Cycling hint #3: train on training tyres, race on racing tyres

When doing a few training miles, commuting or just riding on the mess that our roads have become with all the constructions and roadworks going on, something like what you see in the picture becomes more and more likely to happen.

Well, that WAS a new racing tyre. I made it home with one of those sleeves covering the hole from the inside but after that, it went in the rubbish bin. Yes, it is good for the manufacturers, distributors, retailers and/or on-line shop but an expensive outcome, in any case.

But lesson learned, if not racing I am riding on 25mm training tyres.

In fact, a few years back, an ex-pro racer told me the best and most economical option when starting out was to buy a good pair of wheels and fit them with a pair of robust training tyres. The evening before a race, and in ten minutes, replace the tyres with fast, lighter and, evidently, more prone to flats racing tyres and go fast. He did that, I am now doing that!

By doing that, we:

• have less chances of getting a flat
• have a more forgiving ride on rough roads
• get stronger for riding heavier tyres
• save some cash by doing most of the riding on cheaper tyres
• help the environment by not throwing out so many tyres
  

Comes race day, I have a hardly worn, lighter, faster set of tyres.

And, if you want your ride to feel really fast and in reality be fast, match a good racing tyre with a latex inner tube... It felt great today!!!