Weekly Summary

This was supposed to be a 'Load' week on the Polar programme with 16 hours of riding but after the disasters of Monday & Tuesday's rides (see post below) I was really down on my hours. Had both rides gone to plan I would have ridden 11 hours but as it was I was almost 6 hours down. I had also planned to ride with the local bike shop on Wed morning which was planned as a 4 hour ride but without my bike I thought I would have to bail out. However I had a bit of a brainwave and decided to use my Giant Boulder (the bike I use for the the school run) for the ride. So after a couple of hours on Tuesday night spent prep'ing the bike I had a decent ride of 4½ hours with Petie (owner of the bike shop).

On Saturday I managed a short and gentle 2 hours on the road bike with Paul (Epic Partner) which was great as we rode to Stellenbosch and back. It was good to do a gentle road ride to keep the legs spinning.

So after all this I finally managed to get 13 hours in, leaving me just 3 hours short, so I've re-jigged my programme and decided to make this a Recovery week and bump the programme forward by one week. Thankfully my taper period at the end of the programme has enough space to allow for this. So next week will be a 'load' week.

Hopefully I'll have no more weeks like this one!

Stats for (recovery) week:
Ride time: 13:13 (target: 11:00)
Distance: 203km
Kcal's burnt: 8854
Total ascent: 2725m (ish)

Weekly Summary

There didn't seem to be much point in posting a weekly summary last week as I was participating in the research study at Stellenbosch Uni' (see here). I was supposed to have done the 100k time trial but unfortunately the computer crashed so it didn't happen. Besides that I only managed two rides totaling just over 6 hours. Had I done the time trial I would have been slightly over my hours required but never mind.

This week has been back to normal, ie; following the training plan properly which is a first since the Double Century over three weeks ago! I'm not far from peaking (hours wise) on the training program and I must admit that it's quite tough fitting all the required hours in. This week has consisted of four early mornings starting riding just before 5am. I'm also doing more back to back rides which should help with the actual event. I've also managed three rides with my Epic partner which is great. So here's how my week panned out:

Stats for the week:
Ride time: 15:35
Distance: 377km
Kcal's burnt: 10114

DC Photos

Here are a few photos of the Wannabee Better team during the Double Century on Saturday.

I think they capture the event, the weather etc. really well.

We all had a lot of fun and as I said earlier, the guys were very gracious in their patience with me, especially in how they helped me up the last three hills.

Anton summed the event up as follows:

Firstly just a huge thank to Archie and Ina who made the stops stress free, full of encouragement and providing us with all the help we needed and more. We cannot sing your praises enough.

To the team, you guys were awesome. Thanks for putting up with me and allowing me to ensure that we finished as we started, we may have been battered down to 8 starters but boy we were not going let that get the better of us.
To my fellow captains Smiley (Ave heart rate 116 over the 211km's - unbelievable) and Petie, thanks for your guidance before and during the ride. Your experience and good natured approach was the key to ensuring that we all finished, which we thank you for.
To Fred for his kinds words through prayer before we started and his unfailing enthusiasm during the ride is a lesson to us all.
To Sholto who ensured that some of us got there and back safe and sound, for stopping to allow me to get rid of some of the food and liquid intake on the way home (but that's another story) Never waivered or faltered on the ride.
To Dean who rode his 1st DC and probably not his last, for never giving up. Working through the tough times and finishing stronger than most.
To Schalk, what can I say, you are an animal. Never complained and although could have finished in +- 6hrs, stayed to the end to assist us in getting home.
To Alistair, for ensuring that we had the required sustenance the night before and being a true gentleman till the end.

Enjoy the pictures...

Our first break was at the top of the Op De Tradouw pass about 62k's into the ride


Anton on the left with me just behind him. Sholto is on the right


Ina was a star! Can't recommend a mothering touch enough on this kind of jaunt


Riding in formation on the approach to Suurbrak


A real team effort!


Sholto & Smiley


Ina, a very welcome sight!!


Looking back ... probably for me


Crossing the finish line in 7:47

Double Century - Results

As said in previous posts I was riding in the Double Century yesterday as part of the Wannabee Better CCH team one of five Wannabee teams in the event. We finished in a respectable 7:47. The goal had been 7 hours but unfortunately I was the slow-coach who held the guys back. Thankfully as a team we had already agreed to stick together so three of the guys were amazing at actually pushing me up bits of the last three hills, thanks go to Petie, Schalk & Smiley! I was determined to finish, but was equally happy for the guys to drop me and go for a better time. Now I have to live with the guilt. ;-)

I was fine for the first 150k's but then my bum gave out. I've had some issues previously with my saddle but yesterday's race was the last straw! The saddle will be replaced imminently. The lads kept offering me cramp-stop as well as advice on eating etc. but the problem quite simply was a very sore bum on which I struggled to sit. That being said, the last three hills going into Swellendam each felt like Mt. Everest and I had probably underestimated how tough they would be.

The official results have just been posted on the Winning Time website and our team time was 7:47:04 with my personal time being 3 seconds behind. We finished 86th out of 191 teams so just within the top half of the field. My personal result was 687/1579 which puts me well into the top half which makes me quite happy. So next year I'll train a bit harder and hopefully finish a bit stronger.

