Day of Race Routine for Cross

Day of race routine. Getting to a CX race and getting organized

Getting to a CX race and getting organized is key to a successful venture. I have been using the same routine for the past few years and it works well for me. Perhaps sharing this will help you get ready as well. 

Time the food and arrive early

I like to arrive so that I can get there and ride the course casually right away. This means, arriving before the race three before you is over. Get there and get your pit bike out and get changed into non-race kit.  Put in the required pressure and go to the start/finish. Once the winner goes through, begin riding the course slowly observing tricky spots and opportunities. You should be able to slowly get in 2 laps, being careful not to foul racers completing ahead of you, and not run afoul of the officials by riding the finish straight. 

Once done, head over to reg and get your number.  By now, your are less than 2 hours to race time. The race meal should be already eaten. I like to eat my breakfast 3 hours before which is usually oats with walnuts, blueberries, maple and butter. Sometimes a yogurt too. Always drinking water to supplement.  In the final 2 hours I like to top off with either a banana, a partial Clif Bar, or an Gojo applesauce packet if I get hungry. 

Warmup

Once back at the car, PIN numbers on the race kit and start a warmup. The actual warmup is the subject of another article. But this should be about 1:40 before the race now. Do a structured 20-30 min warmup, and be ready to go back onto the course for 2 hotlaps as the race 2 before you finishes.  Identify areas of the course that you need to concentrate on and consider tire choice and pressure. 

The final hour 

Once this final course inspection is done, things are getting compressed. Get back to the car, get both bikes ready or get the pit wheels ready. Change into race kit and do a some warmup work to stay loose. With warmups on, a bottle in a pocket, and  your espresso and untapped maple in the other pocket, bring pit bike/wheels to the pit at 30 min to go. Find an area near the start to stay loose and get ready for callups.  Sometimes I will ride slowly or jog a few 50m strides in my riding shoes on the grass. Yes, I said jog.

With 15 min to go, take the espresso and untapped and get ready for call ups. Keep the warmups on and hang them on the start fence at 5-10 min to go. 

Go time

The hope here is that you will have a sequence of events, planned with enough time, to get optimally ready with the most self reliance. It is always great to have pit help and jacket handlers, and when they arrive, it's a bonus. If they aren't around, be ready to help yourself with this guide. 

Nothing ever works perfectly. However, concentrate on the key tasks at hand and be ready for curve balls. The number one thing is to be on the line ready to start. Warmups can vary and food may be forgotten. But keep an open mind and be positive, and you too can be charging to the front effectively when the whistle blows.