Route 66

It has been quite a week this week. I took Tuesday off work to do some more training for Sani2C, we went to Groenkloof Nature Reserve outside Pretoria and to my HORROR my bike's frame snapped after doing just under 2km.I immediately had visions of doing Sani2C on my old Trek 26 inch bike (which now belongs to my daughter). We went straight to Cajees Boksburg (where I originally bought the bike) and Arif took photos and sent them off to Dragon Sports in Cape Town who shipped a replacement frame the same day (Giant has life time warranty on their frames). So to cut a long story short I had my bike back on Friday (good as new).

So with my 'new' bike, I could do the race I had entered - Route 42 Suikerbosrand Classic. Greg and I did a 45km warm up ride on Saturday and then were ready to tackle this race as our Sani2C training i.e. we would ride together. The race was really great with a bit of everything - jeep and single track, district roads, lots of sand, a forest section and a few climbs. It was very dusty and I came home with a much darker tan. Unfortunately the race was shorter then advertised instead of 80km it ended up being only 66km (hence the title Route 66). We finished in a time of 3 hours 26 minutes - here are my race stats

The spoils of war

Spot the unibrow...

Stage race tips

Hats off to all the crazy committed people that recently completed the ABSA Cape Epic (extreme) mountain bike race. My mate Melt completed his 4th EPIC and the adverse conditions made this one the hardest one yet. 

Here are some stage race tips supplied by Michael van Harmelen (aka @muddy_mike on twitter). After completing his 1^st Epic in 2012, here are some key things that Mike learnt, which he felt would make a stage race of this magnitude more enjoyable and less stressful. He made a top 10 list which if followed could make the difference between an average and great experience. 

Epic Learning #1: Never try ride the Epic if you’re not 100% healthy. It will hurt you. Any weakness will be magnified exponentially day by day.

Epic Learning #2: Have your bike professionally setup, like the guys @completecyclist do. I am not talking about a 10 minute bike shop setup. I am talking about a proper minimum 1 hour consultation using proper scientific measurements. I used to have lower back pain on 3 hour rides. During 53 Hours of Cape Epic 2012, nothing! J

Epic Learning #3: Tyre choice critical for both the pros and the back markers. You don’t want to spend your time fixing puncture after puncture. Epic routes are notorious for sharp rocks and thorns. I used Continental 29x22 Race King Protection tyres. 718km and not a single puncture.

Epic Learning #4: Have at least 4 different flavor’s of your chosen energy drink to alternate. You will be drinking up to 64 bottles of the stuff and variety keeps it palatable. Also just drink what your body is used to, so carry extra serving’s of your energy drink and just top up with water at the tables.

Epic Learning #5: A 29er is more suited than a 26er over the rough Epic terrain. But be warned, a std 2x10 gearing setup on a 29er does not have the low ratio’s required for the Epic, unless of course you are a pro. So take time to get advice on the correct gearing if you move from a 3 chain ring 26er to a double chain ring 29er, if not you could end up walking with your 29er where you previously rode your 26er.

Epic Learning #6: Take time to enjoy the views the Epic will give you, you will never see them again. A quick stop to take it all in (and a photo or 2) makes your ride more meaningful and it’s a great time to get your breathe back before the next climb. Does position 321 really sound that much better than 353?

Epic Learning #7: Don’t loose your sense of humour if a rider stops in front of you on a climb or if Dr Evil sends you up another unexpected climb. You choose to enter Epic, no one had a gun to your head. Arriving at Lourensford grumpy isn’t exactly what you’ve paid all that money for and made all those sacrifices for, now is it?

Epic Learning #8: Take a moment to acknowledge and thank all the marshal’s and volunteers. They make it all run like clockwork for the riders. Without them the event could not take place.

Epic Learning #9: Get a bike mechanic you can trust and have experience with to get your bike to Epic and home again. I would avoid the “mass” service providers here, as how many bikes can 1 mechanic service properly per day? Having the peace of mind that your bike will be in the bike park every morning 100% ready to race is a huge weight of your shoulders and money very well spent.

Epic Learning #10: Have a look around you, there are riders from all over the world riding the Epic in South Africa! Be an ambassador, chat to the guys and swop war stories every evening. You never know what friendships you could be born on the trails of the Western Cape.

Thanks Mike for your valuable tips, hopefully we can use some of these for the Sani2C next month. Check out Mikes website 

6 weeks to Sani2C

Winter she is coming - we had a few 'fresh' rides this week before work (32km and 44km). The ride today was awesome, more off road then on and we needed our bright lights to spot the ruts on the jeep track. Mark took a tumble into the reeds whilst going over the bridge by Serengeti golf estate and had a wet frozen foot for the rest of the ride (and yes I am smiling as I have taken a dive off this bridge before).

Morning sunrises on our rides are something special...

With the increase in the petrol price this picture is relevant...

100 Club!!!!!

Milestone for Greg and I today as we did our first mountain bike ride over 100km. Fairly chilly start with the sad reminder that summer is now over, we headed out past Serengetti golf estate and on mainly district and jeep track roads, we reached our goal which was the Petrol Station on Nellmapius drive in Irene (just outside Pretoria).We really have come a long way in our MTB journey over the past few years and managed this ride with relative ease considering there were a few more hills then we are used to. 

Chocolate milk and a peanut butter sandwich at the 1/2 way stop

Greg eager to tackle the ride home...