Overall the race was a lot of fun along a brilliant route and the weather was just about perfect. The team were great, a real pleasure to ride with and our support crew of Archie and Ina were amazing, Thanks guys!

We passed a few friends along the way and my friend Nigel from church finished 10 minutes ahead of us, although I know he was disappointed with the time.

Full results available here.

Weekly Summary

I'm posting this early as I won't be riding again before the Double Century on Saturday and given that that ride is a race I won't include it in the weekly stats.

I rode my mountain bike for the first time in two weeks this morning and had a blast. I really am a mountain biker at heart! I enjoy the roadie side of things, but my passion is for the dirt.

This week was a taper week in preparation for Saturday so obviously the stats are lower than normal.

Stats for the week:
Ride time: 8:21
Distance: 187.2
Kcal's burnt: 5806

Double Century

Important Notice: Road Conditions
All roads were reopened in the Overberg Area after last week’s heavy rains. Despite damage to the road surface in some areas, the event can go ahead as planned. A small detour in the Bonnievale area might be necessary. Team captains will be informed of any changes at registration.

So, according to the DC website, the event is definitely on with only a minor detour looking likely.

The bad news is that one of our team members has dropped out so we're down to 8 riders which leaves very little room for error on the day. Most teams are comprised of 12 riders (max) with the first 6 finishers making up the team's official time. Obviously the more team members the more likely it is that the team will finish with a decent time. Given our small team, we'll have to reconsider our target of 7 hours which is a real shame. Still, there's always next year.

Double Century

A general email was sent out late on Friday by the Cycle Tour about the route of the Double Century following the black South-Easter during the week. The main bit of the email reads as follows:

"The Overberg region has been battered by storms over the past few days and as you may have seen in the news - roads and bridges have been washed away and other areas seriously damaged. The Coronation Double Century route has been seriously affected by these storms. We are however working on an alternative route option in the event that the conditions of the roads on the original route do not improve over the next few days."

Hopefully things will be sorted in time for the ride.

Weekly Summary

Last week was a bit of a disjointed week, consequently I was unable to ride as much as I would have liked. I managed three rides, covered 233k's consumed 5864kcals and spent 9:49 on the bike. The joy of the week was that I spent most of my time in the blue and green zones, but the frustration of the week was that I didn't get to ride my mountain bike at all.

This week is already shaping up as I've ridden almost as long and as far in two rides!

Weekly Summary

I've had another great week on the bikes. My schedule is working well and the split between two MTB rides and two road rides is highly enjoyable, as well as being very productive. As the picture shows (a summary of the last four weeks), I rode for 15hours & 10 minutes, covered a tad under 290k's and almost burnt 10000kcals.

I started the week at 5am on Monday with a slow ride to Kleinmond (124k's) keeping the heart rate below 70% (I plan to make this a regular ride). My two MTB rides are a bit hopeless from the heart rate point of view, but they're great fun and a good way to keep the power and climbing skills honed. My final ride of the week is a road ride on Saturdays and this morning I joined some of the Wannabee crowd on a pleasant ride to Rooiels and back.

I still need to try and increase the amount of time I spend in the blue & green zones, but all in all I'm very happy with my riding at present.

Weekly Summary

This week has been one of the most satisfying I've had on the bike for a long time. I rode four times -as can be seen in the picture) and covered a total distance of 286.5k's, burnt 7613 Kcal's and spent 12hours, 26 minutes on the bike. I still need to try and get more of my riding into the blue zone which won't always be easy especially as a normal week would include two MTB rides (scarily, this week was a lot of fun and I didn't spend any time on the mountain bike). However, if I can put a few more weeks together like this one then the base fitness will be excellent. The other great thing about this kind of riding at this stage is that this is all before the start of our formal Epic training programme, so hopefully that will put me ahead of the game.

My regular riding programme is now underway with rides on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Tuesday evening and Thursday morning are MTB rides. Thursday is definitely my 'fun' day when I ride for pure pleasure and don't worry too much about the heart rate. Tuesday is an hour and a half of singletrack followed by a nightride. This is the main ride I get to do with Paul so we try to keep it 'low & slow'. Monday & Saturday are road rides which are perfect for getting the distance in and keeping the heart rate down, as well as working on technical stuff like cadence and pedal stroke.

Also, summer is just about here now and things are warming up and the mornings are getting lighter. This is great for getting an early start which leaves the rest of the day clear for family and work.

I had managed to get myself into a team for the Coronation Double Century but have had to drop out as I can't commit to training rides on Sundays. However, I have another possibility and hope to hear early this week whether or not I'm in. I've had to be clear that the training rides must not be Sundays. Hopefully it will work out and I'll get to ride it.

Road Bike

So here's the new road bike. The frame is a 2008 BMC SL01 which came with an Easton EC70 fork.
The groupset is Campagnolo Veloce 10 speed (2008) and the wheels are Campagnolo Vento shod with Vredestein Ricorso tyres. The pedals are Time RXS First, the stem and Handlebars are Scud by Amoeba, the seat post is KCNC whilst the saddle (Selle Italia C2) is carried over from the old bike. I also have two RavX nylon bottle cages and a Topeak tubbie under the saddle.

