Your top 3 ITT tips.

[Bearbonesnorm]

I'm looking for peoples top 3 (less if you can't manage 3 obviously) ITT tips ... could be prior to an 'event' or during. Whatever your top tips would be to someone looking to perhaps attempt their first one or maybe someone stepping up the distance / duration. I'm sure you now what I mean.

Ta muchly.

[jameso]

Not from a wide range of experience so take it with that disclaimer,

Train well, if you don't prep or train well then why bother with a race/ITT (imho)
Look after yourself properly
Have a plan/method/strategy, adapt it if needed to look after yourself as a priority

I've failed on that last point, stubbornly sticking to a plan as a personal test and paying for it with excess discomfort and fatigue. But the personal test was the reason for being there, so maybe another tip is to be really clear + honest with yourself about why you're doing it - at some point those thoughts may be what makes or breaks your ride.

[Lazarus]

Test your kit before hand and take only what you need and what works
Make sure your bike is comfortable and reliable.
Dont attempt something you think is beyond you but do attempt something you think will be hard. Not knowing if you can complete is fine thinking you have no chance means you will have no chance - this really means be realistic but set off with optomism ,as you push yourself,and try to keep it when it gets tough.

Finally there are many ways to do one, as fast as possible [well i have read about these] or to go slowly do whichever one you prefer but make sure you enjoy it.It does not have to be three days of type 2 fun with no sleep.

[whitestone]

Are you crowdwriting this book then?

Slight cheat as each has some examples/sub-sections.

1. Be prepared: research the route, stops, shops, etc. Bike maintained and have any new parts bedded in. Know your kit.
2. Look after yourself - you're Captain Kirk, Spock, Sulu and Scotty - the Enterprise needs you.
3. Be efficient: don't waste time at stops, walk rather than blow up trying to ride a steep climb, memorise as much of the route ahead to avoid constant stopping and looking at your GPS.

[Bearbonesnorm]

Are you crowdwriting this book then?

I just like to give everyone the opportunity to join in Bob

[lune ranger]

Know the route. Know where you can resupply, where the hard/easy sectors are, where are you expecting sunset/sunrise. Mentally break the route into manageable sections.

Only stop if you have two things to do eg. p1ss & take jacket off or open gate & eat something. Reducing your stoppage time is key.

Track your average overall speed including stops. Know what your target average speed. Be realistic about it and stay relaxed - going off hard at the beginning is a mistake for most people.

[Dave Barter]

Don’t eat seafood pizza

Slather on the minty arse lard

Leave it behind, you won’t use it

[Piemonster]

Don’t eat seafood pizza

Slather on the minty arse lard

Leave it behind, you won’t use it

Ummm

How closely related are these three?

[fatbikephil]

From Carl Hutchings (ITI winner):- survive first, race second.
Mine:
Don't fret about training and fitness. Many very fit people have failed on the Highland Trail (as an example). Several 'unfit' people have done it.
Instead focus on being comfortable on your bike for 14-18 hours, in any weather and on any trail. The required fitness will come on the back of doing this.
Make sure you can set up a comfortable bivvy in any weather as if you can't get some good rest, your stuffed.

[Ray Young]

Learn to feed and hydrate yourself properly.
Manage your pace effectively.
Know your body, your bike and your kit. Fix it as soon as something goes wrong.

[composite]

Split the event into mentally manageable chunks, each having their own little goal.

If you get delayed and need to catch up time for any reason, getting to a resupply before it closes, ferry etc. don't try to ride faster as you most likely won't make up the time anyway and you are more likely to just burn yourself out. Catch it up by reducing the moving time/time elapsed differential.

Enjoy it. Take some moments to notice the scenery, the place you are in, being out there on your own etc. If you aren't enjoying it and taking the high points as high points it makes the low points completely worthless.

[TheBrownDog]

Cut your toenails.
Brush your teeth
Be kind to your mother

Do these things (especially the toenails) and you're covered.

[GregMay]

Don’t eat seafood pizza

Classic Dave. Classic.

Mine is simple: Never scratch at night.

[Charliecres]

1. Have a go. You can’t find out what you’re capable of if you don’t set off.
2. Keep going (see 1).
3. Enjoy it. If you’re not enjoying it then what’s the point?

[slarge]

Don’t leave home on a bad vibe - funny how a disagreement before a ride can ruin a decent ride

Minimise stoppage time

Keep eating, drinking and spinning

[AlasdairMc]

Mine is simple: Never scratch at night.

