Event Day Checklist!

Thursday, June 8th, 2023

You’ve clocked up the training miles and your bike is ready to go. Is there anything that needs to be done at the last minute? The friendly team in Cycle Superstore give some last-minute advice.

Night Before

To help eliminate or reduce any pre-event nerves or stress, we suggest you complete the following checklist:

Get your cycling kit ready the night before. As it’s going to be a long day, plan for every eventuality. Don’t leave anything to chance. As the saying goes: “It’s better to be looking at something than looking for something”.

Always pump up your tyres the night before to ensure there are no slow leaks.

Check over your saddle bag. Check the quality of the spare tubes, that there is no rips or tears in them. You’ll be amazed how many people pick up a puncture only to discover their spare tubes are not fit for purpose. Also check your pump is working.

Something you should also try and pack in your saddle bag is Rear Derailleur Hanger. The hanger is a sacrificial part located at your rear mech and costs in the region of €20-€40. It is designed to deliberately break to limit or prevent damage to the bike frame or other components. As each bike model has its own unique hanger, the likelihood of the event support vehicle having your type is remote.

For more information on what you should pack in your saddle bag, please see CSS blog post her e

The Day Itself

Don’t try anything new on the day of the event, be it clothing, energy food or even breakfast cereal. A minor change or trying something new on the day can ruin the event for you. Arrive to the start line with a clean bike and clean drive train. As they say, a clean bike is a fast bike, and a clean drive train will ensure your bike performs to its best.

Remember to pace yourself on the day and most importantly remember it’s not a race. The second half of the course is traditionally harder then the first half, so keep that in mind when you start. When it comes to the hills, pace yourself going up and take your time descending. The event is taking place on open roads so there will be other road users on the day. There is no shame in taking your time descending.

Make sure you take enough fuel onboard. During your training you would have established what works best for you. Even if you don’t want to stop at a food stop, our advice would be stop and at least put something in the back pocket of your jersey.

Wishing you the best of luck at this year’s event – we are looking forward to seeing you at the start line on 11th June!