Bike a Marathon
You have entered a biking marathon, but you haven't had much experience. You now realized that it will be 20 gruesome miles over vigorous terrain, high mountains, and strong headwinds. You think you should back out, but you have ways to win the race, even if your not very good.
Contents
Steps
- Pace yourself. If you start out on or near the front of the pack when the pistol fires, and you were in the back, then slow down! You'll probably get to at least one mile before you start to get worn out.
- Never take the lead too soon. You might want to try to try to stay just ahead of the middle of the pack. You might find something else work, but this is a really strategic move. This helps because when you are in the front, who has the most headwind to worry about? You do!
- Factor headwind. The wind will have an effect on your speed. Drafting will be a useful trick in a marathon. It's where you pull behind a person for parts of the race to reduce wind slowing you down. You'll be traveling at their speed, but at least you now have a breather when you get tired.
- Ensure you are rested. For long tournaments, get at least twelve hours of sleep. For this, check into a hotel or motel, sleep, and get back out there! Never sleep in, because if you do, then you may have lost positions.
- Don't go too slow.
- Don't go too fast.
- Stay consistent.
- Get ready to burn when you get to a hill. Wind isn't as much as a factor when going up, so be careful. This is the only time you should attempt to stop drafting. Also, pace yourself! You don't want to go too fast.
- Pass at the appropriate time. When you seem like it's the time, then make the pass! You don't want to follow the same person you started with unless they went all the way to the front, but remember that they will be tired too, so you should try to pass when it's time.
Tips
- Don't go too fast/slow
- Stay consistent
- Pass only when you get an opportunity
- Draft
Warnings
- Don't cheat! If you cheat, then you may get disqualified.
- Don't block anyone. If you try to block, then you may start a chain reaction that causes a lot of bodies and bikes going in the ER.
