Coaches Corner for Sumter Ride
Coach Caroline here - with some pre-ride tips for you before our first event of the season!
March 13th could still be chilly in the morning - so to prepare well for riding in cold weather we recommend that you get used to riding in the cold. Train at least once a week in chilly weather. If you are an indoor junkie during the winter months - then train in your garage versus the house. (Note - if it's colder than 60 degrees in the garage - cover your knees!).
What to wear? Layers! Women tend to get cold in their extremities - fingers and toes - whereas men get cold in their core. SO for women - consider using hand warmers in between 2 layers of gloves on the back of the palm (one can be latex (medical) gloves over your usual full finger gloves - I do that to counter Reynaud's!). And you can use those hand warmers between your shoe and shoe cover too.
Kit up somewhere warm - in the hotel, house or a warm car. Don’t get cold at the start! Have a friend at the start so that you can offload warm clothes before you start. You want to be a little chilly at the start - so you sweat less (which can make you cold).
And lastly - what to eat? We tell our athletes to take in about half of the energy you use. So figure out approximately the number of kilojoules (calories) you expect to use, and then make sure you have half of that (and some extra) for fuel. For example - if you will use 600KJ, you want to eat about 300 calories over the ride. Eat small amounts every 20 minutes to keep your riding fires stoked!.
Extra tip - here is a recipe for ride food created by our very own Coach Rocket! Go-go bars are a hit with our community and easy to make! Enjoy!
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