16,99 €
Mehr erfahren.
- Herausgeber: Crowood
- Kategorie: Lebensstil
- Sprache: Englisch
Cyclosportives, or sportives as they are usually known, are the cycling equivalent of marathons. They often last over seven hours and are ridden over distances in excess of 100 miles. If they are to compete successfully, serious sportive riders require a high level of physical fitness, mental strength and focus, good bike-handling skills and the ability to commit themselves to a stringent programme of training and preparation.Written by two accomplished and experienced sportive competitors the book covers: The origins and development of the sportive; The bike, clothing and equipment; Training and avoiding injury; Nutrition, planning and preparation; Bike-handling and group-riding techniques; The mental aspects of sportive riding; Competing in an event and 'the recovery'; Frequently asked questions. This comprehensive book is written for all those who want to achieve their maximum potential, or who simply want to improve their knowledge and performance by following the authors' straightforward and practical advice. A new and fast growing discipline that offers a big ride challenge to seasoned racers.Written for the rider who is prepared to do the training and compete in the knowledge that they have prepared fully so that they can perform to the best of their ability. Superbly illustrated with 157 colour photographs. Jerry Clark and Bill Joss are two accomplished and experienced sportive competitors.
Das E-Book können Sie in Legimi-Apps oder einer beliebigen App lesen, die das folgende Format unterstützen:
Seitenzahl: 346
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013
Ähnliche
The authors, ready to ride.
Copyright
First published in 2011 by The Crowood Press Ltd, Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire, SN8 2HR
www.crowood.com
This e-book edition first published in 2013
© Jerry Clark and Bill Joss 2011
All rights reserved. This e-book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
ISBN 978 1 84797 535 5
Disclaimer The authors and the publisher do not accept any responsibility in any manner whatsoever for any error or omission, or any loss, damage, injury, adverse outcome, or liability of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any of the information contained in this e-book, or reliance upon it. If in doubt about any aspect of cyclosportive, readers are advised to seek professional advice. Since the exercises and other physical activities described in this book may be too strenuous in nature for some readers to engage in safely, it is essential that a doctor is consulted before undertaking such exercises and activities.
CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright
Foreword
Dedications
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1 The Cyclosportive – Origins and Evolution
2 The Bike and Equipment
3 Training
4 Avoiding Injuries and Improving Flexibility
5 Nutrition: Consume to Perform
6 Technique
7 Ride With Your Mind
8 Getting to the Start Line
9 Riding the Event
10 Post-Event Recovery
11 Frequently Asked Questions
12 The Final Word
Glossary
Appendix I British Cycling Rules, Cyclosportives
Appendix II Travel and Equipment List for Air Travel
Index
FOREWORD
I do not consider myself a ‘true’ cyclist. I feel part of the contemporary generation of reborn cyclists – those whose bikes were central to their childhood but had no place in the years devoted to young family and career building, and who, at around forty, found the time and perhaps heeded a subconscious call to rediscover the thrill of cycling.
I have lived for longer in my life without a bike than I have with one; I have never belonged to a cycling club; I have never raced. Yet at fifty-three, my whole life revolves around cycling with a passion that I have at times had to control in the interest of my loved ones!
However, perhaps for these same reasons I do feel myself to be a ‘true’ cyclosportive rider. I began riding them when you could still enter on the day; when the idea that they might be sold out was unimaginable. This makes me sound ancient, but I am only talking about ten years ago. In that short time, in the UK, cyclosportives have become probably the most popular form of amateur competitive cycling.
This book, devoted specifically to the cyclosportive cyclist in such a specific and focused manner, has been long overdue and I am convinced it will help to make the whole experience both more enjoyable and successful.
Phil Deeker.
They are not as much about results as about personal challenges, accomplished with others. Their selling points are usually the climbs involved, and this is where they really got me hooked. To me, cycling along the flat is two-dimensional, whereas as soon as the gradient rises, the sport acquires its full 3-D character and depth. The climbs in a sportive are feared, yet are central to the whole event. It is where each rider will have to face his or her abilities and limits of determination. The sportive rider may get dropped later on the flat, but if he or she has performed strongly on a climb, stripes will have been earned.
