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Tips When Signing Up For A Sportive

406 views · Published 22 January 2016 · 3:15 · Indexed 31 October 2026

Channel: leonardmlee · 2016 · Sports

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Signing up for a Sportive or Gran Fondo ride is, for many of us cyclists, an exciting challenge. Here, then, are a few pointers to make riding one even more memorable.

The Key to riding a sportive or a Gran Fondo is preperation. Yes, you have to make sure that you, the rider, is at peak fitness but a lot of it will come when you are actually signing up for your event, particularly if it is your first major ride.

Its a good idea to chose an event that is relatively local. With hundreds of rides a year, finding something on your doorstep has never been easier. Websites such as http://www.cyclosport.org here in the UK and http://www.granfondoguide.com in the US have made finding suitable events  a piece of cake.

Probably you main concern will be  actually finishing so decide what sort of distance you want to ride. Most single day events have a selection of routes with names designed to reflect what kind of distance it will cover. Remember, its a challenge so try not to opt for the short 30 km ‘pootle’ but if you genuinely don’t think you can finish the 200km epic, even with months of training, then go for something in the middle.

Take a look at the route to give yourself an idea of where the ride will be going. Many websites also have a gradient profile so you can anticipate what kind of hills you will be climbing. More often than not, event websites also have downloadable GPS files that can be loaded on to your cycling computer so you can actually go out and reccie the ride in the flesh.

When considering potential rides, bear in mind that you will need around eight to twelve weeks to train for your event, that is assuming that you aren’t super fit already. 

Having found the perfect event I would suggest signing up fairly quickly. This way your are fully committed as early as possible and you have a definite goal to aim at. Thinking about all the cash you have just handed over will also give you an extra boost to get out and train. 

Its a good idea to have some kind of countdown calendar for your ride. You can use this to structure your training and log how well you are doing.

As you are training, it is a good idea to go out and actually ride parts of the route, particularly bits that you may be unfamiliar with. 

Finally, remember that GPS route file you downloaded? Why not do a dry run of the whole ride a couple of weeks before the event itself? , This will give your confidence a massive boost and take away a few nerves actually on the day.

If you would like to follow my efforts on the bike you can follow me on Strava. My profile is here: http://www.strava.com/athletes/515946

You are also very welcome to join my virtual cycling club on Strava. By sharing our rides we can help and encourage each other to reach our fitness goals.

You can join the club here: https://www.strava.com/clubs/Chernobyl

and the Chernobyl Cycling Club Facebook group here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/chernobylcyclingclub/

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