Multi-hour, Mountain-Ready

So what’s it like doing a multi-hour, multi-mountain ride? It’s definitely epic, we can tell you that, having done Mt. Ugo more than a few times already, that’s about 4-7 hours, depending on who you’re with. And as with everything challenging in life, preparation is key. In fact, preparation is the difference between a great ride or the worst one of your life. One of those big rides is coming up fast, very soon.

The Cordillera Challenge is exactly a week away and we couldn’t be more excited about it. Back after 5 years, it’s the longest-running and known as one of the toughest mountain bike races in the country, dating back to 2010 with over 1,000m of elevation at least. Peaking at over 800 riders just before it was shut down by the global pandemic, the race is expecting to welcome at least 250 riders this year. Besides being a fundraising initiative for conservation, the Cordillera Conservation Trust (host of the event) also involves and compensates the local communities.

FIVE THINGS TO BRING

1. THE RIGHT YOU

This might sound cheesy to a lot of people, but the most important thing to bring is the best version of yourself. The right mindset, fitness level, and attitude will far outweigh the kind of bike you’re riding on, and that means bringing the best you. Prepare yourself for the race, it’s a week away so it’s not at all too late to make small but necessary changes to your eating habits, your cardio, and your rest.

Preparation is a big part of the right mindset– knowing that you have everything ready, everything where it needs to be when you need it, plays a huge part in keeping any anxiety or uncertainty in check. So take the week to slowly build your ride kit, what goes in it and what doesn’t. Keep your ride kit open in your living room the whole time, giving you an open plan that goes with the right flow.

2. HYDRATION & NUTRITION

This one is different for different people as there’s not one set way to allocate calories and liters for the ride. Some people can go for a while without much water, while some people (like this writer) need to drink every 1000m or so. Same goes for food, other riders can take 2 energy bars for a 20km ride while others can stretch that out to 3 times that.

Rule of thumb for this in our book is: bring more than you need. Not too much that you’re too heavy to enjoy the ride, but a little more than usual to 1, prepare for anything that can happen and 2, be ready when your riding buddy is short on fluids or sugar. Some riders just don’t prep as well, so think of it as being their guardian angel. Not your responsibility, but if you can, why not right? Editor’s note: A good start is at least 2L of water and 500 calories of nutrition.

3. TOOLS/PARTS/THINGS

Expect the unexpected, that’s always a good mantra when riding big, multi-hour rides across wild terrain. It might seem overkill to some, but having all the right tools for a moment that might not even happen is a million times better than not having them for that one-in-a-billion moment that it actually does.

If you’re not sure what to bring, here’s a short list of must-haves from our experience:
1. Multi-tool and patch kits
2. Inner tube (and tire levers, trust that)
3. Hand pump or CO2 cannisters
4. Missing link and chain tool (if none in multi)
5. Lights

4. EMERGENCY STUFF

While the goal of every ride big or small is to be a smooth as possible– zero injuries, zero mechanicals, zero issues, that will not always be the case. You can go a string of lucky rides and be a perfect 10-0 but hey, you can’t ever really tell, especially with the weather these days in the Philippines: it goes from scorching to drowning in a matter of minutes. So better to be safe than sorry.

A first aid kit is obvious and necessary, also it’s best to build your own so you can choose what goes in it. Gauze, tape, antiseptic, alcohol wipes, smelling salts, and a lot of band-aids of different sizes is what usually goes into ours. This can then be put into a roll-bag or even into your ride kit if you still have the space, or maybe on your bike too.

5. THE EXTRAS

Lastly, if you still have space, add what you feel are YOUR essentials. To give you guys an idea, in our case, it would be:
1. Action cameras and mounts
2. A loud whistle
3. Walkie-talkies
4. Some money
5. GPS/Smartphone/Ride computer

Like we said, it’s totally up to you what you would bring. As long as you have enough space, take it with you.

THINGS TO NEVER FORGET

It’s a privilege to be able to do this, to ride our bikes in some of the most wonderful, beautiful, and natural places on earth. So before we forget, let’s remember to respect, care for, and celebrate the local communities and environments we’ll be biking in. It goes without saying but we’ll say it anyway: don’t leave trash/litter and make sure to take home everything you brought with you, especially garbage. Be polite and kind to everyone you come across, try not to interact as much as you can with the animals, try to leave them alone, and don’t take anything but pictures.

Our world is slowly getting tighter and tighter and these wild places are the last remaining escapes we have from the cities. Let’s try our best to not only keep them that way, but to also maybe get involved with conserving them and making them even better for the next generations to enjoy. Learn more about the local groups that are working hard to keep these spaces open and protected.