Being of a light build, I soon discovered the ‘grimpeur’ within. I became fascinated by the games that mind and body played out against each other when climbing, even on the relatively short UK climbs. The longer the climbs lasted though, the deeper I plunged into the mystical magic of gaining elevation with pedal power. It was always a painful process, but as fitness and strength increased, I became more sensitive to the subtle beauty of smoothly pedalling upwards.
The real drama and beauty of climbing, however, became apparent once I started riding the cols of the French Alps. The Étape du Tour, which is to cyclosportive riders what the Tour de France is to professionals, became the highlight of my Sportive calendar for several years running. Riding up a 20km, 8 per cent climb with several thousand others on closed roads is a unique experience: each rider is alone, battling with physical and emotional demons, and yet is intimately bonded with everyone else around. No one is ‘winning’, and no one is being ‘dropped’, since there are thousands more down the road. Yet at the end of the day, each rider will have achieved something quite special, in his or her own eyes, and in those of many others. That rider might have completed their first ever Étape; they might have got a first gold medal, or been placed in the top five hundred. Every one of those is an equally immense achievement.
Therein perhaps lies the key to the mass appeal of the cyclosportive.
Since my Étape rides I have gone on to ride up hundreds of mountains, and I can revisualize almost all of them. Each col climb has been a meeting, not a battle to be won or lost. Depending on fitness, mood and weather, meetings with the same col naturally vary. I have held several ‘meetings’ with the Mont Ventoux, and the story has been very different each time. What never changes though, is that they always require the cyclist to give everything as he or she confronts the mountain, and themselves. Each ascent presents a further examination, and this is often a very humbling experience. The cols that are the ‘stars’ of a Gran Fondo, L’Étape or the Dragon Ride will be there waiting for us each year, and will always offer us a new, unique opportunity to test ourselves and perhaps discover something new about ourselves.
Perceived limits within ourselves partially define our own personal reality. There are so many things in life that we imagine to be impossible. Everyone sets their own limits, and these limits can be the source of much fear. Free ourselves from fear and we can transform our lives for the better. Physical fitness can go a long way to acquiring self-confidence that will push back the threatening barriers of fear. In our generally sedate, safe existence we have few moments that allow us to test ourselves individually whilst being within a group. The cyclosportive event provides a perfect opportunity for this. I highly recommend it to everyone who has been infected, even just lightly, by the beautiful bug called cycling!
Phil Deeker, 2011
DEDICATIONS
Jerry Clark: There are many people to thank for supporting not only the writing of this book, but for enabling me to ride and enjoy the people, places and experiences that come from sportives.
In no particular order: my wife Ali for her patience and support in all those miles spent training and the time competing in events. My daughters, Olivia and Sienna, for constantly reminding me that nothing is as important as them. To my grandmother, mum, dad and Nigel for everything, and to Peter and Brenda for their support.
To Bill Joss (BJ) for luring me to the bike in the first place, and for his coaching, encouragement and company throughout our friendship.
Pete, Phil, Yngve, Matt, Jason, Rob and Mark for sharing all those rides – may there be many more.
Mickleover, Derbyshire, 2011
Bill (BJ) Joss: I have ridden many miles, in many countries, with many people over many years, and to attempt to acknowledge them all would be to risk offending someone by omission. So I will simply extend my thanks to the unnamed companions (they know who they are) who braved dark frosty mornings or rejoiced in sunlit sultry evenings as our pedals turned through every experience cycling has to offer.
I will, however, pick out one name, and express my special thanks to Jerry, with whom I have shared an extraordinary journey in business, racing cars, an infatuation with ‘the beautiful machine’ and now co-authorship of this book.
My appreciation must also go to Debbie, who has always taken the view that ‘if I can do it, I should do it’; and crucially over the past decade to Mr Stephen Young, without whose orthopaedic expertise I would never have been able to ride many of those miles at all.
