7 Things I Wish I Knew Before My First Cycling Event

[@garysladek9110]

Great tips, Francis . I would only add, make a permanent list of essential items. I.e. shoes, helmet, etc. Then, it can be checked, morning of or night before, while packing. I once drove 200 miles to a century ride, only to discover I didn't have my shoes! Cheers

[@KNURKonesur]

That mistake won't happen if you, like me, don't have a car and you always have to cycle to every event anyway :P

[@martinwarne]

A rain jacket. Even if the forecast says it will be sunny all day because, you know, British weather.

[@KNURKonesur]

100%, I even have a reverse mounted top tube bag just to carry my rain jacket at all times when I cycle to work or to do some shopping.

[@tornagawn]

110%

[@grahambell9831]

Excellent list Francis....for everyday cycling, I always carry a few small cable ties, in addition ......just in case.

[@kalilebron007]

Getting a new bike end of this month. My friend had a spare HRM from Garmin lying around and he just gave it to me. Best thing ever, helps me understand my efforts so much. Only thing that remains is a Power meter.

[@Titanius1066]

Pay attention to who you're riding with if you don't know anyone. I road my very first race this past week. I knew no one there and so when things got going I tacked myself onto a group of riders going at what I would consider a reasonable rate. Unknown to me they were all part of some cycling club and didn't like having some interloper sitting on their wheel. Having never done a race I didn't really catch on till one of the guys attempted blow a snot rocket on me. Needless to say, this was a clear sign to peal off from them so on the next hill I chugged past them all. I was hoping for a more positive experience but this hasn't turned me off from racing. I'll just be more aware of who I ride with next time.

[@jamesworley2674]

Cycle clubs are a tedious bunch

[@Ian_Laing]

I’m glad it didn’t turn you off!

[@richardandrewsmall]

Quick Link!!! I have now been saved by a quicklink twice now. Weighs about 3g, saves hours of walking home. I don't leave without making sure I've got one on me (learned the hard way!) - also makes the chain tool that you mentioned useful

[@clivestonebridge3859]

Some very good top tips there Francis, It always surprises me how little food people take on event rides, 10 years ago feed stations felt like all you could eat buffets, thesedays its an easy thing to cut back on to economise the overall event costs,and Ive done rides where the first stop ran out of food, and theyd had to send for help to get extra water in, plus the choice of food is much more limited now it seems which also hits right into that pocket of the other tip of not trying new stuff on an event, because most people will have brands they stick with, because of the taste, it works for them, allergies etc, the event can often provide totally different brands you wont have tried before. Some events also have started running stops like tuck shops, where you pay for the food, think the water was still free, but so always take some money too, would be my additional tip, also means you can make unplanned petrol station or shop stops if you need to. Knowing roughly where the route you are following is going can be crucial too as signs can be obscured, sometimes moved by people to cause problems, and if its a yearly event the route might have changed, but they might not have recovered all the signs from previous years, or even theres been two events running in the same areas and happened to pick the same colour spray paint for road markings, and you can quickly get in a pickle relying just on the event signs to follow, I also think knowing where the key climbs are, can help you pace the efforts you make on the ride and manage you through. the only other tip I would add is to have fun and enjoy the experience, its ultimately why we do event rides and they can feel a bit weighed down by the seriousness of it at time because of all the things you have to remember and to be mindful of when doing it, but I would say dont let that get in the way of having a fun ride.

[@donkeyavenger]

I always have a small seat bag on my bikes. The small sized Silca one is super well built and fits my multitool, c02 inflator, 3 c02 cartridges, patch kit,tire lever,Dynaplug tool/extra plugs, valve core tool. Since I'm tubeless I usually carry a tube in my jersey in case I can't plug the tire as well

[@dblissmn]

3:11 -- "210[bpm], is that high?" LOL.

[@compassionsix]

Swapping SRAM batteries is an easy fix that keeps me from worrying on my daily rides; but it’s key to charge them before big events.

