Only a few days away from their objective, we’re with our two athletes, Geoffroy Lequatre and Morgane Moinard for episode 6 of our ELLE & G4 story which honours and respects women’s athletic endeavours. The former professional rider has taken on the task of preparing Morgane, a seasoned athlete, for the www.parisnicechallenge.com/en/">Paris-Nice Challenge which takes place on 11 March. If you’re not familiar with them, check out their profiles here as well as what they’re wearing below.
Clothings
Her : Woman base layer / Cycling purple socks / Woman purple short / Purple woman jersey / Cycling warmers / Summer cycling gloves.
Him : Black bib short Distinguished / Black jersey Distinguished / Summer gloves / Base layer / Men cycling warmers / Cycling rain jacket Distinguished.
This Wednesday, we join Morgane and Geoffroy during their final training session. These are the last few things to consider before tackling the roads of the www.parisnicechallenge.com/en/">Paris-Nice Challenge. This is an opportunity for Geoffroy to discuss the essentials of pre-race preparation for post-race success. It’s the combination of these last few last tactical, technical and mental points which are so often synonymous with success.
Geoffroy: D-3 before the race, how do you feel?
Morgane: Rather good, after all we’ve been training weekly for more than a month. Moreover, the training has passed very quickly, we’ve not been idle!
Geoffroy: Absolutely! I have seen continuous progress throughout our training sessions. Then we were able to ride whenever we wanted, which has been a huge benefit. Today, we’ll devote this session to the final important points. I think that a more mental than physical approach is important to get you in the right frame of mind for Saturday.
WEATHER
Geoffroy: Let’s go through the six fundamentals. Firstly, the weather which is great given that on 11 March we’re not far from summer. The route is highly weather-dependent but we needn’t dwell on this too much as we already know the forecast is for fine weather. So what are you planning to wear?
Morgane: Given the weather forecast, I think we can safely ride in our summer kit with leg and arm warmers.
RECONNAISANCE
Geoffroy: Let’s continue with a brief summary of the roads. We’ve only just done the reconnaissance; you shouldn’t have any problems remembering all the key points on the course. In addition, this last week we’ve ridden in similar climatic conditions to that forecast for this weekend. This is great because you already know that it’ll be a fine, dry route, without any wind – ideal for a mass cycling event.
NUTRITION
Geoffroy: Now let’s cover nutrition, a very important aspect of pre-race preparation.
Morgane: There’s no worry there. I’ve been preparing even longer than our training programme. I follow a gluten-free diet and pay attention to everything I eat, just like my husband who’s a professional cyclist.
Geoffroy: Indeed, that’s excellent. It’s something we’ll start to develop in the next few days on our blog thanks to Sheree. A keen cook, she’ll post recipes ideal for athletes. I agree we shouldn’t at this late stage make any changes to your diet. For fuelling during the race, we’ll have some dried fruit, such as dates and apricots, plus an energy gel just in case you need it. In any event, the organiser will lay on refreshments along the route though typically cyclists like to fuel with whatever they normally eat during a ride.
SLEEP
Geoffroy: The next point may seem obvious to you, though it is fundamental. It’s sleep. Of course, sleep is an important factor in any preparing for any sport.
Morgane: It might be obvious, but it’s sometimes difficult to achieve with my hectic family life, particularly with two very lively children like mine.
BIKE
Geoffroy: We are now talking about another important pre-race factor. Make sure your bike is clean and in good working condition at the start of the race. It would be a shame to ruin all our preparatory hard work with an easily avoidable mechanical. So we’ll pop into the local bike shop beforehand and have him check over the brakes, the chain, the condition of the tyres and ensure all the bolts and screws are properly fixed.
MENTAL
Geoffroy: Finally, and surely the most important point on this checklist, mental attitude, the key to any preparation. I’ve only one thing to say on the subject. We’ve enjoyed working hard during training and it’s this attitude which will help you achieve your goal. Morgane, you’re a real fighter who likes to face new challenges and enjoys training hard.
Geoffroy: To recap, the route has been mastered, the nutritional aspect has been part of your lifestyle for years, the bike is in tiptop condition and you’re in the right frame of mind. All we have to do is cross our fingers and toes that we have a great race and enjoy it.
That’s all for today. We’ll meet up again next week for the final episode of Elle & G4 where we’ll have a post-mortem on the race.
We encourage you to follow Morgane and Geoffroy who’ll be Live on our G4 Facebook page G4 during the www.parisnicechallenge.com/en/">Paris-Nice Challenge. Wish them both the best of luck!
Until then, why not follow our example and ride the roads of the Cote d’Azur! ?
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