Thank you one and all.
Whatcote, Warwickshire, 2011
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to thank the following for their valuable contribution to this book:
Phil Deeker for his insightful foreword (www.centcolschallenge.com).
Dave Cranny for his time and digital photography skills.
Wayne Murray for his expertise and various contributions on stretching and the avoidance of injury (www.mickleoverchirohealthclinic.com).
Peter Hall and John Clark for proof reading, and John Fegan for his contribution on training camps.
Rob Smith and Ali Clark for modelling.
Rapha Publishing for kind permission to use an extract from ‘Le
Metier’ by Michael Barry and Camille J. McMillan.
Ben Mason and Andy Blow at VOTWO Events for their contribution on an Organiser’s Perspective (www.votwo.co.uk).
Ian Stuart for kindly liaising with the organizers of the Maratona Dles Dolomites event.
Each cyclist fights an internal battle. Some fight on the bike because it gives them purpose and simplifies the complexities in life. Others escape. Others ride to fill a void. Others battle childhood disturbances. Others pedal for fitness or weight loss. We each have our reasons.
From Michael Barry and Camille J. McMillan Le Metier (Rouleur, 2010)
The authors of the following text are not professional medics, trainers, physiotherapists, coaches, sports psychologists or physiologists. In fact we aren’t qualified at all, other than by dint of mileage covered, personal participation, effort, research, dedication, successes and achievements, along with some disappointments, accidents and failures along the way.
We are just a couple of bike riders like you, the reader, who felt we could contribute the accumulated information, experience, knowledge and ‘been there, done it’ stuff of two decades or more to help the growing group of sportive enthusiasts who now make up the vast majority of the active cycling fraternity, and whose numbers are multiplying at an astonishing rate.
But a quick health warning: check with your GP before taking up a rigorous training regime, and give it a while before you attempt to emulate the astonishing accomplishments of your professional bike rider heroes without plenty of training and years of dedicated training, not to mention outstanding natural talent and ability.
Take our advice and recommendations as they are intended: simply the thoughts and observations of enthusiastic and reasonably capable colleagues.
Enjoy.
INTRODUCTION
Dawn breaks on a clear, chilly morning somewhere in one of Europe’s undulating and spectacular landscapes: the UK’s Yorkshire Dales, the Italian Dolomites or perhaps the ultimate cycling location, the French Pyrenees or Alps.
Excitement builds at the start of the Maratona Dles Dolomites, Italy.
A thousand, sometimes many thousands of competitors assemble in the start pens, chatting nervously, making final, imaginary bike adjustments, setting and resetting computers, fiddling with helmet straps and race numbers. The anticipation, excitement and nervous tension is palpable in the cool, crisp air.
Every rider feels the same: the élite group looking to set a new record, the charity riders focused on delivering for their chosen cause, the leisure cyclists for whom this, their first cyclosportive, is the pinnacle of their own personal fitness journey so far.
Every one of them harbours personal doubts and fears; the nerves jangle until the event starts – and then the adrenaline kicks in, the legs begin to turn, and the fitness, the preparation and the well practised routines take over.
The riders are all part of the same growing wave of enthusiasm for the amateur’s only real taste of what the professionals live and breathe every working day; for just a few hours each and every one of them will experience the highs and lows of the world of the bike racer – the camaraderie, the competition, the crowds, the lung-searing ascents and the thrill of the fleeting, euphoric descents at breakneck speeds into the depths of the valley.
Each competitor will feel what we have felt ahead of possibly the hardest sportive of them all, Styrkeproven in Norway: 540 kilometres of everything cycling and the forces of nature can throw at a human being. We both remember the final moments before the start, the sheer magnitude of what we were about to attempt looming in front of us, the doubts, the anxieties, the imaginary injuries all vying for attention in those tense final seconds as the clock ticks down to the start time….
A stunning descent.
Anticipation ahead of the challenge: Étape Caledonia, 2010.
