About seven days before the race, ask your group to push themselves further to simulate racing conditions. Some cyclists join smaller races a week before to boost confidence, but don't try this as a beginner to racing. During the last week before the race, taper your workout to short, gentle sessions. You want to be fresh and relaxed for the race. This is not the time to break your personal records or try an intense new route. Many professional cyclists take Monday completely off for a Sunday race, and take Saturday very easy. Amateur cyclists should consider taking Tuesday and Saturday off as well. Two or three times this week, go on a gentle cycle ride. Don't include any interval training or even tempo pushes. Just keep up your aerobic activity to avoid getting out of form. Most of your sessions should only last 1.52 hours, or 1530 minutes shorter than your normal sessions, whichever is lower. About four to six days before the race, go on a long ride at your base pace. Ride 80-100% of the distance you'll be moving in the race. This will alert your body that some serious exercise is coming up. You should have some sense of how long it takes you to recover. Do this far enough in advance that you are back at peak shape by race day. A massage is a great way to relax the evening before a race, both mentally and physically. Get to bed early to get plenty of rest. While eating healthy is important for the entire training period, what you eat in the last couple days can have a direct effect on the race. Eat a moderate dinner the night before, the same size you normally would. Include plenty of carbohydrates, such as brown rice or pasta, along with a lesser amount of vegetables and meat (or other protein). Eat a high-carb, low-protein breakfast (such as oatmeal or toast and peanut butter) two or three hours before the race to give yourself time to digest. Drink plenty of water in the 24 hours before the race. Tone down the water drinking in the evening to avoid waking up in the night. Look up carbohydrate sources on an online glycemic index. Foods with low glycemic index values may be more efficient sources of racing fuel. Serious athletes sometimes carb load a couple days before a race.

Summary: Race in a group the weekend before. Take it easy. Go on short, easy rides. Add a long distance session for long races. Relax the evening before. Watch your diet.

Create a Metrocard account and link it to your card or log in if you've already made a Metrocard account. From there, you can access your balance in your account settings or on the site homepage. Log in to or create a Metrocard account here: https://metrocard.metroinfo.co.nz/#/login You can also add funds to your Metrocard after you've logged in. If you're using your Metrocard on the bus, you can read your account balance on the farebox screen after you swipe it. Otherwise, locate a Metro information counter so a customer service agent can look up your balance. Find the nearest Metro information counter here: http://www.metroinfo.co.nz/metrocard/Pages/WhereToBuy.aspx Have your card ready to give to the customer service agent so they can easily find your account. If you cannot currently go to a Metrocard station, you can call their information line to check your balance. Have your card information ready for the line representative so they can easily find your account. The New Zealand Metrocard phone number is: (03) 366-88-55.

Summary: Look up your New Zealand Metrocard balance online. Check your balance at a Metro information counter or on the bus. Call the New Zealand Metrocard information line.

Instead of masking the odor, the ozone generator will completely remove it. The ozone actually oxidizes and denatures the residual organic compounds causing the odor. Getting your car detailed by a professional will cost a little bit more money, but you won't have to worry about removing the smell yourself, and you rest assured that the car detailer is drawing on a wealth of experience and resources in order to get your car back to its cleanest, natural state.

Summary: After the car has been cleaned, remove any residual odor with an ozone shock treatment using an ozone generator. Spend a little bit of money to have a professional worry about it.

You can determine a great deal about the quality of your water by tuning in to your senses. Even if a professional water engineer were to come test your water quality, they would be sure to smell, taste, and visually examine the water. Test the quality of your water through your senses, first, by giving it a good smell. Bleach smell This likely occurs from the chlorine your local treatment plant must add to your water to make it safe. This scent often dissipates if the water is exposed to air for a little while. Alternatively, you can purchase a home water filter to get rid of it. Generally, a bleach smell is not harmful. Rotten-egg smell This sulfurous smell usually indicates a growth of bacteria. First, pour a glass of water and bring it to another part of the house, wait a few minutes, and then smell it. If the water no longer smells, then the bacteria is growing inside your drain and should be cleaned. If the water still smells strongly of rotten egg (and if this occurs with both hot and cold water), contact your local municipality. Musty or earthy smell This smell is likely the result of organic matter decaying. Once again, this could either be inside your drain or in the water itself. Although this smell may be bothersome, it is most likely harmless. Use your taste buds to determine the quality of your water. First of all, if your water tastes very foul, spit it out! If your tap water has a metallic taste, this can be caused by either low pH levels, or excess minerals in your water supply (potentially due to rusty pipes). If your water taste like bleach, it could be an excess of chlorine. And if your water tastes salty, this could indicate the presence of chloride ions or sulfates, which could be caused by industrial waste or irrigation drainage. If the taste of your water offends you, contact your local municipality, or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Hold a glass of water up to the light and look for floating particles or general cloudiness. Brown, orange, or red particles can be caused by rust in pipes or fixtures. Black particles can come from the hoses that your water runs through (chlorine in the water can deteriorate these hoses over time). White or tan particles (or general cloudiness) can indicate excess calcium carbonate or magnesium carbonate in your water. If you notice excess cloudiness or particulate matter in your water, contact your local municipality, or the EPA. Begin examining the color of your water by first allowing the water to run for a few minutes. (This will clear any build up from standing water in your fixtures). Then hold a glass of water up to the light. Brown, murky, or otherwise discolored water can be caused by a few factors: a new water source for your area, upstream pollution, or rusty pipes. If the color of your water seems wrong to you, contact your local municipality, or the EPA. If your pipes have a great deal of corrosion or mineral build-up, it means that excess rust or other minerals have been getting into your water. There are a few ways you look for corrosion or build-up around your house. If your pipes have a great deal of build-up, have them looked over by a professional plumber and contact your local municipality. If your pipes are above ground, look for any areas that leak or have blue and/or white sediment. If your pipes are harder to get to, look inside your toilet bowl for rust, or around the base of your toilet for blue stains. If you are having any plumbing work done, ask to see inside a cut portion of your pipe. Look for blue, white, or rust-colored build-up.
Summary: Smell the water. Taste the water. Check for cloudiness and particles. Examine the color. Check your pipes for corrosion or build-up.