The TransWales, one month to go.

It’s July. That means Summer. The weather has warmed up, the puddles have dried out and the trails are aching to be ridden. In 6 weeks, we will be heading over to Wales for a week of thigh-busting riding courtesy of the GORE BIKE WEAR™ TransWales 2011 powered by Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport. Read on to see what preparations we are making and what we’ve got in store.

Born in 2006 from a growing disinterest in 90 minute flat out xc mtb racing, Mike Wilkens and John Lloyd created the UK’s first mtb stage race, the 7 day Trans Wales. The race takes in some of Wales’ most beautiful natural trails, gorgeous singletrack and most famous trail centres. The full route for the 2011 event is here.

Let’s face it, not everyone enjoys the constant hill and sprint reps required to be competitive at xc. In fact, if we’re honest, most of us are weekend warriors, preferring longer and more sedate riding than short, gurning sprints. And the Trans Wales is the race of the Weekend Warrior. With a decent number of longish rides under you belt, the Trans Wales is a realistic target for pretty much anyone. You don’t need to be elite to enjoy it or conquer it; just determined, reasonably fit and up for a week of pedalling.

You definitely don’t need to be capable of keeping on Oli Beckinsale’s wheel over 5 laps of Margam Park to race the Trans Wales, but with the unique combination of long untimed linking stages and shorter timed race stages, you get to feel like Oli for just a short while each day and to scratch that competitive itch. At Cyclist No.1 we’re proud of our commuter-come-weekend-warrior status, and we love the idea that we can ride with friends all day (and then park the friendship while we try and rip their legs off in the time trails). Over the next 4 weeks we will be getting ready to take on the Trans Wales. This is how we’re preparing.

Getting our sh*t together

Now as much as the Trans Wales is about 7 days of banter, mountain views, cheeky singletrack and the compulsory post-ride pint, we admit it’s also not a walk in the park and we are creeping up the amount we are riding to prepare ourselves. Our motivation is to ‘maximise our enjoyment’ so we don’t see it as training, just a way of making sure we can ride and keep smiling all week.

As well as squeezing in more mountain bike rides, we are also trying to ready our muscles to take the strain by running off-road a few times a week and building up our road miles so we are comfortable riding 3-4 hours at a time. There is no need to ride for 6 hours at a time to prepare for a stage race, but the aim should be to get your body used to riding on consecutive days. That gives you a chance to make changes to your bike set up too. Upping your mileage will soon make you notice if your saddle needs dropping or you have too much float in your pedals. Make the tweaks as you notice them! Remember, what niggles now is agony come day seven!

Get your body used to riding on consecutive days...

Maximising enjoyment means not getting injured. Many people give it beans on day 1 at the Trans Wales and end up tweaking an old injury or over-straining an under-prepared limb or two. After making every mistake in the book, I now swear by yoga and stretching. Our technical editor, Scott, is a trained physio and emphasises the importance of stretching. “After a long day in the saddle, minimize the chances of injury and muscle fatigue by stretching out those muscles. Take your time and really work those muscles. You’ll be grateful as the week goes on”. I take a yoga mat on stage races and really work at my stretching at the end of each day. It enables me to unwind, chill out and release the strain.

I also use stretching and yoga as a way of strengthening my body before a race like the Trans Wales. Having good core stability and strong joints is extremely important for a pain free ride. Having a strong back and strong core muscles will stop your lower back screaming at you when you push a big gear on long climbs (did I mention Wales was hilly?). Carrying a pack adds strain on your back muscles so strengthen them up in advance!

The final bit of pre-race prep we will be concentrating on is the job of wales-proofing our bikes. Having watched the rough, wet rock in Wales destroy lightweight tyres and beautiful shiny drive trains over the past 5 years, I can recommend choosing bombproof over bling when you prep your machine. Lightweight is important, but the Trans Wales will eat fragile wheelsets for breakfast. Avoid thin xc tyres and gold-plated chainrings and choose something more Wales-proof instead. It can and will be done on hardtails but the CNO1 team will be riding short-mid travel full sussers with a carefully selected balance between light-weight and reliability/strength.

