Nutrition and hydration is also vital when you’re on the bike.

Before you even leave in the morning you’ll want to get a good breakfast, with plenty of carbohydrates and protein. You might have, as the Irish say, a bucket of porridge and maybe scrambled eggs on toast and then four or five coffees as I usually have! You’ll be on the bike an-hour-and-a-half later – before a race you’re told to give three hours, but for a multi-stage sportive you can get away with eating closer to it.

On the bike you’d need to look at around 500ml of electrolytes or a carbohydrate drink per hour because it’s such an intense event – maybe even up to 750ml. Many multi-day sportives like the Curadmir are supported events and have back-up to provide extra food and that’s very useful as you’ll normally always have food at hand. Try to eat an energy bar or banana every hour.