If you don’t already know who Ryan Gibbons is, we introduced him when he shared his top 3 bike picks to buy the smart way. In short, he’s an Olympian, a World Tour rider (think Tour de France), an African and South African Road and Time Trial Champion, and the People’s Champ with wins in the Cape Town Cycle Tour, Ride Joburg, and most recently the Amashova where he let us ride shotgun for the build.
Safe to say he knows a thing or two about cycling, and more importantly, how to execute when it comes to race day.
In preparation for the 2026 Amashova National Classic, a 106km cycling race from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, Ryan shared his essential race day items with us.
Nutrition for Race Day
Namedsport Total Energy Shot from Cyclelab is the first on the list. A liquid energy shot with caffeine, guarana, and taurine with the goal of delivering an immediate mental boost and reducing fatigue and tiredness. On your race day, this is something you could take just before or during the race.
Namedsport Race Fuel Gel from Cyclelab is next up. A conveniently packaged, tasty, dual-source high-carb gel. We don’t think there’s a faster way of getting 40g of carbs in one go than this. Stock up on flavours like Orange, Mojito, and Lemon, and while we can’t share all the details of Ryan’s race day nutrition secrets, you’ll probably want a few of these to ensure you get enough carbs throughout the race.
Race Day Kit
A bike isn’t the easiest thing to swap out between training and race day for some aero gains; a helmet, however, is a far more reasonable purchase, particularly if you float it.
Ryan’s race day helmet is the Met Manta MIPS Road Helmet; you can grab one from Chris Willemse Cycles. It’s aero, light, safe, and just looks good. Ryan’s been rocking the Glossy Red Metallic lately, with a race day kit changeup to the Glossy Hyper Teal, but you do you. Grab a couple of different colours: one that matches the rest of your race-day kit and another for training.
While you’re choosing a kit, Ryan’s go-to glasses are the Scicon Aeroscopes. They come in all the colours your heart desires. So get a pair to match your helmet, jersey, shoes, or your mood that day. You’re going to look great in any of them. Just whatever you do, wear them over your helmet straps (we don’t make the rules!)
Ryan also swears by his DMT SH10 Road Shoes. Add a pair from Chris Willemse Cycles to your cart to keep your new helmets company. They’re light, comfortable, and breathable with a dual LPZ BOA Fit system for precise adjustments while you ride, and their 8mm airtech carbon sole helps transfer all the watts you’re pushing without wasting a drop – at least that’s how we feel riding with them.
Accessories for Race Day
Not even your favourite pro-rider’s favourite pro-rider is immune from punctures. That’s why on race day, Ryan carries a couple of bombs with a Bontrager Air Rush Elite CO₂ inflater, which you can get from Biket. It’s small and light, so it easily fits in your pocket or saddlebag and it offers quick, safe, and controlled inflation for Schrader and Presta valves thanks to the spring-loaded mechanism in the regulator. So instead of fiddling with a pump on the side of the road, you’ll be back on the bike in no time.
Ready for Race Day?
With the new races fast approaching, you now have a better idea of the essentials that can help make your breakaway count.
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Looking for the right place to upgrade your gear? Check out 6 of the Best Cycling Stores in South Africa.
And if you can’t line up alongside Ryan at next year’s Amashova, but he happens to steal one of your long-standing Strava KOMs on a training ride, at least now you know a few of his secrets.