"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Pre Race Rituals/Superstitions

I'm gearing up for my first race in 15 years. Back when I was young(er) and hitting races pretty heavy, I always ate the same breakfast and I always wore the same socks for my one-day events. Those socks got pretty tattered over time and I don't have them anymore.

So I'm wondering if you guys (and gals) have any pre-race rituals or superstitions that you go through. I'm not really talking about the standard good nutrition, make sure the bike's in good working order, get a good warmup in kind of thing; let this be your excuse to come clean about a strange or not so strange thing that you are compelled to do before a race.

A pretty common one is never shave your legs the day of a time trial.

Hibachi chicken for lunch before every tuesday nighter. It didn't help.

yep (http://www.myshavedlegs.com/2007/06/race-report-rubber-on-road.html).

mocha latte -> big dump pre-race

I usually sacrifice a couple goats.

So I'm wondering if you guys (and gals) have any pre-race rituals or superstitions that you go through.

I think the average IQ is just a bit too high here for any pre-race nit-wittery. You might want to consult with Nancy Reagan, though, when you are planning your race schedule.

I think the average IQ is just a bit too high here for any pre-race nit-wittery. You might want to consult with Nancy Reagan, though, when you are planning your race schedule.

IQ has nothing to do with rituals/superstitions. Thanks for weighing in though, always glad to hear your opinions. :rolleyes:

I don't have anything I do yet for riding, since I've only been racing a couple months.

When I played baseball I had quite a few, some that I don't even remember. Normal ones, and individual ones as well.

Oh, and I got a 1500 on my SAT.

IQ has nothing to do with rituals/superstitions. Thanks for weighing in though, always glad to hear your opinions. :rolleyes:

I don't have anything I do yet for riding, since I've only been racing a couple months.

When I played baseball I had quite a few, some that I don't even remember. Normal ones, and individual ones as well.

Oh, and I got a 1500 on my SAT.

Fair enough; smart people can be irrational; replace "average IQ" with "Rational Thought Processes".

Thanks

This year, I'm a try the following:

* Brain Tuner for 10 minutes, like every morning
* Oatmeal
* Stretching

I think the average IQ is just a bit too high here for any pre-race nit-wittery. You might want to consult with Nancy Reagan, though, when you are planning your race schedule.

Actually, I am continually surprised by how many athletes hang on to some sort of irrational superstition like my "lucky socks" thing. I'm a fairly intelligent guy who attended an Ivy League school, but it doesn't seem to matter. I think it is just hanging on to something familiar.

I remember that there was a pitcher for the Cubs who refused to touch the baseline chalk on his jog to/from the mound. He would come up to it and hop over the chalk line. I don't know how it gets started, but once you start doing something like that, it is difficult to stop.

BTW, Nancy says hi.

I think the current financial mess should have proven that "smart" does not mean "infallible" or even "immune to common stupidity"

Anyway, no, I don't really have anything like the OP is digging for. Just boring old "do the right things to prepare" type stuff.

Random sleep, random food (though at the right times and quantities), random warmups, random course analysis. That's my superstition/ritual, I guess.

Not exactly a pre-race superstition, but I have a superstition about not wearing green or riding a green bike. It's actually a family superstition from my nan. My grandfather and father were wearing clothing that was predominantly green when they had major falls (broken hip for pop, skull fracture and broken femur for dad in two separate falls).



This is my entire excuse for not winning the Tour de France points jersey.

mocha latte -> big dump pre-race


I think the average IQ is just a bit too high here for any pre-race nit-wittery. You might want to consult with Nancy Reagan, though, when you are planning your race schedule.

File under juxtaposition