After recovering from my epic four-stage mountain bike race in Lanzarote, I've finally had a chance to catch my breath and really think about the experience I had.

I ended on such a high by taking the win, and then a quick turnaround to get back to work and ordinary life meant I hadn’t really managed to take stock and analyse the experience. As a first race it went well, but as a learning experience it surpassed my expectations.

I'm grateful for the wealth of wisdom generously shared by many of my friends who are seasoned racers, alongside the invaluable guidance from my coach, Ash. That said, true understanding often comes through first-hand experience. For me, ticking off the first race of the season was the greatest learning opportunity I could have hoped for. From bike set-up to fuelling and from gear choices to recovery, I have developed as a rider and as a racer.

Here are the insights I've gleaned from the experience:

Food for thought

A persistent concern of mine revolved around ensuring I adequately fuelled myself, a task that demanded a significant amount of mental energy. I'll be honest, it occupied my thoughts frequently throughout the event, perhaps not the healthiest mindset, to be fixated on food!

While I recognise room for improvement in my race nutrition, I managed certain aspects well. I avoided hitting the proverbial wall during rides and sidestepped the nauseating sensations that plagued me in past events. Despite waking up fatigued each morning, it wasn't the hollow exhaustion of undernourishment.

Below, I detail my meal plan before, after, and during the race. It's not perfect, and there are aspects I intend to tweak for my next race, but overall, I was satisfied with my effort in fuelling over the four days.

My race menu

Breakfast (the same every day)

Coffee, orange juice, muesli with yoghurt and fruit (blueberries, banana or apple)

Pre-race snacks

Cereal bar and banana. On the last day I had a crisp baguette.

Stage one

1x 226ers High Energy Gel, Haribo sweets, Lidl cereal bar, water and SiS Beta Fuel energy drink

Stage two

1x 226ers High Energy Gel, Haribo sweets, Lidl cereal bar and water

Stage three

1x 226ers High Energy Gel, Haribo sweets, and water

Stage four

1x 226ers High Energy Gel, Haribo sweets, Lidl cereal bar, bananas, water, diluted Coke and SiS Beta Fuel energy drink

Post-race snacks

Myprotein banana shake, banana, diluted Coke, water, bread, and fruit salad (stages two and four), rice and vegetables (stage one)

Evening snacks

Crisps and blueberries

Evening meals

A very large portion of either rice, vegetables, chickpeas, egg and/or tofu, or pasta, vegetables, chickpeas, egg and cheese

The bike for the job

I modified my Orbea Oiz specifically for this race, tweaking it to better suit the conditions. First, I swapped the ESI foam grips for Ergon GA3 ones, which offer more support during long hours in the saddle. Despite adding a bit of weight (65g), the winged design of the Ergons provided excellent support and grip, even without gloves. They proved particularly beneficial on longer rides and didn't hinder manoeuvrability on the trails of Lanzarote. While I may switch back to ESI grips for shorter races, I'm currently satisfied with the Ergon grips and pleased with the change.

I replaced the Maxxis Dissector and Recon tyre combo with Vittoria Mezcal Trails, opting for the tougher Trail casing due to the island’s sharp volcanic rocks.

The tread, designed for dry conditions, proved to be fast-rolling, and provided excellent traction on Lanzarote's dusty terrain. I did suffer a few wheel spins on the climbs and a couple of sketchy moments on loose corners, but weighting the tyres proved to be the cure for any lost traction.

As for reliability, they held up well. Running at 22 psi in the front and 24 psi in the rear, the Mezcals endured encounters with jagged volcanic rocks without issue. Overall, I'm thoroughly impressed by their lightweight build, fast-rolling profile and ample traction.

These adjustments, added about 300g to the bike but gave me extra comfort and assurance on the rough terrain. Apart from the tyres and grips, I kept the bike as is. However, I encountered issues with the lockouts and dropper post. The fork lockout failed before my trip to Lanzarote, likely due to a fork problem rather than the Squidlock remote. Unfortunately, there was no time for a check-up before departure. Additionally, the dropper lever bolt fell out during travel, so I've temporarily secured it with a zip tie – which is still working. While these issues didn’t really bother me in terms of ride feel, they were frustrating given the bike's high price and quality, but I hope to resolve them soon.