Essentials

Competitors receive one Trans Wales duffle bag for all their kit for the week, so it’s important that the right combination of performance, comfort and (be honest, now) style gets crammed in. Here’s a selection of our top 2011 Trans Wales choices:

Baggy shorts: As well as your most comfortable long-day riding shorts, baggies on the Trans Wales are part of the unwritten rules. The long linking stages are not raced, so there is plenty of time to chat, make new friends and buzz the wheels of your riding buddies. It just feels wrong having that much fun in lycra. I’ll be wearing the supremely comfortable and Germanically stylish Dakine Siren baggies amongst others.

Waterproofs: While we’re on the subject of shorts, I need to emphasise exactly how essential it is to acquire a pair of waterproof riding shorts for this race. Strange concept? In the wet, you will be the envy of everyone who is riding 75km with grit in their shorts (trust me). Don’t forget a waterproof jacket, too. You’ll need it. Go for something lightweight but with taped seams that is also breathable.

Lots and lots of gloves and socks: Most people don’t have 7 sets of shorts, jerseys and shoes, but spare gloves and socks will just make each morning that little bit more pleasant. (We even stuff newspaper in our shoes overnight to take away the worst of the damp - start piling up those annoying free local papers now).

Post ride chillin’: The Trans Wales event marquee is the place to congregate each afternoon to swap stories of heroism and riding daredevilry as well as show off your latest ‘bike chic purchases. We love Twin Six’s range of t-shirts for something that says ‘I’m a cyclist, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have supremely good style’. (And although flip flops might sound like a good idea, slopping through puddles in flip flops is definitely not cool, so pack some wellies as well!)

Baggy shorts are essential. It just feels wrong having that much fun in lycra...

Top Stage-Racing Survival Tips

In our last article about the Trans Wales, we gave you some top survival tips and here are some more. It’s a long week and to maximise your ability to drop your mates on the climbs and maximise your time in the pub at the end of the day, follow these five survival rules

1. Sleep is everything. Get lots. Take ear plugs, comfortable pyjamas and a good book, or whatever else it takes you to drift off.

2. Recovery is also everything (if that makes sense). Never miss your recovery shake (we’ll be using For Goodness Shakes pre-mixed shakes like our prize winner) and get in a good stretch each day. Book massages, too. It’s a worthwhile expense to get rid of all that evil lactic.

3. Stay healthy. A week of beasting your body can bash your immune system, so stay healthy by eating lots of fruit and veg, maybe popping a few echinacea each day and drinking lots of water to rehydrate and flush out your system.

4. Eat for tomorrow. Don’t skimp on trail food. Keep those calories going in during your ride so it is easier for your body to recover for the next day. This shouldn’t be hard as the lunches and feed stations at the race are well stocked. Eat a breakfast of complex carbs (try and avoid too much of the fry up) and head to the proteins after your ride to help your muscles recover and rebuild. Drink lots of water during and after your ride. Check out how the stars of cycling manage their nutrition in our blog with nutritionist Jamie Richards’ clients; last month was Liam Killeen.

5. Be nice to your bike! A good wash, a bit of a pamper, lots of lube and a good check for damage each day will keep you pedalling when it matters. Just be wary of those jet washes. Grease is good.

Taster Prologue marathon

If you’re racing the Trans Wales and have friends who don’t quite ‘get it’ (or perhaps that is you!) then new for 2011 is the Prologue Marathon, the day before the main race starts. Anyone can ride the 40km marathon and there is an optional special stage at the end where riders will get the chance to test their ‘racing skills’. It is open to all Trans Wales riders (but not compulsory) who want to limber up and get their legs in shape for the big challenge ahead. It is also open to non-Trans Wales riders who would like a taster of a typical unique day’s riding in the Trans Wales or simply are looking for a fantastic marathon event in the height of the summer.

You can still enter

If you’re tempted to take on the Trans Wales, then don’t over-think it, just do it. Download an entry form from the entry page or enter online. And if 7 days feels too much (for your boss if not for you) then you can race the first 3 days or final 4 instead. The race organisers are particularly looking for women for the female pairs category and there’s a prize fund of more than £10,000 in products and cash to be won across all categories (male/female solo, male/female vet solo, mixed pair and male/female pair).

Meet our Trans Wales competition winner

We've announced our Trans Wales competition winner so come over and meet him. A very excited chap from South Wales got the call this week that he was the lucky winner of our fantastic opportunity for a free Trans Wales ‘gold package’ as part of £1000 prize package.

GORE BIKE WEAR™ TransWales 2011 powered by Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport