The accomplished Lachie Harrigan is a young gun who is a passionate cyclist and a Jindabyne local. Lachie rides with Onyva racing, a nation-wide NRS team and for his local team, Jindabyne Cycling Club.
He’s also proud to be one of the Snowy Classic ambassadors and last week, we caught up with him to get the 411 on training for the Snowy Classic, nutrition, and more.
Being a Jindabyne local, how would you recommend riders train for the Snowy Classic?
Distance is the most important part. You don’t want to show up to an event like the Snowy Classic and not be prepared to ride the distance. Whether you’re doing the 120km or 170km ride, it’s imperative that you ride that distance at least once a fortnight. Once a week is ideal, but I know some of us don’t have that luxury.
There is also a lot of climbing on these routes. So make sure you’re climbing. Whether you’re doing hill reps (because of your location) or just being consistently on the pedal power, it’s imperative to incorporate climbing into your training routine.
Why is riding in the Snowy Mountains different from Sydney or Melbourne?
The difference between the roads down here and somewhere like Sydney or Melbourne is that there are no traffic lights! So, that stop-start feeling you get in the big city is gone. Just remember that you’ll ride these courses consecutively unless you stop at a rest stop. So just be prepared for that. Try and ride through a national park in your training, that’ll help you get a feel for it.
Do you have any more tips and tricks for everyone’s Snowy Classic training?
One of my biggest tips is to train in all kinds of weather. The weather down here is unpredictable and as much as we will hope for blue skies, it’s not always the case. Even though it’s unpleasant, try and ride in the wind and rain. That way, on ride day it won’t feel so overwhelming if the weather isn’t perfect.
I always train with a purpose. Especially for an event like the Snowy Classic, maximize your training by mapping out what you want to do with that training and why. Do you want to focus on hills or distance etc.
What are your nutrition tips for training for the Snowy Classic and the region?
My top tip is that carbs = fuel. I personally eat 70g carbs per hour to stay consistent when training. I mix these up by having muesli bars, gels or mixes in my water bottles. In saying that, you need to eat what works for you. If you’re eating something you like, it’s far more likely you’ll actually use your fuel during the ride.
Try gels (if you haven’t already). There is a reason why the pro’s use them in the Tour De France. They’re really easy to consume and wash down. You really can’t eat ‘too much’ for a ride like the Snowy Classic.
Do you have anything you want people to keep in mind while prepping?
The obvious thing to remember (which I mentioned before) is that the weather is unpredictable. Bring everything you might need, it’ll be pretty chilly on the morning of the event. Check back in with the Snowy Classic team closer to the event, they’ll advise you on everything you might need if you’re not sure.
I also want to stress that the Snowy Mountains region has had it tough. We had the bushfires in 2020 and following that we were hit with COVID. Our region relies heavily on tourism and we just haven’t had it in the last 2 years. All of the locals fully support the Snowy Classic and will be cheering you on from the sidelines. So please, bring your cash, spend big and support all the awesome local businesses we have down here.
A massive thanks to Lachie for sharing with us! l Keep up to date with Lachie here.
