Last year’s RideLondon-Surrey 100 event was unofficially renamed the RideLondon-Surrey 86 after an overnight storm forced organisers to shorten the route to 86 miles.

Thousands of riders still braved difficult conditions to complete the ride and it goes to show the weather can rarely be relied up in the UK – even in August.

As well as preparing your mind and body for the challenge of riding 100 miles, you can also use the time between now and August to make sure you have the right clothing, equipment and nutrition to see you through the ride.

That means that come the day of the sportive, you will know exactly what you need in your jersey pockets, regardless of the conditions. What clothing can you rely on? Do you have a waterproof jacket which will do the job for six-plus hours in the saddle? Also make sure your bike is in good condition in the build-up to the ride. If in doubt, get it serviced at your local bike shop.

Nutrition is inevitably an important part of any bike ride and it pays to be confident in your nutrition strategy. You should aim to drink 500-1,000ml of fluid per hour, depending on the heat, and take in around 60g of carbohydrate per hour to top up your glycogen stores and stave off the dreaded bonk. How you want to take on that carbohydrate (whether through a drink, gels, bars or ‘normal’ food, is down to personal preference) but try out what works for you on your training rides (and particularly your longer rides in the summer months as the event approached) so you’re not left second-guessing. You can read more about the nutritional demands of the RideLondon-Surrey 100 here.

Finally, if you’re new to the world of sportives it’s wise to enter a couple of events before RideLondon, if that’s your main goal for the summer. That will give you a preliminary target to aim for in your training (completing a 100km sportive in May, for example) and will give you the chance to put the skills you have picked up (whether that’s riding technique or nutrition) into practice.

Good luck!