My Pre-Race Routine -
And Why I Ride to the Start

Racing for 11 days straight means maximising the essentials: eat, sleep and recovery. The pro women’s race start kicked off after 4.30pm most days, so I would have the morning to sleep in, get in some solid carbs over breakfast and lunch, and then either go for a pre-race spin or ride to the race if it was within 40km of my host housing.

I quite enjoyed riding to the races. It meant I had time to relax all morning, and then get a good long warm up on the way to the race, I didn’t have to worry about sourcing a lift (because I didn’t have access

to a car), packing the car, where to park, allocating time to warm up, etc. And honestly, driving to a race makes me feel more anxious, It just gives me more time to disassociate and stress about every possible race scenario. But when I ride to the race, I can stick my headphones on, be distracted by my surroundings, the wind, and enjoy my own music. It’s a win-win for me really… unless I get stranded with a flat on route to the race… which thankfully didn’t happen.

Knowing When to Make a Move

This was my third time racing Tour of America’s Dairyland, and second time racing it solo. I came in with confidence in my own abilities, but I was aware of the strength in the other teams and riders around me. I started the race each day with less of a focus on winning, and more on the race process itself.

Riding solo means working smarter, not harder, circling near the front to be aware of the action, but not so far front you’re doing all the work, analysing who’s in the bunch and who’s attacking to determine whether to sit back and let others do the chasing, or trying to bridge across yourself, or sensing lulls in the bunch to attempt a break away, etc.

Learning How To Win

For me, I wanted to dial in the last few laps of the race. Although I was strong enough to battle it out in a sprint finish, I would often get court out early or not be on the right wheels to take the win. Given the changing race circumstances each day (e.g. course style, finishing straight length, break aways), I successfully executed a winning strategy 4/11 times. And once I figured it out, it all clicked.

The trick was to watch how others would take the last corner in previous years of racing or for primes (mid-race cash sprints), whether they were first around the last corner for a short finish sprint, or sitting 3-5 wheels back for a longer sprint.

Once I knew the answer to the winning strategy, it was up to me to put myself in the right spot, bumping elbows fighting to be first around the final corner, or sitting patient a few wheels back, waiting for the right moment to launch my sprint.

This didn’t work every time. Some days I was too flogged to contest a podium, others I had just left things too late. The good thing about 11 days of racing is I’ve got 11 opportunities to test something new, try a different strategy, or push beyond my comfort zone, and that is the most valuable thing for my development as bike racer.