[@jhoff80]

Also key to remember to put the batteries back in after charging, not that I've ever forgotten that.... 🤦‍♂️

[@hunterwilk]

I literally have my first group/race/charity ride thing coming up first week of Oct. 113km first day, double my previous longest ride, and 98 second day, this video could not have come out at a better time. Cheers bruv. I was turned on to your channel when ya'll (does that give away which state?) did the ride across the US and you came "within spitting distance" from where I was. Awesome series btw. Literally got me back into bike riding. Wouldn't be capable of thanking you lot enough for that. It isn't a race, it's to raise money for charity. Is what I'm telling myself, despite treating my 52 year old girl (just did the math, holy shit my bike is 50 years old) to some new parts and my first foray into clipless. I grew up riding mountain and bmx, so the mind is willing, but the body is older and less willing. Thanks again ya'll and cheers. edit: forgetting to charge your wireless derailleurs? Wait, does anybody make regenerative brake charging derailleurs like on electric cars? They should. Sorry, again my bike is 50+ years old. This is like a caveman being brought to present-day.

[@KNURKonesur]

Good luck, pal! Hope you have tons (or tonnes) of fun!

[@hunterwilk]

@@KNURKonesur Thanks!

[@blakegoodwin3591]

What a swell video. So much agreement regarding all the food & fueling talk!

[@virtualmartijn]

These days a good HRM in your watch will be plenty sufficient to keep track of what you need to keep track of. Any recent Garmin / Apple / Polar will be fine as HR as a measure of "work" is inconsistent anyway. And most of the recent watches (even my 5 year old Polar Vantage M) allow broadcasting of the HR to a head unit. Other tip for longer rides: bring a spare tyre. They fold pretty flat and whether you're on tubeless or have an inner tube a big gash or tear will make for a bad day.

[@cyclingonandoffroad]

#8 try to avoid dodgy cheap chargingstuff. And charging at night or when you`re not at home. Sometimes they cause a fire.

[@malcontent_1]

8. Take electrolytes / salt 9. Bring a pump

[@csmith9761]

Guilty of starting too hard. Bring spares is good. And tools. Arrive early and check everything during warmup. Recent event, my rear tubeless tire wouldn't hold above 40 psi (found out later the rim tape had a small hole). Had throw a tube in and made to the start, barely.

[@owensnicholas]

Ha! those horrible little waffle things are my favorite. To each their own... :)

[@joe4624]

I think he's going to anger the cycling gods by questioning the sugary goodness of stoopwaffle.

[@saskhiker3935]

My first cycling event and my problem was they changed the course the morning of the event. Which made my saved route wrong, needless to say I got off course and scratched. So as a new rider, navigation is my biggest problem. I haven't fully figured out my garmin. I don't even know how to keep the screen on, it only turns off right away.

[@thatwebbloke]

Check you have everything with you before setting off and write yourself a checklist. Especially important if you are running late. At a recent event, all my food was in my top tube bag, which I left in the boot of the car. I only realised when my Garmin told me to eat.

[@drewzylla9032]

Hi Francis wondering why we havent been seeing the scott foil 2023 ultimate on vids

[@enigma1000]

Chain tool, yes, but also spare quick link that’s right for your chain.

[@petertreadway]

Recently bought a Topeka Nexus X which has 21 different tools on it and have used the more obscure tools (chain breaker and spoke tool) a couple of times now. So useful, I'm considering just carrying one around with me for everyday life! 🤣 Great list though.👌🏼

[@peterblomgren89]

I have made a few of those mistakes, and learned 🙂

[@cb6866]

Thanks Francis...and "Bucket Hat Ben " ..all good tips , money ? JIC ..

[@BigBailBikesandBeer]

Get to events early.. Especially if you have to drive there.. Always a nightmare having to panicky try and find a car park because the official parking is full . My son runs in many national events and no end of his team mates miss races or just make it to the line in time because they cant find a place to park close to the location..Get there in good time and try to relax rather turn up stressed..Also you never can rely on traffic, crashes or hold ups on motorways and temporary traffic lights...Dont listen to AA route planners the night before- the app is telling yo the time it will take at that time of night, not the next day with loads of cars on the road!! BE PREPARED!!

[@emmabird9745]

Having slightly different "relief" requirements to you, I add a Peeezze tube and mop up kit.