Twenty hours later we stand at the finish, completely drained but elated at having completed the toughest sporting challenge we have ever faced.
The cyclosportive, from here onwards called the ‘sportive’, is the fastest growing mass participation cycling event in today’s cycling calendar. With thousands of sportives globally there are now hundreds of thousands of bike riders regularly competing in a range of events of all lengths and profiles. Single events vary from 100 participants to almost 40,000 aiming for gold, silver or bronze age-group standards covering distances from 100km to 550km.
Accessible to all, the sportive offers the dedicated amateur the opportunity to train for and ride in a timed, mass participation event with almost all the ingredients of a pro bike race. Fully supported with electronic timing, feed stations and medical back-up, a sportive brings together cyclists of all abilities in a friendly but focused environment, and successful completion brings a strong sense of achievement.
This book is intended to offer essential advice to riders at the start of their sportive career, and also provide valuable coaching to more experienced riders who want to maximize their potential.
CHAPTER 1
THE CYCLOSPORTIVE – ORIGINS AND EVOLUTION
Innocuously and incongruously located on a wall in what is now a TGI Friday’s restaurant on Boulevard Montmartre in Paris there is a small plaque commemorating a conversation that created the most famous event in cycling, and arguably in the world of sport:
A few months later in 1903, fifty or so intrepid individuals set off at 3:15am on a dark Paris night to ride the first Tour de France …
Of course the Tour is by no definition a cyclosportive; it is perhaps the most famous, most punishing race in all theatres of sport, but it is almost certainly true that the Étape du Tour, the spiritual descendant of that very first Tour de France stage, is to many minds the most prestigious sportive. It is certainly the most over-subscribed of all sportives, and most riders have this event in their sights as an event to ride at least once.
Many of the essential elements of the sportive are present – professional organization, a carefully selected route to challenge and bring out a range of capabilities, a package of logistic support along with the challenge of the clock, and the ever-present threat of the broom wagon (the dreaded truck which sweeps up the slower, struggling and injured riders who fall to the back of the field). Most of all there is the anticipation that comes from knowing that the greatest cyclists in the world will be covering the same kilometres just a few days later, albeit at a rather faster pace.
Cyclosportive – a Definition
The term ‘cyclosportive’ is derived from the French randonnée cyclosportive, and signifies a long-distance, mass participation, timed event in which riders race not against each other but challenge themselves against distance, terrain and the clock. So a sportive is part randonnée and also part road race: riders have numbers, and times are usually published by the organizers. The biggest and most prestigious events attract thousands of competitors; the biggest of them all, the Cape Argus Pick ’n’ Pay, sees up to 40,000 riders jostling for road space and battling fierce headwinds round a stunningly beautiful coastal route in South Africa.
There are now many thousands of sportives taking place around the world, offering a fantastic opportunity to experience cycling in every conceivable environment.
Arguably the first, and still to many one of the toughest, sportive is La Marmotte, first held in 1982. Taking in five of the most fearsome ascents of the Alps, it may not be the wisest choice for a first event as it will test the most dedicated and accomplished of riders. Like L’Étape du Tour, La Marmotte sees up to 25 per cent of its eager starters retire or swept up as the true extent of the challenge hits them, and the realization dawns that those missed winter extra training miles were, just as we say in this book, necessary after all.
This is real mass participation: the Trans Alp Challenge.
Whichever is the toughest, most scenic, longest or famous, and whatever the origins, the sportive is now the fastest growing mass participation cycling activity in the amateur rider’s calendar.
The Essential Ingredients
Distances, locations and course profiles vary, but all events will offer common ingredients: support and logistics, distance, location and profile.