Orbea Oiz spec for the Lanzarote four-stage mountain bike race

Weight: 9.96kg, size large without pedals 

Frame: OMX carbon fibre

Shock: Fox Float DPS Factory, 120mm travel, remote lockout

Fork: Fox 34 Float SC Factory 120mm travel, remote lockout (not working for the race)

Drivetrain: Shimano XTR

Brakes: Shimano XTR M9100 Hydraulic Disc

Wheelset: Oquo Mountain Performance MP30TEAM Carbon and DT Swiss 350 wheels, Vittoria Mezcal XC-Trail 29x2.35in tyres

Bar/stem/grips: OC Carbon Handlebar MC10, 800MM/OC Mountain Performance MC10 Alu/Ergon GA3

Seatpost: Fox Transfer SL Factory Kashima Dropper 31.6mm

Saddle: Selle Italia SLR Boost Fill Ti 316

Remote Lockout: OC Components Squidlock MP20 remote, dropper, suspension (3 position)

Kit conundrums

As a relatively inexperienced traveller with my bike – this was my second time flying with it – I am still very much a newbie when it comes to packing.

Deciding what to take with me was no easy task, with numerous uncertainties about what was essential and what could be left behind. Additionally, since I was abroad for over a week before the race, I needed to pack extra equipment. In hindsight, I definitely overpacked.

Having said that, I managed to stay within the EasyJet weight limit (32kg for a bike bag and 23kg for hold luggage), but I could have streamlined my kit, especially considering that if I had been going solely for the race, it would’ve been good to not pay for the extra hold luggage.

The kit I took is listed below, highlighting the items I would opt to leave behind on future trips:

Spares and tools

• Track pump
• Motul dry chain lube
• Inner tubes x 2
• Full set of Allan keys - only take the essential ones
• Maxxis tyres x 2 - leave one at home
• Shimano chain
• Shimano brake pads x 2
• Cables x 2
• Tyre plugs
• Muc-Off Bio grease
• Shock pump
• Granite ratchet multi tool
• Wire cutters
• Flat-head screwdriver
• Chain splitter
• Pressure gauge - leave at home as gauge on track pump
• Pad spacers
• A box of spare bolts, cable ends and cleats

Riding gear (in addition to clothes)

• Kask Valegro helmet
• Evoc hydration vest Hydro Pro 1.5L
• Five Ten Kestral BOA shoes
• Evoc hip pouch 1 - leave at home
• SunGod Velans glasses
• Picture Conto MTB gloves
• Decathlon Kalenji heart rate monitor
• Garmin Edge 530

Recovery and health

• Foam Roller
• Muc-Off Chamois cream
• First aid kit
• Lifesystems mountain sunscreen
• Myprotein Impact whey protein powder
• Theraband resistance bands – leave at home
• Deep heat and Deep Freeze (not pictured)

I don’t regret taking what I did, but next time I’ll slim down my kit to make my life easier.

I prepared for the worst on this trip, and the fact that I was out there for 10 days prior to the race did mean I took more with me than I would have otherwise.

There were a few items that I wish I’d taken, which included my Theragun massage gun for post-ride recovery, face wipes for the finish line, a heavier-duty chain lube, and bike wash. None of these things are essential but would have made my life a wee bit easier.

Racing on a budget

Mountain biking isn’t cheap, nor is racing. Racing abroad adds to the cost, too. However, this trip was relatively inexpensive, all things considered.

The whole trip was done for a little over a thousand pounds (£1,056.50), which, considering some stage races’ entry fee alone can be well over a grand, is not a bad price.

The breakdown of the costing is detailed below:

• Return flights from Bristol to Lanzarote including hold luggage and bike bag – £247.50
• Race entry (four stages) – £188
• Accommodation for five nights in an Airbnb – £250
• Food (a shop at Lidl) – £57
• Celebratory brunch before flying home - £17
• Car hire with full insurance for six days – £297

Savings I could make

The biggest cost was the car rental, largely due to opting for full insurance. While I could have saved £175 with lesser coverage, the extra cost was worthwhile for peace of mind against any potential damages.

Renting a car is not compulsory, but the race takes place on the opposite side of the island from the airport, so you will have to factor in transfer costs. Alternatively staying at Club La Santa, the race venue, is an option, and they offer an all-inclusive package with a 10 per cent discount for race entrants. This takes a lot of hassle out of the trip, but is not the cheapest option.

It’s worth noting that stage three does not start at Club La Santa, requiring racers to make their own way to the hill climb start, a journey which can be cycled, but may add an extra hour or more to your day, especially if facing the headwinds that are common in Lanzarote.