[@michaelmechex]

*Learn the route.* Ideally load the route into your head unit. On smaller and especially offroad races the way might not be marked properly and even if it is, all it takes is one asshole to tear them off. When I did my first race I got so lost that I had to shamefully trace my way back to the start line hours after everyone else has finished. I was SO disappointed

[@kelemenrichard]

I started participating in cycling events this April, and so far, I've completed five out of seven stages. I've had my fair share of mishaps in each one, but fortunately, none of them caused any major problems. TLDR: 1st Event: I had to wait in a pretty long queue to get my number. I didn't have time to double-check my bike after taking it off the top rack of the car. Presumably, the road vibrations messed up my limit screws just a tiny bit. In conclusion, I dropped my chain right after the start in the middle of the bunch, which was pretty scary. Though, I managed to quickly shift it back onto the chainwheel. 2nd Event: A couple of days before this one, I upgraded my whole drivetrain from 7 speed to a hacked 9 out of 10 speed, with new shifters, chain, and cassette. I didn't have time to really test it out. I dropped my chain again, but other than that, everything went fine. To be honest, if I hadn't done that upgrade, I wouldn't have made it up some of the climbs, that's for sure. 3rd Event: At this point, I bought a new set of wheels, and I installed them the day before. Bear in mind, my frame wasn't designed to take 130mm O.L.D. wheels, so I had to spread the rear triangle. Also, this stage had a really steep cobblestone finish, which I didn't record because I turned off the camera instead of on, and that was kind of a bummer. 4th Event: This was the bomb. I didn't do anything silly this time, but I focused too much on my performance, which took a bit of the fun out of it. However, I did finish about 15 minutes earlier than anticipated. 5th Event: I swapped out my saddle. Thankfully, it turned out to be more comfortable than the one I used to have, so happy days. Oh, and also we missed our train the day before, got to our accommodation super late and exhausted. On the next day, we managed to miss the start by 10 minutes because the actual starting point was different on the Facebook event than the one sent to us by the organizers. This weekend will be the 6th event of this thing, and the forecast says rain, so I'll have to put on some proper mudguards. But this time, I'll have time to test them before! So Please everyone do an anti-rain dance, or just wish me luck! :D Anyway, great video and nice tips, keep up the good work!

[@cole2buhler]

Did my first event earlier this year and my biggest issue was not eating, not having the proper training in and going full send right off the start line (pretty early on I was getting tunnel vision and ended pulling off to the side of the road and puking what tiny amount of food and drink was in my stomach)

[@cloudlynx6398]

Im gonna join audax in couple of weeks I needed this advice Thanks mate!

[@ronanmcsweeney4405]

Did my first gravel ride event, front blow out 20 k in resulting in a vert bad inner tube repair ,changed my seatpost to a carbon one only for it to snap resulting in riding out of the saddle or in the slammed seatpost position, managed to do the last 90 k with very sore legs. Also got lost by over 15 k which only made me feel alot worse 😂.

[@frazmars]

Yikes! Talk about a tough day

[@ianlainchbury]

Forgetting to wax the chain. I use squirt, which doesn't last too long between applications. Forgetting to rewax the night before... annoying

[@askmeaboutmattweiner]

I keep a tiny tiny usb c to c cable in my saddlebag. That way if my head unit dies I can top it off by charging it from my phone.

[@ARustySpork]

I can’t stress this enough. Quick links they way nothing and take up no room and can save you ALOT of faff.

[@M3GRSD]

Cycling all week and believing your clinchers and inner tubes are bulletproof, only to suffer a pinch flat immediately at the start. Also, you didn't bring a saddle bag to fix the flat because they're ugly as sin, lol

[@milosacimo]

Made all of those available ( no digital shifters ), luckily didn't get a puncture lol

[@derekhobbs1102]

I started charging with USB hub a long time ago, but some devices don't like it.