Been there, done that - possibly to you Greg actually.

My 3:
- Learn to recognise the specific symptoms of thirst, hunger and tiredness, and know how to address them in advance.
- Minimise the number and duration of stops by maximising what you do on them (take on and expel water, change layers, eat)
- Practice everything that isn’t pedalling. Can you replace a spoke without removing your tubeless seal, can you set up your bivi in the rain, can you re-pack in minutes?

[TheBrownDog]

- Practice everything that isn’t pedalling. Can you replace a spoke without removing your tubeless seal, can you set up your bivi in the rain, can you re-pack in minutes?

Serious stuff. No. I cannot replace a spoke without removing my tubeless seal. And I'd REALLY like to know how. Im not bad on the wrench but this has me flummoxed. Need pix.

[benp1]

I've done that, but in my garage and not on the trail

Main problem is that I don't carry spare spokes!

[redefined_cycles]

1.. Go with an open mind to try your best but tap out if needs be whilst the brain is still making rational decisions.

2. Give it your best shot and (this might not apply to others but thats how I plan) leave the rest in the hands of Allah (sorry... don't tell Macron... or Boris, the...)

3. Don't forget to look up and prioritise #1... the gorgeous views...

Oh, and take that safety gear you had to think about leaving behind...

[Karl]

Eat, drink and be merry!

[Bearbonesnorm]

Thanks everyone, very useful indeed. I've made a special mention of Dave's pizza advice

[thenorthwind]

- Practice everything that isn’t pedalling. Can you replace a spoke without removing your tubeless seal, can you set up your bivi in the rain, can you re-pack in minutes?

Serious stuff. No. I cannot replace a spoke without removing my tubeless seal. And I'd REALLY like to know how. Im not bad on the wrench but this has me flummoxed. Need pix.

Yeah I'm confused too. I guess if you can get the old end out of the nipple without losing it into the rim, it should be possible if you're prepared to bend the spoke quite a bit. The most common failure mode IME is snapping right at the nipple though - surely that's checkmate?

I also don't carry spare spokes, so it's a bit of a hypothetical situation. I've always figured that if the wheel is still salvageable having snapped one or two spokes, then it should be able to get it true enough with the remaining spokes.

[pistonbroke]

Re changing a spoke without removing the tyre, I've managed it 3 times. Agreed that if the break is at the nipple it's game over but I carry a pair of mini pliers which hold the nipple to stop it falling into the rim. I put a bend in the broken spoke having already taken the hub end out and replaced it with a new one, unscrew the broken bit whilst holding the nipple tightly and carefully screw it into the new spoke whilst bending it as much as I dare to avoid it pushing the nipple into the rim. Once it's caught, use a normal spoke key to tension it. I normally carry all the lengths needed but they're about 2mm shorter than ideal. Having explained it, the next time will be a total disaster.

[AlasdairMc]

- Practice everything that isn’t pedalling. Can you replace a spoke without removing your tubeless seal, can you set up your bivi in the rain, can you re-pack in minutes?

Serious stuff. No. I cannot replace a spoke without removing my tubeless seal. And I'd REALLY like to know how. Im not bad on the wrench but this has me flummoxed. Need pix.

Yeah I'm confused too. I guess if you can get the old end out of the nipple without losing it into the rim, it should be possible if you're prepared to bend the spoke quite a bit. The most common failure mode IME is snapping right at the nipple though - surely that's checkmate?

I also don't carry spare spokes, so it's a bit of a hypothetical situation. I've always figured that if the wheel is still salvageable having snapped one or two spokes, then it should be able to get it true enough with the remaining spokes.

From my experience I’ve only ever broken spokes when something finds its way into the wheel, so my breaks have always been midway along. In most circumstances I’d replace spoke and nipple, but I remember reading something about how you want to do everything you can to preserve the tubeless seal - so replace spoke only. You do need to bend the spoke enough to allow a few turns of the nipple before you’d expect to push the nipple back into the rim. There’s nothing more complex about it, but it’s something you need to have thought about beforehand to know it’s an option.

I do want to add a #4 though for winter only - never waste a piss. Today I had to disassemble a frozen jockey wheel on my ride, whereas some universal warming fluid would have sorted it right out.

[JohnClimber]

1) Don't enter one

2) Go and watch from a distance and take photos

3) If you must do it, take twice or 3 times as long (or even longer) in nice weather and enjoy the ride, don't endure it