Tips from the champs

2006 K2 winner Fraser MacMaster

My experience of the K2 race, ridden round the Coromandel Peninsula, was fantastic. We started and finished in the small town of Coromandel with a relaxed friendly race village welcoming all those who finished the tough 200km ride. By far the hardest ride in New Zealand, in terms of its distance and number of hills, the K2 is also the most spectacular, taking the riders on twisting winding roads through bush and back out onto some of the best beaches you could hope to find anywhere. I liken it to day in the European mountains, except with sand! If you think you’re a strong rider, then come to the K2 to find out how strong you are. If you want a challenge come to the K2, you will meet every challenge and get to conquer them in one day. If you want a great time with family and friends, then come to the K2, enjoy the scenery and the party at the after race village.

Some of the most important things to remember about the K2 are that it is long and hard. Simple really. But you need to prepare, not just physically but mentally. You will need to make sure that you eat and drink enough for such a tough event. This is the cardinal rule for the K2. EAT AND DRINK. If you think you’ve only just eaten and you’ll be right for bit, you’re stuffed. You need to eat and drink even when you think you’ve had enough.

Secondly, have a think about what the event is, where it’s going and what you will be demanding of your body. This really ties in with my EAT AND DRINK philosophy, but you need to be thinking about this as the number one priority, because the course will take care of your rivals. Thinking about what you are doing also applies to the race as a whole, because it’s a long way, pace yourself. Don’t waste energy early on because it will come back to bite you later. I don’t know whether I was the strongest at the 2006 edition but I was the one who ate and drank the most. When my rivals were getting cramp, or a hunger bonk, I was still eating and drinking as much as I could. I didn’t even have to think about race tactics, they just dropped off the back of the bunch and handed me the race on a plate.

Very simple advice but it’s so easy to overlook the small things on the big day.

Cheers
Fraser

 

Glen Mitchell - Winner in 2003, 2004 and 2005 

Preparation is key, try and get as much good training in as you can in the months leading up to the event.
Wear adequate clothing for the weather conditions, you need to be comfortable to put in a good performance.
Make sure you have enough food and liquid for the event and remember to start eating and drinking early into the ride, drinking a mouthful every 10mins and eating something every 30-40min is a good starting plan. Practice this in training so you get used to drinking and eating…..this is what will give you the energy in the later parts of the ride.
Pace yourself, it is a long day. Keeping it steady and never going over your limit will see you finish in a faster time than going out too hard and finishing slow from fatigue. Riding with similar ability riders is going to make for a much more enjoyable ride and will also see you finish faster than doing it by yourself.
 
If you are more competitive and are taking this as a race, then you need to save energy on the flatter sections by riding in the group, keep out of the wind. Save energy for the climbing sections, this is where the race is decided and you need every ounce of energy to stay with the top riders. The longer you can stay in the front group the better your race will be. Don’t worry about attacking, leave that till the last part of the race if your are still up front. Better to put all your effort in climbing well and saving energy where ever you can. Remember to eat and drink (see above) You need to make sure if you are racing for a good placing you have adequate fuel at the end of the race.
Good luck, This an epic, fun day of riding on some of the best roads and scenery the country has to offer.
 
 
Cheers
Glen Mitchell