Cycles of all sorts

 For racing.

The sheer exhaustion that comes from riding in the cold for 24 hours and more surprises most people. Pacing and attitude become extremely important in such a long event. All of the first-time Iditabikers I've talked with have said they wished they'd done more long rides. If you can manage a weekly eight hour ride, with some twelve hour rides in the month before the event, Iditabike will be a lot more pleasant for you. Speed isn't important, you just need to get used to spending long hours on the bike in the cold. Building endurance takes time; start your Iditasport program in the fall and back off if you feel yourself getting burned out mentally or physically.

You can expect to do some pushing even in years when the conditions are most favorable. An average year will require some long walks. Many strong cyclists find pushing a bike alone through the wilderness very hard psychologically as well as physically. Run each week to help prepare for this. Some top finishers have done weekly bike pushing workouts in deep snow.