Hi. I’ve been using sufferfest for over a year, lots of indoor kilometres and workouts. Increasing FTP and some good outdoor miles as well.
Sunday is my first sports event since I was in primary school (nearly 30yrs). Time will tell if I can do it. 120km with some decent climbing and 6hr time limit.
Any advice on day before, what to take on the day etc?
Why don’t you look at the Mental Training Program’s modules on Event Planning:
How awesome that you are challenging yourself… and that you dedicated yourself to the process.
My advice for this first race back is to trust your training, enjoy the moment, and be present throughout the day. You will be making a memory.
Have fun! Please let us know how it goes!
Tip1: Enjoy it.
Tip 2: Ignore those riders who shoot off the front. Ignore those who hang back and then race past you. Ignore those who talk loudly at the start about how they’ve done this, that and the other, how they’re aiming for sub 3-hours, how they climbed everest yesterday and are swimming the amazon tomorrow. They’re only going to stop you fulfilling Tip #1.
Tip 3: It sounds like your goal is to finish (and that’s a superb goal, for anything, never mind your first major event). But don’t beat yourself up if you don’t, if that happens then see it as a stepping stone to the next event when you’ll get even closer. Enjoy the journey and celebrate the effort. And if you do finish, then party like it’s 1999 and celebrate the effort. So basically…Tip 1!
L
I’ll add hydrate and eat. You need to fuel your ride. I try to consume about 250 calories every hour. Hydration should contain electrolytes.
The other tip is to make a checklist and pack the night beforehand.
Just wanted to echo this - learning what fuel works for me and when has been far and away the most important bit of succesful endurance rides.
+1 to hydration and eating often!
If there’s planned rest stops along the route, you might feel tempted to skip the first rest stop (maybe 20-30kms in) on your route because you’re feeling great but don’t do that.
It’s worth taking that small break, refill those water bottles and get something to eat, ever so shortly.
And for rest stops later in your ride you’ll be happy to just get off the bike for a brief moment 
Thanks for the advice. I finished and although it was slow - 1st time I’ve ever attempted something like that. Was following advice but still cramped up at 85km - so more regular fueling in future. Learn and move on.
For interest, last autumn I would have gotten about 40km at most!
Hey - congratulations. That’s a great effort. You should feel proud.
