Gran Fondo Tips: the complete list

Have you thought of everything?

And I mean everything?

With European Gran Fondo season soon upon us, it's now a good time to start making sure you've covered off everything.

Gran Fondo Tips list

Your last minute Gran Fondo tips list includes:

• Training (commence, now)*
• Clean bike and Mechanical checks
• Nutrition
• Gearing
• Equipment housekeeping
• Plan of attack
• Race insurance
• Course recce and awareness

(Obviously training appears on everyone's list but it still bears mentioning. Because people think they don't need to do it.)

Gran Fondo Training

“I don't need to train, Tim.”
…. HAHAHAHA …..

You've got to be <swear word> kidding me.

“Hey Jens, have you been training for the Tour this year?” “No, I vill just turn up and making ze shut up legs and kabloom!”

…Said no pro or athelete who took an event seriously, EVER.

So if you think you're doing a Euro Gran Fondo like Marmotte or Etape without training, don't be stupid.

Here's a comparison of the 2014 Etape with some local berg heights.

And with…wait for it…Everest.

Bike care

This might be painfully obvious so I apologise for saying it: service your bike before you go, or pay someone to do it for you.

Here's what to check before you go:

• Bottom bracket: no cracks, no creaking, remove adaptors or bracket and grease them.
• BB bearings: lube.
• Head tube and steerer: bearings, integrity, lube.
• Cassette and chain: measure chain for wear, replace chain and cassette if necessary.
• Brakes and cables: check for compression loss and check brake pads. Brake pads are cheap, put some Swiss Stop green blocks on and sleep easy. Use Yokozuna Reaction cables (seriously).
• Frame and general mechanical integrity will be very important as you bomb down mountains at up to 100km/h.
• Tyres: any worn tyres, just replace them (with wider ones, because wider tyres are better!)

Don't buggerise around here.

Because having a part failure at 100km/h is not cool.

Neither is having to abandon halfway through due to a broken bottom bracket (believe me, it happens).

The sagwagon would be an ignominious finish, no?

Practise nutrition

Would you enter a marathon without knowing what to eat, and when?

No.

Then you should be doing some big rides now, and practising eating.

Here's the low down.

You absolutely need to practise your fuelling, both in terms of the products you use (more on that below), when you fuel and volumes.

But what about whether to take your own food or rely on the food stops.

Well, events like Etape du Tour and La Marmotte provide nutrition, but provisions at each station can vary markedly. To be fair, Etape is pretty good in that you can get gels, fruitcake, bananas and water at each stop.

If you have practised your nutrition based on these items, you can rely on them on the day.

If you have specific food you want then it makes sense to take as much of your own as you need, and supplant with provided products.

Here's how I'd approach nutrition for Gran Fondos.

1. Have a fuelling plan, and practise it.
2. For fluids, I'd be using primarily water, then take an electrolyte supplement like Hammer Heed or Hammer Enduralytes, Sukkie, Hydralytes or SIS Go. Whatever works for you. This can be in powdered or tab form.
3. For food, I like dried (dehydrated) bananas and fruitcake. Bonk Breakers, Clif Luna and Clif Bars work too.
4. As far as Gels go, I stick to Hammer Gels and SIS Go or Burners.

But usually, fruit and water is all I need (for up to 6 hours) unless it's really hot.

Don't pack too much!

Gearing

Do you have compacts on your bike?

No?

Are you an elite rider?

No?

Get compacts.

This image explains it better.

To re-iterate: if you do an epic European Gran Fondo like Etape, and are not a pro/semi-pro, ride compacts.

If you think it's cool to ride big rings to match a big ego, I can tell you will look anything but cool as you walk uphill. Or get picked up by the sagwagon. All you'll look like is an idiot.

Equipment housekeeping

1. First and most important: wash your helmet inserts. You know why. Thank stinky sweaty thing. Wash in hot soapy water then soak in disinfectant or water with eucalyptus oil or nappy san or whatever.  This absolutely is an oft-overlook and much undervalued tip. This is NOTHING worse than smashing down an epic descent and having stingy eyes, as sweat drips in, BLINDING you and rendering you a high speed two wheeled hazard. It's also a total PITA when riding up hill in hot conditions.
2. Cleats and shoes: check your cleats for wear and your shoe stops and buckles.
3. Sunglasses: make sure your sunglasses keep the wind out of your eyes on epic descents. Nothing worse than watery eyes. Or watery eyes from wind, with salty sweat. Also make sure they're vented for humid ascents (Pyrenees, Hawaii, etc). I totally recommend Oakley Radarlock XLs (my Oakley Radarlock XL review) for descents and vents. Closely followed by Oakley Racing Jackets (my Oakley Racing Jacket review). (No, I don't use anything except Oakley. Oakley are simply the best, better than all the rest…)

Plan of Attack

Do you know what you'll do?

Do you wish to just survive?

Will you tack onto a group?

Have you practised a ride like this in a group?

Start thinking about how you'll handle various scenarios on the road.

Plan for the worst, and the worst will never happen.

Gran Fondo Insurance

Do you have insurance for Gran Fondos for:

• Personal liability
• Personal injury (as well as TPD and death)
• Bike insurance

Bike insurance is easy: read here for my lowdown on bike insurance including when overseas.

Now, personal liability and personal injury are tricky.

A lot of Aussies will have personal injury (including TPD and death) under their superannuation (for the US readers: super is like a 401k, kinda). But, this insurance might not extend to races. And although Gran Fondos like Etape aren't races, many insurance companies consider them races.

Personal injury and liability aren't covered by MANY insurance companies for a Gran Fondo. But there is a way to get personal injury and liability insurance for Gran Fondos like Etape.

Your best bet is to get coverage through:

• Your state or national cycling association. For Aussies, CA and state orgs like CSV and Bike SA offer event and PL/PI insurance.
• World Nomads offer coverage for Etape and other Gran Fondos (a BIG thanks to reader Alex M in South Australia for chasing this lead down).

Course recce and course preparedness

You can't just turn up to most Gran Fondos, especially those overseas.

In the 2011 Etape, there were serious accidents on the Galibier descent as people were unprepared for a long tunnel mid-descent. There's a long tunnel where light is absolute minimum.

We went from bright sun, to pitch black (I had polarized sunnies on) and it was chaos. I took it very easy, but there were endless accidents, with the road being closed for a lengthy period after a serious accident.

Do you know where the tunnels are (if any).

Are you prepared for fast, steep descents, hairpins and long, long descents?

And remember

And finally, if you have a friend or family member doing Etape, Marmotte or some other Gran Fondo, send them this list, because friends don't let friends do Gran Fondos without proper training.

If you stick with these Gran Fondo tips, as well as other Gran Fondo tips peppered throughout the site, you'll have an absolute blast and minimise any hassles.