Racing the two-stage race would be a cheaper option but, in my opinion, you would miss out on the best two days of racing.

If I was only out for the race and not a holiday beforehand, I would have travelled with only a bike bag and hand luggage, saving me £85.

Lessons learned

Lanzarote was a chance for me to discover more about my bike, about racing and about myself. I learned a lot that will better prepare me for future races and showed me what I need to work on. Here are the lessons I took home with me:

Don’t stress about the small things – I worried a lot about race logistics: signing on, parking, start times. But these things sort themselves out without the need for constant worry.

Be more aggressive on the start line – I’m not the most confident rider (or person, for that matter) and find myself very passive on the start line. To conserve energy and put myself in the best position to place well, I need to get my elbows out and muscle myself to the front right from the start.

My speed on fast flow and mellow gradients needs improving – Once more, it boils down to confidence. I've never quite found my comfort zone when it comes to hitting warp speed. I've squandered precious time by using the brakes far too often on fireroads, tarmac stretches and buttery-smooth trails. My forte lies in the technical aspects, where you naturally ease off the throttle to navigate. I've got to shake off this fear and get comfortable with high-speed manoeuvres if I want to be a podium contender.

Be more precise with fuelling – Although I managed my fuelling well, it didn’t come naturally or consistently, especially in the latter stages of the marathon where I started to faulter due to fatigue and lost focus. I also found it hard to find a suitable place to refuel, which leads me onto my next lesson learned.

Practise on-bike fuelling – I struggle to fuel on the go unless I’m on fireroads or tarmac. Riding with one hand on singletrack is not something I’m confident doing, and I need to practise.

Stay focused, even when leading – I love chasing riders down, the motivation and focus is high, but I need to learn to keep that focus when I’m out in front. It was a novel experience being in the lead for the last 30km or so of the marathon, but I took my foot off the gas and was passed by my competitor. This did bring back my concentration and I managed to reclaim my position, but I may not be so fortunate in the future.

Improve my overall strength – the strength and conditioning I have been doing with Ash at Studio Base is making a difference, but I still have a lot of work to do to become a powerhouse!

My kit list needs some refining – Although I don’t regret taking everything that I did, I’m keen to get my kit list streamlined and efficient. This trip has been a valuable lesson, highlighting what I can do without and what deserves a spot in my race kit.

Face wipes for the finish line would be lovely – Sweat, dust and sugary energy drinks sloshing over face and bar make for a grubby concoction. One of my more prepared and savvy competitors had face wipes stashed in her bag at the finish line bag drop – something I will be doing for my next race!

Don’t forget about post-stage four dinner – after meticulously planning my nutrition during each leg of the race, ensuring my body was well fuelled for recovery, I overlooked the importance of that final dinner when the racing was all done and dusted. Halfway through the marathon all I craved was pizza – a craving I couldn’t satisfy for two nights. Lesson learned. Plan for a celebratory dinner!

Racing alone works for me but may not always be ideal – This allowed me to focus solely on my process and needs, without the distraction of others. While it was advantageous for Lanzarote, as it helped me to pinpoint my processes and learn what I need – in the future I may benefit from external support.

Women of XC are super-friendly, both on and off the course – Despite attending the race solo, the warmth and camaraderie among my fellow competitors was amazing. Even with my social awkwardness, I was soon chatting to those around me, and we all pushed and supported each other over the four days. It looks like racing will forge new friendships, which is an awesome aspect of competitive riding.

Training yields tangible results – despite occasional doubts on whether my training regime was worth all the effort, the race reaffirmed its value. The progress in my riding, fitness and racecraft became evident over the course of the four days, reinforcing the impact of the work I have put in with Ash. It’s a reminder to trust the process and to stay consistent even in moments of doubt, because every effort counts in the end.

What's next

Since the race I have been getting back into training with my coach Ash de Lotz. Unfortunately, many of my sessions have been on the turbo trainer due to the appalling weather, which is a bit of a grind, but I’m really enjoying the Friday strength and conditioning classes at Studio Base. It’s a fine way to start the weekend!

Next on the agenda in terms of racing is the southwest regional XC event at Grammarcombe, south of Exeter. It will give me a good chance to put what I have learned from the Club La Santa race to the test, and see how I fair in the slop. I have a feeling I will miss the dry and dusty conditions of Lanzarote!