Support and Logistics
A sportive should be well organized and easy to enter, and the basic essentials for rider safety, welfare and enjoyment will be covered, including:
Changing facilities and toilets at the start and finishPre-published guide times for gold, silver and bronze standards by age group categoryTiming chips to allow logging of progress and overall timesA route card with comprehensive directions in case signs on the route have gone missingMultiple feed stations offering water, energy drinks and food (bananas, cakes, bread rolls, fruit)A pre-start briefing and some pointers on weather and road conditions, route changes, rider etiquette and other potential hazards specific to the courseA minimum of basic mechanical assistance and rider support facilities at the event start and around the routeAn emergency telephone numberFirst aid stations around the courseA broom wagon(s) – a support vehicle(s) able to get you and your bike to the finish in the event of any accident or mechanical problem, or fatiguePost-event results.Distance
Typically a long course will be around 160km (100 miles), with a ‘short’ route of 110km (70 miles) offered either as an alternative goal or as an escape route in the event of problems on the longer ride. It is worth bearing in mind when selecting a first event, or even when training towards a more ambitious sportive, that an event with multiple route options could be a sensible choice.
A perfect climb: good friends, traffic free.
The short route in a sportive is likely to miss out the toughest climbs, yet still deliver a varied and challenging outing, which is partly why the sportive has become so popular so quickly, as everyone can participate and find their level.
Location
A well-planned sportive will try to utilize safe, traffic-free roads wherever possible, and will incorporate scenic routes and well known landmarks such as major climbs, or ‘cols’ in European countries.
The route may use narrow roads, and the road surfaces may be rougher and more variable than usual. Consider these factors when choosing an event and when preparing your bike – tyre choice, inflation pressure, spares to be carried all need to be thought through carefully. It is possible, for example, that a sportive course such as the Exmoor Beast which takes place in late autumn will be accompanied by some pretty wild weather, and road surfaces will be strewn with gravel or thorns. At the other end of the scale, an event such as Quebrantahuesos in northern Spain includes many kilometres on beautifully smooth tarmac with long climbs and terrific descents.
Profile
All sportives are designed to present a challenge. Part of that challenge must be the act of hauling varying quantities of human body mass, machine and cycling gear up gradients against the force of gravity, otherwise known as ‘climbing’! Climbing is to some the absolute essence of cycling, yet to others the most feared and dreaded element of the sport. Look carefully at the route profile and the pattern of the climbs when selecting an event, and match the severity to your ability and ambition.
A ‘typical’ sportive of 160km is likely to feature several notable climbs of up to 10km or more, and will offer between 1,500 and 3,000 vertical metres of climbing across the course of the event. 1,500 to 3,000m in 160km doesn’t sound much, but then factor in gradients of between 5 and 25 per cent and you will probably find yourself grinding up a total of over 50km in a granny gear (the smallest cogs at the back of the bike) with a few minor lumps and bumps thrown in to unsettle your rhythm, and just for good measure 30°C to 40°C of summer sun. Be aware that any event showing over 2,500m of climbing is a warning sign for a tough sportive, and needs to be treated with respect: a training plan geared towards peaking for that event should be allowed for.
Profile of the Maratona Dles Dolomites in Italy in July.
So choose the right event with the right profile for your objectives, and think and plan for the specific conditions and roads. To illustrate the variation between events we have shown two ‘typical’ sportive course profiles below: the first is acknowledged as one of the toughest and best organized events on the European calendar, the Maratona Dles Dolomites held in Italy each July (www.maratona.it/en); and the second is the Shakespeare 100 sportive held in September in the UK, a challenging, scenic and enjoyable 100-mile (160km) sportive running from Stratford-on-Avon down into the Cotswolds and back (www.shakespeare100.org.uk). Both are challenging events, but the course profile demands a different level of preparation and strategy; more on that later.
The overall aim of our advice and therefore of this book is to help the reader finish an event without needing an oxygen tent and a stretcher, having given everything possible on the day without causing permanent physiological damage. With the right preparation any physically fit individual should be able to tackle a sportive with a little left ‘in the tank’ and with enough strength to celebrate their achievement at the finish line.
