- [Matt] If you're doing a sportive or a
Gran Fondo for the very first time,
there's going to be lots of things that are new to you.
Now we're heading out to the Maratona dles Dolomites
in Alta Badia in Italy in July.
And no doubt there will be a lot of new riders there.
- [Dan] Right so coming up now are a few tips and tricks,
which should help both you
and possibly those around you as well.
(electronic music)
- [Matt] One thing that many people
forget to do is to change into an easier gear
when they come to a stop.
You'll often see people pulling away in a huge gear,
grinding away and struggling to get going.
So if you're about to stop at a junction,
or a feed zone, or just have a quick break,
change up through the gears before you come to a stop.
Now if you forget to do that,
here's a really handy tip.
Which Dan is going to show you how to do.
Put your front break on.
Lift your back wheel off the ground,
and with a pedal that's still clipped in, change gear.
Then you've selected a nice low gear
to start off nice and easily.
- [Dan] Right in.
(electronic music)
It may sound easy, but coming to a stop
in a sophisticated way particularly on a climb
can be quite tricky.
So if you're new to this sport
and you've just got yourself some clipless pedals
twist your foot and disengage
well in advance of actually wanting to come to a stop.
And before you start braking, have a quick look around you.
If there is anybody close by, give them a hand signal
to warn them about what you're about to do.
(electronic music)
- [Matt] Most Gran Fondo's
are very well organised,
with marshals and directional arrows throughout.
However, it's still a really good idea
to put the route into your head unit.
That way you're going to get an immediate alert
if you happen to go off course.
And you'll also be able to see what's coming up
in terms of terrain,
which can really help with you judging your pace.
(electronic music)
If your new to riding sportives,
there's a strong likelihood
that you won't have much experience
of riding within a big group.
So it's important that you keep your distance
and a gap of around a metre to the rider in front of you
is a pretty good place to start.
Regardless of the fact that you might be very confident
about your bike handling ability,
because you just don't know what the person in front
may or may not do.
- And also if you are in amongst other riders,
good idea to hover a couple of fingers
over each brake lever.
You never know when you are going
to have to come to a stop quickly.
So it's always better to be prepared.
(electronic music)
It's really important to keep eating and drinking
throughout a Gran Fondo or sportive.
Of course there is going to be multiple feed stations
at well organised events.
Also important to keep topped up between each one.
So before you get to the event practice riding with one arm
on the bars, taking the bottle out the cage and drinking,
and taking food out your pockets.
Do this on your own before you get to the event
before you start doing it around loads of other riders.
(electronic music)
- [Matt] It's very tempting,
particularly in the latter half of an event,
to have a long good rest at the feed station
before you set off again.
Unfortunately, this can make you
feel worse than you did before.
So, get what you need in terms of food and drink,
don't eat too much in one go,
and then set off before your body starts to get cold again.
Stop too long and your legs will feel dead when you set off.
- So, six tips which will hopefully help you
through your first ever sportive or Gran Fondo.
On the other hand, if you are a far more experienced rider
in those sorts of events, that is watching this video,
then we'd love to know if you've got any handy tips
or tricks which you've built up over the years.
Now I'm sure other viewers would love to see them too.
As ever you can leave your experiences and hints
in the comments section just down below.
- Yeah, and once you've done that,
if you haven't already,
subscribe to GCN by clicking on the globe.
If you've got any mates that you know haven't subscribed
you can tell them as well.
Now for another video on how to increase your average speed,
you can find that by clicking just down here.
And for how to eat and drink on the bike,
click just down here.