The bike is a bit of a work in progress as the steerer tube hasn't been cut to final size yet and no doubt fine tuning will happen over the next few rides.

I'm really happy as I've never been involved in building a bike up from scratch. Having been offered the frame at a substantial discount, I then spent time chatting it all over with my local bike shop and the bike you see is the result, all within my original budget. Cool!

Training

This week was my first full week of pre-Epic training in which I'm riding an average of 12 hours. I've broken it up into two MTB rides and two road rides. I'm on my mountain bike on Tuesday evenings with Paul for a 3+ hour night ride (the first 1½ hours are part of the Helderberg Cycle World ride) and then again on Thursday morning's with Petie from HCW. The Tuesday ride is 'low & slow' normally from Paradys Kloof, into Eden for a play on singletrack and then onto Jonkershoek and back. Thursday's are a more high intensity affair and a serious amount of fun! My two road rides are on Monday and Saturday mornings and will be getting earlier and earlier as summer starts to kick in. The main aim of the road rides is to build base fitness. Nearer the time of the Epic we'll start to do some interval training. The riding is a lot of fun at the moment and I'm really enjoying myself.

Above is my rear tyre from the Karoo To Coast. As you can see it's in a pretty bad way and there is no way it was going to be repaired.

Yesterday I helped out at De Hoop primary school where Helderberg Cycle Safe were doing the practical side of their training programme. We had to walk the children through a course marked out on the playing fields, then ride around it with them and once they were confident ride with them on the road. The morning was a lot of fun and it was great to be able to give something back to the sport. I'll be helping again on Tuesday at another primary school. Watch Petie talk about Helderberg Cycle Safe here.

Silent Nights

The absence of posts has been for two reasons; firstly, I was in the UK for seven weeks and only returned home (yes SA is now home!) on the 31st of July. Secondly, I've been waiting on three friends to make their minds up as to whether or not any of them could afford to do the Epic next year. Regarding the Epic, I'll unveil my official partner early next week at the latest. So, seven weeks in Blighty is quite enough for anyone but especially when it entails an enforced period of non-riding. I had a plan to get a cheap mountain bike but that plan fell through. I then made a few other attempts to acquire a cheap (but reasonably well spec'ed) bike but I think on reflection that my standards were simply too high and so I had to endure the full seven weeks without a single ride.

The good news is that since returning, I've been on the bikes three times a week and very quickly got back to a decent level of fitness. I'm still not quite 100% fit but not far off now.

More good news.. I'm really enjoying riding with my recently acquired Polar S725X and am amazed by the plethora of information it offers. Also, the Polar Pro-Trainer 5 software is a great tool for analysing all the data. The profile is of last Thursday's early morning ride in Grabouw with Petie and gang from Helderberg Cycle World. This is just one of many cool features in the Polar software.

Weekly Summary

Sometimes when things don't work out and plans are frustrated you just have to find a solution that works for yourself. I did this a while ago when I got myself a cheap road bike for three reasons. Firstly, I wanted to ride the Cape Argus on a road bike, secondly I plan to do all my base fitness training and interval training for the Cape Epic on it and thirdly, when I can find no-one else to go mountain biking with or the guys let me down I can always get on the road bike and just ride for a couple of hours. So that's what I did this week, I've had a week of road rides which is OK and quite a lot of fun but I would rather be on my mountain bike!

The weeks stats:
Ride time: 8:40
Kcal: 6389
Distance: 204
HR Zones: Light - 3:53, Moderate - 3:50, Hard -54

I generally try to keep my heart rate around 70% on the road bike as that's the key zone for building base fitness and also for fat burning. I tend to try and ride for about three hours at a time so often have to be up and out of the house between 6 & 6.30am. Summer is much better as you can ride from about 5ish.

So this would be an opportune moment to introduce you to my road bike. It really is nothing special, just a plain and simple thing but honest to. It's a Schwinn Fastback Sport, Schwinn's entry level road bike so it was cheap but also reasonably well spec'd for the price with no house-brand, cost-cutting parts. It comes with a carbon fork, Shimano Tiagra rear dérailleur and Shimano Sora front dérailleur and Sora brake levers & shifters. Ritchey and FSA parts are also to be found together with Alex rims, Truvatic chainset (without the girly third ring!) and a Selle Italia saddle. It even came with some SPD clipless pedals! All in all not bad for an entry level bike! As I said the idea is to do some specific stuff with it after which I'll probably give it away. If the roadie bug really bites I'll upgrade to something a bit better. Having said that, I'm already planning to participate in this year's Die Burger road race in November and the Construction Du Cap 99er early next year which are both seeding events for next year's Cape Argus.

Argus Pictures

Here's two photos from the Cape Argus. The first one was taken just outside Cape Town city centre on the first hill of the day. The second should be self-explanatory. hope you enjoy them as much as I did the ride.