The Updated First Timer's Guide - Part 7 (Race Morning)

You’re now ready for your first stage of the TransRockies. You just need to turn up by start time and you’re good to go. Right? Wrong! Being prepared in the morning can be the difference between a great day and a thoroughly miserable experience.

Getting Ready to Go

While a lot of this advice will seem blindingly obvious, if you can develop a good routine, by day 4 or 5 you’ll be very thankful. As the race progresses you’ll be operating on autopilot, and on some days that autopilot may seem a bit misguided. (In my first TR I was in a big rush on Day 3 and put my shorts on backwards and in my fatigued haze I didn’t notice it for an embarrassingly long time.)

• Get up at least two hours before the start. (Most of the starts are at 8:00 or 9:00 and you’ll often be cold and stiff first thing in the morning. You’ll need the time for eating, drinking, packing, stretching, and preparations.)

• Establish some sort of schedule.  (For me it is dress, wash, eat, pack, prepare food and drink, prepare my bike, and get to the start area. You’ll figure out what works for you and your partner.)
• Get dressed. (Although post-race time in wet chamois is a recipe for disaster, I usually dress in my riding clothes, with other layers over the top, for breakfast. It saves lots of time later on. If you are not tenting it, you’ll have a bit more flexibility and may choose to delay getting into your riding gear until closer to the start time.)
• Eat breakfast and lots of it. (The food at the TR has improved dramatically since I did my first TR in 2004. There is plenty of choice and lots of supply.  And you can go back for seconds. TR breakfasts are the only time of the year that I eat oatmeal. I find it is the perfect pre-race fuel and very filling. But the menus will be posted in advance and you’ll know what you’ll want to chow down on.)
• Pack up. (Every morning you’ll have to pack up everything and fit it into the capacious TR duffle bag. The duffle bags must be delivered to the luggage truck before the start. The less stuff you unpack at night the less you’ll have to stuff back in the following morning. Note: most people find it easier to carry the bags with their partner, or they use their bike a trolley.)
• Prepare food and drink. (I try to keep my food and drink organized when I’m riding. I use lemon/lime Gatorade and bring some extra with me in empty 35mm film canisters. I keep some food; bars and Sharkies, in my jersey pocket with the balance in my hydration pack. I partially open the packaging for the bars to make it easier to eat on the trail. I keep some gels under the hem of my shorts, while some people tape gels to their frames.)
• Check your bike. (You need to give your bike the “once over”. Tires go flat over night and you may need to fix and/or replace a tube before you’re ready to ride. A bit of lube on the chain never goes astray either.)
• Check in at the start. (You MUST check in at least 15 minutes before the start time. This will give you time to discuss your plans for the day with your partner and deal with any last minute problems. Also checking in early will also mean you have a better position in your start block. On some stages there are areas of potential congestion close to the start, the better your position, the less likely that you’ll get stuck in traffic.)
• Pay attention. (There may be advice or route changes that is announced to the riders at the start. This can be stuff like cut-off times or other such crucial information. You would not want to miss a cut-off time by 2 minutes because it changed and you were not paying attention.)
• Have fun. (You’ll be riding with your 500 newest friends. So, ride fast, be careful and make friends with the other teams. For most people the TR is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Make the most of it.)

In the next instalment I’ll deal with the actual mechanics of riding stages in the TR; riding with a partner and handling the aid stations.