What makes the difference between cyclists who, on D-Day, have results above their expectations, their level of training and those who are disappointed? Maybe it all comes to the preparation for the cycling season ?

Stress and worry often make us make bad choices not to say things, the last days, even the last hours. Here are 5 tips by G4 that will help you optimize your race.

Cycling season – Preparation and training

The last week everything is played. You will not be able to catch up, or lose your shape.

By training 2 times a week you maintain your fitness, 3 times if it reassures you but not more. Do light, easy and enjoyable workouts.
A few small sprints in about ten seconds will allow you to relieve your stress, maintain your rhythm and have fun if you do it with friends.
You will not develop your stamina the last week but many cyclists leave “juice” to roll too much. Do not exceed 80% of your target race distance.
Try the novelties well in advance!
Concerned, many cyclists make the mistake of wanting to reassure themselves by buying new equipment, changing an accessory or changing their position at the last minute. No change last week!

If you buy new wheels, a new handlebar, etc … test it and set it at least 3 or 4 outings before a race. For tires, cables etc … check them a week before and do 2 or 3 outings before to see if everything is fine.

A race close to you!
Paris-Nice Challenge 2018

Live the amateur circuit in the soul of a professional:

As Paris-Roubaix Challenge and Liège-Bastogne-Liège Challenge, Paris-Nice Challenge offers amateur cyclists the opportunity to be closer to a legendary professional race.

24 hours before the professionals of Paris-Nice, amateur cyclists will have the opportunity to ride on the course that will take the professional peloton Sunday, March 11, 2018.

On roads open to traffic but in optimal safety conditions, this 110 km course will allow them to (re) discover sublime landscapes, while giving themselves a great challenge at the beginning of the 2018 season.

The official courses of Paris-Nice and Paris-Nice Challenge will be unveiled in January 2018.

The bike to boost tourism!

It will obviously come to pedal on the same roads as professionals, but not only. The experience will continue on Sunday, March 11, attending the arrival of professionals on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. The village of Paris-Nice, located on the Promenade des Anglais, will also be an opportunity for all Challenge participants to discover another aspect of the professional race.

This type of competition can bring more tourists to our region who are interested to discover the french Riviera through cycling race and convivial outings with friends.

A good power for a successful race!

At the approach of D-day you must refuel energy favoring slow sugars: pasta, rice, potatoes, quinoa, spelled, oats, etc …
Privilege light and easy digest nutrition and avoid fruits two days before if you tend to stress or if you have stomach problems on race days.
There is no point in having a huge meal the night before. A bit like for training everything is played but you can not sleep well if you overload your stomach.
At breakfast it is important to refuel.

I am a fan of diets based on your blood type, but be also careful because a person in group O who is filling up with pasta or cereal will have less energy with protein and will be bloated a big part of the day.

To learn more about your blood group diet click here

– D-day no surprise either. For the race take bars, gels and drinks you know.

Some products may have an overdose of sugar, salt or other nutrients that trigger you counterproductive reactions (bloating, gastric problems, legs cut, …).

Eat regularly, about a bar or tube per hour of cycling.

Hydration, a vital act for the race!

2% dehydration is 20% less of your performance.

– Only water rehydrates us. Whenever you put something in the water (tea, coffee, sugar, salt, energy drink, …) the water enters the process of digestion and does not go directly into the body. This gives it a diuretic function, which means that you will eliminate your body fluids faster, in short you accelerate the elimination of water.

– The day before your cycling race fill a bottle of 1.5 liters and drink small sips regularly to finish your bottle during the day (1.5 liters of water for 50 kg of body weight).

– Drink a big glass of water before meals but not during the meal. This increases the bolus and dilutes the gastric juices, which can cause bloating and slow your digestion, so you get tired (digestion consumes 30%-40% of energy than our basic operation).

– During the race, plan a water bottle and a gourd with an energy drink. Start by drinking one or two sips of water alone then feed yourself into bars and energy drinks. Moisturize regularly (every 10 to 15 minutes), when you feel thirsty it is already too late.

– Please note bottles of mineral water. Even if in France tap water is healthy it often has a bad taste in a bike gourd.

Mental preparation:

Whatever the sporting level of the runner, a not inconsiderable part of the performance depends on the mental qualities; There is no need to have an athlete fill out sports psychology questionnaires to find that many victories, as well as counter-performances, are linked to a mental factor. Many runners want to progress in the mental approach of their sport, to better control the stress, and their questions are frequent: how to better manage the race mentally, to manage the emotions and the energy, how to fight against the stress which makes miss the good shot, how to avoid the fear of losing or the fear of winning, how to regain the pleasure of running when one is confronted with a weariness and a dullness of sensations; how to develop your ability to concentrate on the race, how to improve the reading of the race to play tactically well, how to overcome the threshold of physical and mental pain.

The body check up

This technique is especially suitable for long efforts such as cyclo cross, climbs, triathlons, trails, … and is to make a “review” of your body. Indeed, after a certain amount of effort, your body gets tired and tends to waste energy unnecessarily, contracting and putting itself in tension for nothing. In addition, small pains related to more or less recent injuries can wake up.

The central idea of ​​this technique is to make an inventory of your body during the effort. So, mentally, review all the limbs and parts of your body to check their fitness. You may discover that you contract your shoulders too much and that this causes you pain in the neck, or that your calves are tense when it is not necessary. Free yourself from tension so you can conserve energy and avoid pain or injury. I recommend you take regularly 5 minutes during the effort to make this assessment.

G4