Spectators watching cycling often make the decision to start cycling themselves. Inspired by the success of professional athletes, they strive to achieve results as quickly as possible and sometimes train extremely hard. We recommend that you try to take part in cycling marathons, which could help you build your body and character.
Almost everyone has heard of running marathons. The distance of the classic marathon is 42 kilometers and 195 meters. In cycling, such distances are much longer. For professional cyclists is a distance of 100 kilometers or more. For a novice amateur, the route length of 40 kilometers will be suitable. Let’s find out what you should pay attention to in order to successfully overcome the distance of the bike marathon.
Exercise Regularly and Build Up Gradually
Many novice athletes often make the mistake of immediately trying to overcome enormous distances as quickly as possible and wear themselves out with grueling workouts almost every day. This approach is fundamentally wrong. We must give our muscles the opportunity to recover and adapt to the growing load. Start with one trip per week, gradually increasing the number of workouts to three in one week. This mode will be quite enough to prepare yourself for overcoming a distance of 40 kilometers.
Watch Your Diet and Drinking Regimen
While preparing for a cycling marathon, you need to provide the body with the necessary nutrients, namely fats, proteins, and carbohydrates in the right proportions.
About a month before the bike marathon, lower your carb intake and increase your protein intake, which can help you shed excess weight and improve muscle tone. A few days before the cycling contest, on the contrary, try to eat as many carbohydrates as possible, which are found in large quantities in cereals. Carbohydrates will give you the necessary amount of energy to successfully overcome the distance. Reduce your intake of fats, as they increase cholesterol levels, which could put additional stress on the heart.
Keep track of how much water you drink per day. For the normal functioning of the body, an adult person needs to drink about 1.5 liters of water per day. If you are a cyclist and are preparing for a cycling marathon, we would advise you to increase this amount to 2.5 – 3 liters per day.
On the day of the marathon, bring enough water and a small supply of food, such as bananas and energy bars.
Learn to Properly Distribute Your Energy
All beginners make the same mistake when passing the distance of a bicycle marathon, trying to gain high speed at the start, because of which they quickly run out of steam and barely reach the finish line. Forget that you know how to drive fast! A marathon is not a sprint. In such races, it is important to correctly distribute your forces over the entire length of the distance.
Experiment with speed during your workouts and find your ideal pace. The right pace of the trip will help you get to the finish line of the bike marathon and not exhaust all your body’s resources.
Enlist the Support of Loved Ones and Find Like-Minded People
Your workouts could be much more effective if there are people around who share your interests. It’s even better if you train with people more experienced in cycling than you. They will always be able to give you valuable advice and draw your attention to your mistakes. Training partners can always be found on the Internet in thematic forums.
Make Sure Your Bike is Suitable for the Type of Road
Before you take part in a cycling marathon, find out where it will take place. If the route runs through hilly terrain and in some places there will be a dirt road, then you will definitely need a mountain bike. If you are going to ride on perfectly flat paved surfaces, then it will be better to use a road bike for cycling.