As I mentioned a day or so ago, I am about to start the final training block before my next race, Ironman Chattanooga.  When this block comes around, it is time to start dialing everything in.  I focus on all the small things that can help my race.

For example, today I changed out the bar tape on the cockpit of my bike.  During my long ride last Sunday, I experienced very high humidity and consequently, I sweated a lot.  This combined with my bike getting damp, lead to me struggling a little bit with grip, especially on the bull horns.  

There is a good chance it will be humid in Chattanooga on race day, and the last thing I need to worry about, is having a good grip of my bike. Hence the decision to change my bar tape.

Shortly, I will change over to fresh latex tubes and my race tires, which are essentially brand new tires.  For taper and the race, I will install a freshly waxed, new chain and will use a brand new, high quality chain link.  I will inspect my brakes closely, to make sure they are in good condition and functioning correctly. 

I usually aim to have my bike ‘race ready’ a couple of weeks ahead of the race.  This gives me chance to put a few miles in and check that everything I have touched is working well.

These are just some of the small details I will consider for the bike, as I start dialing everything in for the race.  My goal is to eliminate as many possibilities for mechanical failure on the bike as possible.  It is not possible to completely eliminate the chance of an issue occurring on race day, but I’ll do my best to minimize those chances.