Mike O'Connor
With the Bowral Classic now just about a month away, the big training sessions might be starting to wind down, but there’s another job worth ticking off the list: getting your bike and your gear ready for race day.
A little preparation now can save plenty of last-minute stress. You don’t want to leave the practical stuff until the week before, only to discover a worn tyre, tired chain or missing piece of kit when you’re supposed to be tapering.
Give your bike a once-over
First off, start with a good clean and inspection. Check your tyres for cuts, cracks or excessive wear, and make sure they’re holding pressure properly. If your tyres or tubes have been on the bike for a long time, now is the time to replace them and test them, rather than experimenting with something new a few days before the event.
Have a look at your chain, cassette and brake pads too. If the chain is showing significant wear, replace it early enough to put a few rides into the new one before Bowral.
It’s also worth checking your cables, gears and brakes, and making sure everything is shifting and stopping as it should.
If your bike is due for a service, now is the time to book it. Every year we hear about bike shops getting ridiculously busy in the lead-up to major events. Leaving it until the week before won’t do anything good for your stress levels!
Check the stuff you actually ride with
The same goes for your riding gear.
Dig out your helmet, shoes, gloves, glasses and cycling kit and make sure everything is comfortable and in good condition. If you’re planning to use new shoes, a new saddle or different bib shorts for Bowral, get them onto the bike now and give them plenty of time to prove themselves.
We also recommend you do at least one longer ride wearing the kit you expect to use on the day.
That includes your shoes, socks, bibs, jersey, gloves, helmet and any bags or accessories. Check for rubbing, pressure points and anything that becomes uncomfortable after a few hours.
Test your fuelling plan
A month out also gives you plenty of time to work out what you’ll eat and drink during the ride and, more importantly, test it on your last few longer training rides.
Work out roughly how much carbohydrate and fluid you want to consume each hour, then practice carrying and accessing it on the bike. If you’re planning to use gels, sports drink, bars or real food, find out what works for you now. You can also plan around the event aid stations too – those are all available in the rider guide, which should be out very soon.
This is also the time to test your breakfast. If you plan to eat something at 5am before a 7am start, try it on a training day rather than discovering on event morning that your usual breakfast doesn’t agree with an early start.
Get your roadside kit sorted
Think about what you would normally carry on a three- or four-hour ride and make sure it is all accounted for.
At a minimum, that might include:
- Two spare tubes
- Tyre levers
- A pump or CO₂ inflator
- A multi-tool
- A quick link
- Some basic cash or a card
- Your phone
If you’ve never used your multi-tool or repaired a puncture yourself, now is also a good time for a practice run. There’s nothing quite like trying to work out how a new CO₂ inflator operates with cold fingers and a flat tyre.
Also, you’ll want to start thinking about how you’re going to carry everything. Can you comfortably carry enough food and drink ? Do you have enough bottle capacity? Is your saddle bag big enough for your spares without rattling around? Don’t leave these sort of decisions for the week before.
And finally, if you haven’t registered yet, don’t leave it too late! You can find out all the details on the Bowral Classic website.
Mike O’Connor – A keen cyclist, runner and photographer, Mike O’Connor is the Editor of Bicycling Australia. He manages the BA website and social media, and loves promoting the achievements of Australian cyclists.
