How To Improve Your Time On A Sportive

- For many people, just getting end to the end of a Sportive
is the main objective and actually a very big achievement.
But for others, it's all about improving
their times and going quicker.
So, here are a few tips on how to do exactly that.
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- One way in which you can drastically reduce the time taken
to complete the Sportive is by not stopping
at every single feed station.
Yes, it is crucially important that
you consume enough calories and
drink enough to get yourself round.
But, you should be able to do this
without continuously stopping.
- Hey, Morty!
Might see him again today.
- Then, when you do finally stop at a feed station,
stock right up, so fill both of your bottles up
and fill your pockets up with food as well
and don't hang around too long.
Get on your way, very quickly
and your legs are probably going to thank you for it.
- Yeah, but it's really important
that you study the route in detail,
if you do ought to do this because
the last thing you want to happen,
is to run out of vital supplies
when it's 20 miles to the next feed zone.
- It's over 30 days.
- Good too.
So, start your event with two big bottles of drink.
Preferably, energy drink if your stomach is used to it
and with plenty of food in your back pockets.
You should be able to start with enough
that you can just cruise past the
first feed station without stopping,
already saving a good five minutes or more.
- To give you an example,
we are doing the Maratona dles Dolomites
in Alta Badia, later this year.
And the first feed station at that event comes at 29Ks in.
Admittedly, it is quite hard, 29K,
but it's probably not going to take
more than two hours to get there.
so we'll skip that one and wait until
the next feed station at the 40K mark.
Or even, wait until the top of the Passo Campolongo,
which comes at the 60K marker.
You should be able to carry enough
to see you through three hours of riding.
So you would need to decide where that's going to get you.
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- Unfortunately, not all Sportives
are held under ideal weather conditions.
So, you should be prepared for anything
with your clothing, especially rain.
Which brings us on to our next point,
you want to invest in a rain jacket
that sits and snuggly to your body.
The difference to one that flaps about all over the place
and one that fits nicely, is significant
in terms of aerodynamics.
- That's right, you'll probably see
lots of people riding around with capes or jackets
flapping all over the place, like a parachute.
Probably costing them about 20 watts,
which for a lot of people, is about 10%
of their energy or their power.
So, choose your garment wisely.
You don't want something that's like a compression top,
but you don't want it too flappy either.
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- How do you go faster by going slower?
Well, by starting slowly and finishing a lot faster.
It is something that we are never
going to stop preaching here at GCN.
Make sure you pace yourself, it doesn't matter
how experienced you are as a rider,
how much thought you put into your pacing,
is still incredibly easy to get carried
away at the start and go too fast.
- No, so ignore those other riders blasting off around you.
Find your own pace and stick to it.
Now, it might be a little bit hard at first,
but ultimately, it'll lead to a faster time
and the satisfaction of overtaking
those riders at the end who started off way too quick.
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- [Man, Voiceover] Finally, get aero.
Not just your kit, your helmet,
your bike, your wheels, but, yourself.
It's your body that makes the biggest difference
when it comes to sailing through the wind.
So, practise getting aero in training
and execute the same tactic on the day.
It doesn't make much difference on the climbs
but on the flat or downhills,
it's gonna make you a lot quicker.
- If you manage to find a group of riders
or even just one other rider
of a similar ability to yourself,
that is a great way of going faster
whilst using exactly the same amount of effort
and that is because, by alternating
the rider on the front, they will be saving
the team we're behind, about 30% of their power.
However, make sure that you do
occasionally come through and do your turn in the front
because it can be quite infuriating
if there's one person who just decides,
they're gonna sit on and save all their own energy.
So, those are our tips for going faster
on Sportive or Gran Fondo, but what are yours?
Please share your tips with our other viewers
in the comment section just down below this video.
- Yeah, and so you don't miss another GCN video,
how about clicking on the globe
to subscribe to the Global Cycling Network.
Now, for how to get more aero on your bike,
click just down here and for Sportive etiquette tips,
click just down here and don't forget to like and share.

How To Improve Your Time On A Sportive

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