Whoah …. The Noosa Classic is just two months away! The large-scale cycling event will be set up and you’ll be making your way to Noosa before you know it! Eight weeks out is the perfect time to take a closer look at three aspects that will help make the trip a standout success – your personal preparation, your bike preparation and final training advice.
While winter may not be the most appealing time the year to be fine tuning for an event here are five tips to have you best prepared for the Noosa Classic.
1: When Did You Last Have A Professional Check Your Bike Fit?
A bike fit does not last forever! Periodically it is well worth ensuring you’re getting optimum performance from your bike. Over the final two months of Noosa Classic training – and for the event itself – we want you to be as comfortable and efficient as possible. It’s important to get your bike fit sorted as soon as possible – a visit to your trusted local bike shop or a bike fit professional will certainly help.
2: Service Time At The LBS
When was your bike was last serviced? And we don’t mean running some tube over the chain (as I’ve quickly done too many times in a row). Mechanical problems can creep up slowly and do have a habit of occurring at the worst possible time. Bike servicing is a small investment in ensuring optimum performance, peace of mind and longevity of your beloved bike. Did you know there could be ten wasted watts or more through your drivetrain alone!
With just two months to go now’s the time to beat the rush, book your machine into your local bike shop, and have it serviced in time for the Noosa Classic.
3: Make A Plan & Ride With Others
Put together a training plan to work out the amount of preparation you need to do for your chosen distance. There are 8 weekends between now and the Noosa Classic – You still have time to gradually increase ride and training distance each Saturday or Sunday in the lead up to the event.
Work to it gradually and in increments – starting with say 60km, then 80 km, then the big one, the 100km. Look closely at the elevation you are training on and try to incorporate similar elevation to that of your chosen Noosa Classic course.
4: Set Goals & Study The Course Profiles
Whether you are riding the 45km Social Classic, 120km Challenge Classic or 160km Maxi Classic, we’d recommend looking closely at the course maps and elevation profiles and matching or gradually increasing your training rides to the distance and climbing involved on the day. You can take a look at the profiles, and download the GPX files, here.
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 event.
5: Take Your Training Inside
If your reading this in the cold southern states you’ll know full well that winter mornings are not conducive to being outdoors. Fortunately riders can now enjoy the luxury and convenience of training hard for events such as Noosa from the comfort of home.
Platforms such as Zwift make winter training enjoyable, competitive, motivational and productive!
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.
Other than ensuring you and your bike are ready, plus of course continuing your training, the most important part of the Noosa Classic is to start raising funds for your chosen charity. Read more on fundraising tips here.