Preparation and Planning
Plan your event nutrition and ride strategies carefully to map on to the specifics of the event itself, and think through what and how much you need to carry on the bike. The rest – timing chips, massage points, mobile mechanics – may or may not be present, so again, plan your event strategy accordingly. You should ensure that you can deal with at least minor mechanicals yourself, and should carry enough basic nutrition to complete the event should a problem arise. Interestingly Mark Cavendish, the Tour de France sprinter, said recently that even he, with comprehensive and constant race support available, always carries his own supplies in his back pocket, and that this has allowed him to win a race on more than one occasion when feed bags (‘musettes’) haven’t materialized.
Profile of the Shakespeare 100 Sportive in the UK in September; total climbing 1,720m.
Take responsibility for your own food, clothing and bike to ensure that if any of the core ingredients are missing you are still able to complete the ride.
An Organizer’s Perspective
Organizing a successful sportive event involving hundreds or even thousands of participants is a complicated business, and comes down to managing the sometimes conflicting demands of riders, sponsors, venue owners and local authorities. We asked VOTWO (www.votwo.co.uk), organizers of the Silverstone Sportive in the UK, for their insight into what it takes to arrange a successful sportive:
Tour of Britain 2009, 26th fastest finisher.
Choosing a location
When selecting a suitable venue we have to look for one which can cope with the number of riders anticipated in terms of access, parking, toilet facilities, registration and amenity areas, and which also offers a safe collecting and start environment, preferably off the road. This is a challenging task, especially with an event attracting over a thousand competitors.
The course
Once the venue has been identified and arrangements finalized, the organizer then has to plan a course which finds a balance between challenge, enjoyment and safety, whilst considering the number of turning and hazard points that will require marshalling and signage. As most event organizers rely on volunteer or part-time staff for marshalling roles, they then need to be provided with detailed instructions on where to position themselves and when. This is a very time-consuming but critical part of the task, when a 100-mileroute may well have seventy-five road junctions to navigate through.
When the route is set, the relevant local authorities are then made aware of the event so that they understand what is happening in their area, and are able to raise concerns or objections and provide information on road repairs or other likely issues.
Promoting the event
We then turn to the marketing and promotion of the event, trying to reach as many potential entrants as possible, providing comprehensive information and allowing early and straightforward entry. This activity requires constant liaison with sponsors and event supporters looking to promote their own interests and brand on the back of the event itself. As an organizer, this is where the gambling begins in terms of the level of investment in advertising and promotion, which has to be recouped through increased entry levels and participation.
In the background there is organized chaos as staff are booked and scheduled, medical cover, insurance, equipment (such as barriers, portable toilets and timing chips) are arranged, and everything is carefully scaled to the rate at which entries appear to be coming in. On that note, it is incredibly helpful if we can gain visibility of entries at an early stage, so that we can plan the logistics to suit. This will in turn improve the quality of the event and the experience for the riders, and minimize any issues which arise on the day.
On the day
When the day of the event arrives, the work really begins; we generally start at about 03:30 in order to get the course signage in place. We don’t do this the day before as experience has taught us that the locals and other helpful souls have a habit of removing or altering signs on their way home from the pub, or just for a laugh …
The competitors start to arrive, and the process of registration and starting gets underway. The key element for us at this stage is to make sure the riders find their way quickly and easily to the car parking areas, registration tables and toilets as required. It is unbelievably helpful if competitors actually follow the directions and instructions, as this keeps everything running smoothly.
It also helps if everyone brings their documentation, as this keeps the registration process running to plan.
All underway
Once the bulk of the riders are out on the course, we experience a strange feeling of calm as the stressful preparation work begins to reap rewards. If all goes according to plan, we then begin to see riders arriving back with smiles on their faces. Once everyone is in, it is a matter of collating and publishing results and photos and handling any queries or feedback that comes in. Once again, from our perspective it is important that riders let us know when changes occur – for instance if they opt for a different distance, or even drop out completely.
After a tidy-up (including as much as possible on the course itself) and the recovery of all the signage, we head off with our heads full of changes and improvements for next year. Feedback from participants is very helpful – but we mean feedback, not just negative criticism! Putting on a sportive can be extremely rewarding when the feedback is good, and you can see how much everyone has enjoyed the event, and what people have achieved.
