Determine the Best Training Schedule for you

Discover what Food Combinations work best for you During a Ride

Study the Profile of the Sportive before you Ride it

Make Sure you Prepare Well before you Ride

Before you start riding a sportive, you should do your preparation. We covered this a little in one of our other blogs, but here we go into more detail. The better your preparation, the better you will ride on the day of the sportive.

Get to Grips with Pelotons Before your Sportive

SportActive cycling camp Mallorca - Sean Kelly leading a group

When you ride mile after mile in preparation for your sportive, try and do this as part of a peloton. Learning to group ride will be essential for sportive success. For the bigger sportive such as the M312 or Marmotte, you will find that you could be part of a peloton that has over a 1000 riders.

There are rules to follow when you ride in groups. This aspect of cycling has to be learnt to ride a sportive effectively, and the best way to learn this is to ride in a group. When you ride in a group, you could well come into contact with experienced riders. These guys will pass on a wealth of information as they have been there, ridden it, and got the cycling jersey to prove it.

Training Schedule and Rest Days

Ensure you give yourself plenty of time to train for the sportive. Build miles slowly, paying attention to your body and what it is telling you about your physical condition. When cycle training, try and ride a similar profile to what you will encounter in the sportive. So if you're cycling a mountain in the sportive try and incorporate plenty of hills in your training programme. It is also important to spend time away from the bike to give your body time to rest. Your performance will improve if you do.

Get your Diet Right Before your Sportive

During your training for the sportive, try and determine what food combinations work best for you, and when it is the best time to take them. So do you eat ten minutes before a hill climb or fifteen? Should you eat something after twenty miles or twenty-five? If you can get this right, you will get the extra energy you need to give your best performance. General thinking is to eat and drink before you feel like you need to eat and drink.

This post will help: Eat the right foods for better cycling performance

Study the Profile of the Event

Ensure you know the sportive route and the profile. Is there a lot of inclines? What is the terrain like? What parts of the sportive have strong winds? Knowing the course will tell you what to expect, and you can formulate your game plan to ride it.

Emergency Preparation

Ensure you carry spare inner tubes and the tools needed to repair punctures quickly. Many riders carry disposable gloves to protect their hands from grease. You should too.

And Most of All...

Enjoy it. Not just the sportive but the training too.

You can book to ride in two of Europe's best-loved amateur sportives with SportActive. The M312 is 312 km of ride around the Mediterranean island of Mallorca (or the shorter version M167) while Marmotte is the toughest Alpine sportive and takes place in the French Alps.

Better get training...

Submitted on 24/6/2015