My 1st Epic - Please give me some advise!

[sharkysa]

Other then keep pedalling.....

[Shebeen]

Other then keep pedalling.....

don't believe everything to see on the internet

[Ryan]

From a mate who has done it. This will be my first (and probably last) and I asked him the same question.

 

1. Don't break your partner, you need him.

2 .Pack your days clothes and food in seperate packets and lable them. then each morning you pull out the bag and put the stuff on.If you have to pack and unpack every day you will forget stuff.

3. Zip lock bags for the drink powders. Its smaller to pack and you just pour it in the camel back or bottles.

4. Don't bother with clean clothes for everynight, i used the same stuff the whole week

5 .Scants are crap, your ass will be sore, so boxers.

6. If you start to get chaff on your ass, go to the bum clinic. if it blisters you ignored it too long. mine healed from a blister in three days. the clinic great.

[GLuvsMtb]

If you are still in it after 3 stages you'll know what to do.

[Iron]

lots of butt cream!!

 

get through day 4 and you will be ok.

[Gnarly]

Sit down when you pee, it saves energy.

[petatodd]

Take wet wipes for your morning and any other dump, you don't want to be sitting in shite all day.

 

And use pro-glide or some other lube in your shorts.

 

Don't carry too much in your camelback, typical newbie mistake, there are 3 very well stocked water points on the route each day.

[SwissVan]

A lot depends on your current state of fitness i.e. are you planning on racing hard, being competitive or just aiming to finish.

Some ideas common to most types of competitors that I gleaned from last years event:

If there is a prologue / TT event the first day and its not a long stage, try do a good time so you get a better start time the next day. for the prologue DON’T take it to slow thinking that you need to save energy for the next day.

Starting in the last group everyday can be a pain as you often get stuck behind slower traffic and end up walking when you might be able to ride. This has the potential to add on hours to your eventual finish time.

Eat lots of stuff each and every day, carry food stuff with you and grab stuff at the water points.

Lubricate your chain at each water point that has chain lube, there are sponsored guys standing at some water points who will lube it for you. Don’t worry about what type of lube, just put it on.

Make sure your water bottle cage especially a seat post mounted one (if you have one) holds a full bottle tight, you wont believe how many people lose their water bottles on each stage. I used a specialized ribbed cage and it was perfect, did not need an extra rubber band to stop the bottle from falling out even when it broke (my fault).

[reteid]

if the rubber breaks you are in for a nice surprise.other that that little side joke swiss van and ryan is correct.also try to get as much sleep as possible.

[reteid]

with the breaking rubber you will only see the results in about 9 months though.

[kandui]

Unless you are a Racing Snake and have podium ambitions, ride Day 1 below your normal riding ability. discipline yourself to ride a little slower than you know you can handle. When Day 1 is over it's not like you can go home and relax as after a Day Race. You need to do the same another 6 times!

If you're feeling good after Day 4 , then you can consider upping the pace.By that time you'll have plenty of teams coming back at you and you will make up lots of places by doing nothing other than riding at a your pace. Beware of the last day, it's not just a homeward cruise. There were some steep climbs last year and by now you are gatvol and tired.

[Velouria]

Get as many people to do as much for you as possible - budget dependent. Mechanic, massage, lunch etc. Try to spend as much time off the bike doing nothing.

 

Always eat all your meals, even if you don't feel like it. Eat as much as you can.

 

Communicate with your partner - have the same goals and objectives, and let him know how you are feeling. Slowest rider sets the pace.

 

Sun protection for your lips

 

Ear plugs

 

Avoid taking a tent anywhere near the toilets

 

Take a camera along - stop and use it.

 

Duct tape and cable ties can solve most emergencies

 

Get into a routine as soon as possible - wake up, toilet, breakfast, toilet, pack bag, get to start chute, have 6-8 hours of fantastic riding, bike wash, lunch, showers, massage, afternoon nap, mix bottles, dinner, bed. Repeat x 8

 

Enjoy the Epic experience - hanging with the foreigners, chilling in the chill zone, the views, the scenery, the riders around you - everything that makes the Epic such a special event.

[kandui]

2 Water Bottles will get you through each stage, take a third if you can fit it, but don't stick in your back pocket. It will drive you mad. There is no real need for a Camelbak, water points come at the right intervals. If you lose a bottle there are plenty lying on the trail. Don't duplicate stuff with your partner, one of each is fine , except tubes and bombs. Remember a spare derailleur hanger for your bike. 2, maybe 3 cycling tops and bibs are enough.

[Seandmerida96]

Best advice I can give is don't pack as many spares as you think you need. I took Plenty and it was a huge mission to pack up at each sleep over. You can get anything there and its not as expansive as you think!!!

[TimW]

The best things I did when I did Epic ... (in order of importance) ...

1) Had a great mechanic who took my bike off me at the finish and washed and repaired it ready for next day so I could concentrate on recovery and bike was perfect. The best mechanic you can get the better your bike will be and the easier your race will be.

2) Had massages after each day.

3) Looked after my bum like I was a gay prostitute

4) Made sure I eat as much as possible as soon as I could after the finish each day (standard meal was three hamburgers each, plus recovery drink before we showered)

5) forced breakfast down each morning (was tougher than I thought)

6) Do not let your partner kill you -- if you are struggling, communicate ... actually make sure you are communicating from day one (forget the macho bull***t -- the better you feel the better your partner will do).

7) Rode a steady pace from Day 1 and passed loads of people on overall position on the last three days

8) packed everything I needed each day into separate packets and marked them (including juice bottle mixes pre-measured into individual packets -- both for before the start and at each water point).

9) New shirts and shorts for each day -- not as in just bought, but as in do not wash each day (seal them and their smell in packets and throw in the washing machine after the race).

 

In short, do everything you can to make your time after each stage as hassle free as possible

[petatodd]

Unless you are a Racing Snake and have podium ambitions, ride Day 1 below your normal riding ability.

 

I disagree with this strategy, it is really important to get a seeding on day 1 and keep it for the duration.

 

By being seeded your start in the top half of the field and can mosey up to the start gate 10-15 minutes before the off. Do this event unseeded and you'll add hours to your day, either getting to the start gate early to be at the front of unseeded or onto the finish as you get stuck behind slow hikers on difficultish sections.

 

Go as hard as you can every day, that why you've trained.