6 Tips for the Rapha women’s 100

The Rapha’s Women’s 100 is Sunday and in our anticipation we have listed a few things to consider in the run up to the event:

1. Find some friends to ride with

I have ridden the Rapha Women’s Ride 100 a number of times in the UK but this will be my first on Canadian soil. In my experience, women have encouraged as many other female riders as possible to join them and as such, large community groups were formed for newcomers to choose from, often with one or two ride leaders. I am not aware of any bigger groups doing the event here in Ontario, although I am sure there are some, but I do recommend joining others for the ride if you can, or perhaps pulling a few friends together and forming your own group; the more, the merrier, so they say. I reached out to a few friends and I am excited to join one that I haven’t had the chance to ride with to date. Having both signed up to the Women’s 100 we have taken the opportunity to ride together.

2. Route Planning

This is definitely not my strong point! All too often I am met with a large amount of unpredicted underbiking and am faced with the decision to grin and bear it or make a forced detour and pile on the kilometers. As mentioned, I plan to ride with one of my friends this year and I have agreed to show her around the area in which I live. As such I am reverting to a former route to avoid any surprises. Not the most exciting approach but it does provide a foolproof advantage. For the more tech savvy or brave, I suggest planning a route and uploading it on to your bike computer in advance. Otherwise, try to hop onto a planned group ride, as this is a great way to discover new roads and perhaps a few quaint coffee stops along the way.

3. Bike check

Run through a simple bike check at least a day or two before the ride. I say this because the last thing you want is to need a part the evening before. Brakes, tires, lube, etc; most of you will have ridden at least a few times over the summer period and so have the advantage of seeing it simple. If not, then I would recommend a more thorough check and perhaps calling on the local bike shop depending on your mechanical knowledge and the condition of the bike. As part of the check, make sure any electronic devices, such as your bike computer, are charged up and in working order; and don’t forget your gears … I’ve been caught out with that before!

4. Know your limits

So the bike is working; Are you? The Rapha Women’s 100 is a fabulous way to come…