does come the other way
you will have seen it earlier and have time to brake earlier and move back to
your side of the road (unless you’re riding the Tour de France, always assume
that something might have slipped through onto the course). When you are on the
open road, use the whole of your lane and start as wide as you can.
ii.
The
second BIG mistake that people make is turning in too soon. This causes you to
apex the corner too early and means that you can’t see round the bend. It also
means you have to keep shedding speed while you’re turning.
iii.
Third
is braking. People often continue to brake with their front break well into the
corner. This pitches the bike upright and makes it want to go straight on. Get
your braking done before you turn in, then release the brakes and lean the bike
with your feet just like carving a pair of skis. If you’re coming in a bit hot
and need to shed speed, do so with the rear brake as you’re turning as that
will not destabilise the bike as much.
iv.
Apexing
too early will force you to drift wide and towards the other side of the road.
You will not be able to see if there is a car coming and the forces of physics
will be taking you into its path. A wider line with a later apex allows you to
see further round the bend. If you can see there is nothing coming, on a closed
road you can be straight on the gas and use the other side to accelerate away.
If there is something coming, you already have your speed and line under
control. In the words of coach Irv Blitzer from the film Cool Runnings “Slow
in, Fast out”.
Not doing your fair share: I was in a group of 6 along a flatter section and there were
only 3 of us that were willing to work. Now this is fine, it’s a sportive not
the Tour de France after all, but two of the riders insisted on riding in
second and third wheel. When the guy on the front got fed up for towing these leaches
and sat up, they free wheeled and refused to go through. DON’T BE THAT GUY!!!!
At least do a small turn in payment for your colleagues hard work. Or, if you
are genuinely too knackered to do a turn, sit at the back and let the ones that
are willing to work through to the front.
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