Cycling is a fun way to explore and enjoy nature. And as your love for riding your e-bike grows, you might want to test your cycling skills by joining a race. And to enter a race, you must be well prepared as you will be competing with other cyclers.
Before joining a professional cycling race, it would be best to enroll in local cycling drives either for charity or form a cycling group with your friends for practice. You must also take care of your nutrition to ensure you are fueled for the race. Use the tips below to prepare yourself for your first E-bike race.
1. Get All the Race Equipment Ready
Preparing all your racing equipment, including a lightweight electric bike if it is allowed in the race, helmets, knee and elbow pads, protective eyewear, and clothes suitable for the weather, would be best. It would be great to bring a spare tube and spare batteries for your e-bike. Having gloves protects your hands and gives you a good grip on the handlebars.
2. Learn All About Your Bike
Being well conversed with your bike is essential for a successful race. As such, you must learn all the things your bike is capable of, such as the gears, the suspension, and the maximum speed you can ride.
Get acquainted with braking, proper seating, and how to use your body weight to prop yourself forward, especially in a hill climb.
3. Nutrition
You must eat properly and drink plenty of liquids to ensure your healthy body before the race. Some of the best foods to eat include proteins and carbohydrates. And the night before the race, you must eat a well-balanced diet consisting of carbs such as rice and chicken and a hearty breakfast.
Water is a must before, during, and after the race as it helps replace the liquids lost through sweating and keeps you hydrated. It would be best to carry energy bars and drinks for long races to refuel.
4. Increase Your Riding Intensity During Riding Practices
The key to acing an e-bike race is practicing several times a week. You can start riding for 30 minutes to an hour in the evening and increase the time during the weekend. As your body adjusts to the practice, you can also increase your riding intensity by aiming to cover a specific distance within a specific time. Try riding at 20 mph every minute, take a break, and resume.
It would help to vary the areas where you practice cycling; sometimes, it can be on rough terrain as it increases your endurance, hilly and flat surfaces. The more you practice, the more comfortable you’ll be, and you’ll learn to maneuver your e-bike in various ways, making riding an enjoyable pastime activity.
5. Practice on Different Terrains
There is no telling what the race organizers will use as the race route. They may opt to mix the path to include a flat surface, rocky and hilly terrain. So, it would be best to practice on all these terrains to avoid surprises during the race. The different landscapes will also give you experience maneuvering your e-bike to prevent damage or accidents.
6. Exercise
Like every other sport, you must exercise to increase stamina and withstand a long ride. It would help if you incorporated leg and abs exercises in your regimen as you will need to build endurance in your legs to endure the burning feeling that comes with riding long distances.
Your core strength is also crucial as it ensures balance in your cycling.
7. Join a Riding Community or Group
While riding solo is excellent when you need to think and gather your thoughts, riding in a group makes it more fun and motivates you to keep riding. In a group, you’ll also get tips and tricks from other e-bike riders who have been doing it longer than you.
So join a cycling group in your area, and gain more riding experience as they organize cycling competitions that will expose you to different routes and cycling speeds as you try to keep up with the group. Some groups will require a registration fee, check on Google or social media, or enquire at your local bike shop.
8. Try Simple Riding Challenges
Enrolling in simple cycling challenges to test your endurance level would be best as you prepare for your first race. These challenges will give you a taste of what a race is like and allow you to increase your speed as you ride in a pack.
While it’s competitive, aim to enjoy the race. And before you sign up for any race, analyze your past performances, determine if you can finish the distance, and estimate the time it would take.
The more you join these simple cycling challenges, the more you learn to ride in a group, as many people will ride with you during the race day. You’ll also learn how to switch lanes when you are many. These tips will help you in your future cycling races.
9. Mental Preparation
Mental preparation is very crucial when cycling. Therefore, aim to enroll in at least one cycling challenge before your big race. It would also help to attend cycling clinics as you’ll be given advice and tips on race cycling. You will also be mentally prepared to step out of your comfort zone and engage with other riders.
10. Warm-up Before the Race
Warming up before the race is crucial; you can do this by stretching your body for about 10 to 15 minutes. This makes your body agile and prepares it for the long ride ahead.
Final Thoughts
Getting ready for your first e-bike race can be nerve-wracking as your cycling skills will be tested, especially if you are new to cycling. Although you aim to finish the race strong and maybe even win, you must allow yourself to enjoy the race. Do not pressure yourself too much; as long as you do the work during practice, you are good to go.
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