The recent Dales Divide which took place as the full strength of Storm David hit the UK led to many very competent riders scratching.
If you are one of them you may be feeling frustrated and perhaps in awe of those who managed to finish in such difficult conditions.
In our experience the difference isn’t just about toughness or resilience.
Many thanks to Chris McClean for the title photo of Dilara
Preparing for an ultra endurance race is more than just about getting fit, as you will see from John’s blog.
It includes having the right kit for both expected and unexpected conditions and knowing how to use it effectively.
Equipment choices also reflect your goals. Riders aiming to move quickly may accept more risk and carry less. Others prioritise finishing and will carry more to support that outcome. Neither approach is inherently right or wrong, but it is important that your choices align with your objective.
Repair skills - it is helpful to be able to keep your kit going if it fails in some way. Being able to maintain your bike, fix your hydration vest, your cleats or any other key piece of equipment will help keep you in the event. Interestingly Jenny Graham in her last interview with Mark Beaumont also cited an ability to ride on when the bike wasn’t working perfectly as helpful in keeping her moving forward; so as well as repair being able to discern when to stop and when to just ‘live with something not working perfectly’ can also help.
Packing/unpacking and stops - If you can use your kit as efficiently as possible you will save time, and this can easily be practised both in practice events and on rest days. Things to practise might include: setting up your tent/bivvy; packing your luggage/hydration vest, using lighting and other gadgets.
The route - some events have route choices, if you decide what route you are likely to take or the basis of your decisions beforehand this will reduce the decision fatigue that can come if you are faced with this type of choice at 3 am on a dark windy night in an unknown country.
Being prepared is about controlling the things you can control in order to reduce uncertainty and bad decisions during the race.
Before the start, successful ultra athletes have a clear idea of:
They also use simple systems to reduce decision-making during the event — for example, lists for resupply stops or routines for transitions.
Having a plan to deal with things that might go wrong can help you stay in the race and focused. We like to develop a list of ‘what ifs’ with people where they can identify the things they are most concerned about going wrong and a plan to deal with them. Spending time making your own ‘what if’ list of your biggest fears and a plan for how to deal with them can not only help you feel calmer about the race but prepare you for adversity.
The most successful athletes in long events are able to adapt. This means that they have a plan but they don’t fall apart when things go wrong in a race. Stephen’s approach to LEL 2025 is a great example of this.
A good way to stay flexible is to practise the skill of racing the race as it unfolds rather than rigidly sticking to the race you imagined. You might have imagined you would feel stronger, or that you would have reached a certain point at a particular time, but if things don’t unfold in this way this doesn’t mean the race is over.
In Dales Divide, many people who finished adapted to the new conditions, taking a longer stop through the worst of the weather for example and turning it to their advantage (more sleep fresher the next day).
Being able to adapt and accept the race as it now is unfolding will keep you going and stop you feeling negative about the loss of a race that no longer exists.
Part of being able to adapt is by preparing mentally. You might believe that you have a physical solution for every eventuality, but there are always unknowns in every race; the longer the race the more unknowns can arise.
Whilst we can work very hard on building our confidence and feeling good the reality is that there is a part of all of us that has doubts, feels scared and can fall apart when things go wrong. Being aware that this part of ourselves is coming along to the race as well means we can prepare for the mental ugliness when it arises and deal with it in an appropriate way.
As well as physical what ifs some mental what ifs which are tailored to you and your known weaknesses can really help.
If, for example you know that you can have an emotional melt down when you get a mechanical that is not easy to fix, having a strategy of ‘I will allow myself 5 minutes to cry and have a rant and then I will plan how to get my bike to a place where I can fix it/get it fixed’ might be a good strategy.
Equally, if you know that 2am in the morning is the time when you start to have the most doubts about your ability you could make a rule that you stop, eat your favourite snack have a drink and list 3 things that you have done well so far before moving on (or just plan to be asleep at 2am).
Mental skills take time to develop; some people choose to use help and guidance from a sports psychologist or a coach to help them. Either way it requires some good self-reflection and an honest look at your own mental strengths and weaknesses. You can find a good introduction to self-reflection here: https://endurancebikeandrun.com/blog/personality-driven-coaching-how-to-build-on-your-strengths
Being confident is not just a state of being; it often comes from experience. Many people get better at ultra endurance events the more they do. However, even as a novice you will likely have some relevant experience you can draw upon to help you.
When chatting with Dilara, one of our EBR Scholars, she reflected how as a young person growing up with horses that needed to be exercised and cared for every day she went out to do that in all weathers.
Whilst not specifically cycling, the discipline of getting out and getting it done even in awful weather laid a really good foundation of experience and confidence for her future bike packing adventures. Because she had experience of being out in awful weather conditions and completing the task she feels confident when she is faced with this in her races.
So if you are reading this wondering why you scratched the Dales Divide, or any other difficult race, one thing you might like to remind yourself of is the experience and learning you gained from taking part. What can you learn from that experience to help build your confidence when faced with a similar situation in the future?
Having someone ‘in it’ with you can really help with motivation and preparation for key events.
Many athletes experience inconsistent performances in training and racing that are frustrating and confusing.
In most cases, this comes back to how training is structured and how decisions are made under fatigue and uncertainty.
If that feels familiar, we work with athletes on exactly this — helping them build performance that is consistent, adaptable, and sustainable over time.
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