Sani2C training

Another great week of training for the Sani2C, we managed another 240km this week. Our ride on Sunday was pretty long at 94km and slightly different as we used some paths less traveled i.e. bundu bashing. It great to out in the open fields with like minded souls and it turned out to be quite an adventure with us pioneering new routes through the bush. Our fitness levels are improving as we notch up the kilometers but the legs are starting to take strain (a few days of recovery is the answer).

Mark, Greg and Adam - stretching, eating and getting rid of warm clothes

Can you see a path up there? Well we made one..

Mmmmm what is the best way down here?

"Hey guys my way is easier..."

"OK, maybe not..."

Human Rides Day 2012

Hey it was a public holiday in South Africa today, Human Rights Day aka Human Rides Day. Nothing better then having a mid week break and been able to ride for 3 hours. Greg and I ventured out onto the trails alone, as our new Sani2C training buddies - Adam and Mark went big the night before for Adam's birthday and were in no shape tear up the trails. 

We had a very pleasant ride but our legs were still taking strain from our 90km ride the previous Sunday. We did however manage to find some new routes and even came across this structure below, which I believe is a blockhouse built by the British army during the second Boer War.

Greg is the official bike holder as I snap some pics for the blog...

Beware of the Dam

Awesome ride yesterday, Greg and I met up with Adam and Mark and we headed out towards Irene on a similar route to last Sunday. 

The riding was fantastic we managed to do around 90km at an average of 21.5km/h which was pretty good going in my books. Only downfall is that the terrain was relatively flat compared to what we are going to encounter at Sani2C with the total ascent on this ride of only 558m. Click on the link and you can view my Garmin stats for the ride (you may have to change the settings to Metric from Statute in the top right hand side of the page) Sunday 18-03-2012 Outride Stats

It was really great that we could ride with new like minded guys that have the same goals as us, it really made the ride more enjoyable. I had to take a photo of this sign below, taken just near a quarry near Dunblane Estate. Here is Adam holding up the damn sign..... 

2  minute respite for the boys as I take a photo of this classic warning sign.

Good week of training

Wow we managed to pick it up a notch last week doing 12 1/2 hours on the bike and over 260km wear on the tyres. Greg and I are trying to stick to a training program by USN specifically for the Sani2C, that gives you goals with regards to the number of hours you should be training per week. We managed to bank an extra 2 and half hours last week as we were only supposed to do 10hours.  

On Sunday we had a fantastic ride - just over 85km and found some new routes that I look forward to riding again next weekend. We were joined by Adam who we met on our ride last Saturday and is also doing the Sani2C Trail. Here is the link to my Garmin stats for the ride: Outride Stats 11-03-2012

Outride 03-03-12

So officially our Sani2C training has begun this week. Greg and me are going to do our best to keep to a programme that should increase our fitness levels before the Sani2C Trail in the middle of May. Ok this week got off to a rocky start as Greg had a bit of flu so I had to do a few solo rides. Never a less we managed to do a longer ride today (55km) and once Greg is 100% better we will aim for 80+ next weekend. 

We were fortunate enough to meet some like minded souls on our ride this morning that are also training for Sani2C (as pictured below). Numbers were exchanged and hopefully we will be able to do a couple of longer rides together in the next few months. Besides the company (and competition) it makes sense to ride in larger groups given the increase in bike jackings the past year or so. I am sure you will see more of these faces on my blog in the future....

Carnival City Classic 26-02-2012

Besides my annual flirt with the tar at the 94.7, I have never done any other road races. This year I decided to try another road race and I am so glad I did. I entered this race as a training ride for my Sani2C preparation i.e time on the saddle at a sustained output.

My group was IL the last 'unseeded' group to do the 103km race and it started a rather late 08:00.  Being new to road riding, I was quick to make friends at the start while we waited for our batch to slowly move forward i.e to get some valuable tips on how to do this race etc. The start was extremely fast - for the first 10km I was averaging 40km/h and at the 30km mark I was on 37km/h. I managed to tag onto a few groups of riders which helped a lot. I have never ridden so fast in my life, what a rush. 

After the shorter race split at 48km, this is when the rolling drags started slowing me down. It was great riding with a few people along the way, I made a few temporary friends that helped me easily eat up the tar. Mike shared a good tip with me - if you throw water on your legs (from the sachets received at the water points) this takes away cramps and temporary revitalizes them. 

At the end I finished in a time of 3h23 with an average speed just over 30km per hour. I was really chuffed with myself as I was aiming for a sub 4 hours. What a fantastic race that was well marshaled and organized. 

Group IL patiently waiting to be called up to the start

Yours truly at the end of the race after an awesome day on the road bike...

Avoid the mud

I recently replaced my chain rings, rear cassette. jockey wheels and drive chain, so call me a fool I am not going anywhere near mud as it seriously reduces the life span of these parts. There seems to be plenty of mud this summer, so we are being quite selective on the routes and races that we persue, I know this seems a bit naf and not what a true mountain biker should do but I need these new parts to at least last until the Sani2C race in May.  

I am starting to notch up the hours for my Sani2C training 9 hours last week and 10 hours the week before. Still quite a way to go as I am not nearly fit enough to even tackle day 2 of this event on its own yet.



This was sent to me by a friend last week - and yes I can totally relate...