Just four months out from the 2018 Bowral Classic and one thing’s for sure – the time will absolutely fly by. Our days seem to be constantly busier, the weeks feel more like fortnights, and October 21 will be here in a flash.
With that in mind now is high time to plan your training schedule, consider your ride regime, and ensure you’re in fantastic form prior to the third annual Bowral Classic.
While winter may not be the most appealing time the year to be preparing for an event such as Bowral, here are five tips to help boost your mojo and get you off to a solid start.
1: Ensure A Proper Bike Fit
For a long day in the saddle you need to be as comfortable and efficient on the bike as possible. It’s critical to get your bike fit sorted before you commence a solid training block. This is where Bowral Classic partners The Body Mechanic can help – see the full article on their services here – we can’t speak highly enough of their professionalism and the performance improvements that are possible.
2: Service Your Steed
How long since your bike was last properly serviced? Mechanical problems generally creep up slowly … you might not even realise but before you know it there may be ten wasted watts or more through your drivetrain alone! While you’re in there getting a bike fit why not treat your bike to a full service and check up.
Training with like-minded riding buddies, ideally others you’ll be enjoying the third annual Bowral Classic with, will help maintain mojo and focus in the lead up to the event.
3: Make A Plan / Ride With Mates
Put together a training plan to work out the amount of preparation you need to do for your chosen distance. Never ridden a century but using the 90km or 120km events to help achieve the goal?
Work to it gradually – starting with 50km, then 75 km, then the big one, the 100km. Look closely at the elevation you are training on and try to incorporate similar course elevation to that of your chosen course.
4: Stick To Your Goals
Planning is a critical component of success. Set your goals and stick to them using helpful apps such as Strava, Garmin Connect or Map My Ride. Logging your hours or kilometres even via a simple note on the fridge can help you stick to your end goal. Make a pact with riding buddies, stick to not only meet ups but your individual and weekly targets, and steadily build strength and form so you’re best prepared for the October 21 event.
5: Ride Inside
We agree winter mornings are not terribly conducive to being outdoors. Fortunately we riders can now enjoy the luxury of having the most technologically advanced training systems easily available indoors.
Platforms such as Zwift make winter training enjoyable, competitive, motivational and productive!
Cold outside? Train faster, harder and better than ever before with technology such as Zwift.
Combine a smart trainer with an online training platform and you can (virtually) ride the world. For more on indoor training see this helpful article over on the Bicycling Australia website.
Other than the training, the most important part of the Bowral Classic is to sign up today and start raising funds for your chosen charity – register for the ride here.