[@tornagawn]

I rode the Lake Taupo 160 km a couple of times 10+ years ago…….not in any great style or speed though…. Although I did knock 30 minutes off my time second attempt. Mostly solo not in a group. How? Eat early, eat often. Too much fluids first time, too many pee stops! Not enough food. Choose good food, muesli bars or whatever you tolerate and gels later

[@markjthomson]

Good summary - and not just for your first event either... :)

[@liquidSpin]

"So, anyone got a Dura Ace Di2 9270 12spd? I could use the help to switch to a middle gear"....."oh, no one?.....well sheeeit" hahaha Hence why my Garmin Edge notifies me when my battery is low so I know to charge it when I get home :)

[@arglebarglefoofara]

1. Rain Gear or cold gear... even if a hint... BRING it anyway, trust me if you don't it will be painful. 2. On the route you are signed up for, know or at least minimum.. find the shortcuts to get back home if you have to bail out. 3. Always have full water carried in your bidons or pouches. Forget about weight and ditching it for refills. Never assume the aid stations will have it.. they do... RUN OUT!! 4. Get your ass out of bed early... and to the event EARLY. like EARLY!! because god forbid you discover you have a problem with your bike, or you forgot something... or better yet.... there is NOWHERE for you to park your car because you didn't show up EARLY enough to the event. 5. Be changed in your kit before you arrive. Seems obvious... until it isn't. 6. Never... NEVER forget to bring pumps. Both frame, and floor. Never assume when you get there, that there will be one (although there should be at least a floor one from the organizers) 7. For the love that is all holly... make sure... you FULLY got yourself emptied out before you start your big event. Rock hard... ride free 😎

[@jonnyclarke9369]

So weird - last thing I did before watching this video, was order a USB charge hub for all my cycling bits 🤣

[@paulmorrison30]

Nice 👌🏾 job

[@rob-c.]

Problem with perceived effort is it can get masked by the excitement and adrenaline of the start of a ride - especially your first one. You only find out once it’s worn off 🙃

[@Name-vu1kn]

Get a triathalon race bib belt they are far superior to safety pins. Also, poop before you start.

[@DS-um9hi]

What helmet were you wearing in this video? Cheers in advance.

[@sjjw43]

Forgot helmet on a "no helmet no ride" sportive, my first ever event 😢

[@jaredfontaine2002]

8. Don't use electronic shifting stick with mechanical lol😅

[@derekhobbs1102]

I've had more front derailleur cables fail than any other part on my bikes.

[@jaredfontaine2002]

@derekhobbs1102 What cables did you fit lol? Plus a cable is $5 an electronic cable is $$$ especially when your cables are obsolete 😆 as Di2 og cables will not work with the new ones

[@derekhobbs1102]

Basic mechanical cable in my area is $9+

[@jaredfontaine2002]

@@derekhobbs1102 wiggle

[@jdmcdorce876]

Don't get overly concerned about aero only to find the event organizer insists you attach a rigid 8 inch by 10 inch number placard to your handlebar.

[@seattlegrrlie]

It wasn't a race day, but I accidentally ate two packs of caffeine gels and drank a caffeine energy drink. Oh god I felt bad. I felt real bad

[@jamesmckenzie3532]

Double fien on the eating and drinking. One thing: DO NOT EAT OR DRINK ANYTHING YOU HAVE NOT BEFORE. Nothing like stomach upset or running bowels. Neither will get you to the finish line fast. Also, if you have dental work,avoud, like tge plague, anything sticky. You don't want anything to go wrong with your teeth. (yes, I've pulled a crown off with a Blok).

[@tornagawn]

Oh….keep pedalling 😊

[@Feralchicken]

Event Tip: Don't drive to the start in your trainers then realise you've left your bike shoes at home.

[@DmitryKoupriyanov]

Seem to always forget all the tools/spares and food every ride ... trying to get better at it.

[@gasparcosta7496]

Very poorly wrapped bar tape. It came off luckily just in the end!

[@_________4292]

Hellooo

[@skinheads]

Is it true that Francis got banned from rancing due to his aerodynamic nose gain ?

[@Atamanxxxvii]

I fucking hate the term 'feed station'. I'm sure we didn't use to call them that.

[@zomgsekk]

o no word bad

[@Andy-co6pn]

Scran stand ?

[@zomgsekk]

@@Andy-co6pn Grub grab

[@federext]

don't pop up the sram dust covers in DUB BB because they are shit and break

[@theaveragecyclist5259]

I love those waffle things

[@TiagoMorbusSa]

Chris' moustache is so hot.