BIKES

eneficial, provided you’re putting
in enough effort.
However, all the short blasts in
the world won’t prepare you for the
feeling of one very long day in the
saddle, and it is strongly
recommended that you find out just
how your body reacts to six or eight
hours on your bike.
Comfort essentials
■ Avoid fixing yourself into one
position. You’ll arrive at your
destination locked solid and begging
to be lifted off your bike. To avoid n k
and shoulder pain, keep them mov
Wriggle your fingers and use all the
hand positions offered by drop bars. If
you’re on flat bars, consider fitting bar
ends to give you more options.
■ A bike-fit can sort out niggling aches
before they become chronic. Ask
locally for recommendations.
■ Take frequent short stops to stretch
and lunge. You probably already look
odd in your lurid Lycra, so doing
step-ups in the cafe car park can hardly
add to the weirdness.
Mental preparation
Lunges and stretches for your mind, so
to speak, are equally important. It’s
trite but it’s true: often our biggest fear
is the unknown, and because we don’t
know what we don’t know, that can be
very scary indeed.
Knowing that you are physically
prepared with the correct equipment
can ease your mind. But even so,
friends and family usually raise
Having a waterproof helps
maintain good cheer
“Get to know your riding mates in
advance, and check that their ability
level is well matched to yours”
concerns. Who hasn’t heard these?
“What if you can’t carry on because
of weather and breakdowns?”
“What if you get lost?”
“What if everyone else is awesome
and you can’t keep up?”
Whether it’s your gran or your own
inner monologue asking, the answers
are the same:
■ Have exit strategies. You almost
certainly won’t use them, but be aware
of the towns you are passing — all you
need to do is hop on a train to get home
to safety.
Top In many regards,
a multi-day ride is
only as good as the
friends with whom
you complete it
Ignore the breaks;
ride at your own pace
ight equipment — maps,
sat-navs and a willingness to ask for
help. Unless you’re cycling across the
Serengeti, it’s easy to stop someone to
ask for directions.
■ Have clear expectations and be
honest with yourself and your ride
mates. Get to know the folks you are
riding with, and if you can, go out with
some of them prior to your trip. That
way, you won’t be surprised at their
speed, whether high or low.
Some of us are prone to vaguer,
more nebulous fears. Take some hints
from cognitive behavioural therapy
and try ‘catastrophising’. This
essentially means “blow it out of all
proportion, and now don’t you feel
daft?” More specifically, you engage in
a question-and-answer session with
yourself where you scale-up each
SEPTEMBER 2014 CYCLING ACTIVE 121