3 Gravel Race Tips
from a cycling coach
Cycling Coach Drew Dillman shares some tips!
Drew Dillman is the co-founder of Ignition Coach Co., a racer, and a cycling coach. We asked Drew to share what he thinks are some of the basics that everyone should be taking into account to be ready, regardless of their pace and goals.
From Drew:
To all Grassroots Gravel folks,
Hope y’all are excited for the event only a short 5 weeks away! My name is Drew Dillman and I race with State Bicycle Co. and am the co-founder of Ignition Coach Co. With State Bikes being a big sponsor of this event, I wanted to extend my top 3 notes of advice to all participants as my way of contributing to an awesome event. So here it is:
Note: this is not medical advice.
Volume: turn it up.
VOLUME. Whether you’re doing the 15 or 110 mile route, volume is your friend. What I mean by volume is how much time you spend riding your bike, most often measured by hours/week. I’m completely convinced that at the end of the day the fastest riders are the ones that spend the most amount of time on their bike. So if you want to get faster I’m afraid there’s no shortcuts, you have to ride your bike. So if you want to be the most prepared for the Grassroots Gravel event I’d suggest trying to carve out some extra time for training. My specific advice would be to build up to your projected race duration. For example: If my goal is to complete the 75 mile route in 4 hours I don’t necessarily need to ride 75 miles, but I do want to build up to a 4-hour ride so I know what to expect when I’ve been riding for that amount of time.
Trying new things? Not on race day.
DON’T TRY ANYTHING NEW ON RACE DAY. Or in other words, dial in as many variables in training so there are less unknowns on race day. Want to try some new tires? Order them now and get out on some gravel so you know how they handle. Want to try Flow Formulas drink mix? Order the Endurance Mix (15% OFF with code RADDADDIZZLE) today and try it on your long days so you know how your gut responds. If you want to be the most prepared you should even consider doing a “trial run” of the race where go out on a similar distance route and try out all the things you plan to race with including cycling kit, drink mix, nutrition, tires, tire pressure and so on. This gives you the opportunity to make changes before it’s too late and gives you confidence that you need when you roll up to the start line on race day.
Remember: this is fun.
HAVE FUN. You may have read those first 2 tips and thought, “this guy is just some pro who only cares about winning. I’m just here to get to finish line and have fun.” And I’d argue that going fast is fun. And if you want to go fast, you need to be prepared. Lack of preparation on a 110 mile event will probably not help you have more fun. One of my favorite quotes regarding training and racing is “Fate favors the prepared.” Big events like this require a lot of preparation just to make it to the finish line. If you underestimate how much preparation matters, you might end up having less fun as a consequence. It’s simple really: maximum preparation = maximum fun.
I’ll be rooting for all of you as you take on this challenging event and be sure to check out Ignition Coach Co. if you’re ever looking for coaching to take your performance to the next level.
- Drew Dillman, Ignition Coach Co.