Peekay

Judging on my target time vs actual time this was a huge failure. Looking back (not how I felt yesterday afternoon) it wasn't that bad. I aimed for a 4:45 to 5:00 from group HH. I was slightly behind at halfway, but was still on track for a 5:15 at worst. Turning into Witkoppen was like an on/off switch being flipped and soon I had to get off my bike and push it up the hill. This got worse and I lost almost an hour and eventually finished in 6:09. The last kilometer took me over 15 minutes. Not looking for excuses but in retrospect the following could have played a part: 1. I believed the weather prediction of 24 degrees and overcast and somehow did not drink enough en dehydrated badly. Once you get to nausea, it is game over as you are not able to drink enough. Average temperature 31 degrees with a max of 39. 2. 3 x 100km races in 4 weeks. Maybe that is just a bit too much and too little time to recover. 3. 1300 meters of climbing vs my previous 94.7 in 2013 with 1100 meters of climbing 4. Carrying about 8kg more than my previous 94.7 All in all it is part of my learning curve. My second 94.7 done and dusted and my 6th cycling race ever. Well done to everybody that achieved their goals, finished the race or just even attempted it.

My seeding index has dipped below 100. Not many people that would be proud of this, but for me it is an achievement. Using this index and last year's winning time for the 94.7 and reverse engineering the times, I should aim at a 4:50 for this year. This is an hour faster than my first attempt at the race.

Reminds me of a joke (or is it not a joke....): A guy kicks a genie lamp out of the sand. He rubs it and a genie pops out and grants him one wish. He wishes for a road running from Durban to Mauritius, since he wants to go on holiday there, but he is terrified of flying. The genie complains and says the logistics will be unbelievably tough and it will drain the natural resources of the planet. He begs the guy to please give an alternative wish. The guy obliges and wishes to be able to understand women. The genie thinks about it for a few minutes and then replies: Would you like a single or double lane road to Mauritius?

At my level of performance, the seeding does not make a huge difference. I am just thankful that my 9:50 start in 2013 is now a 9:01 start for 2016. The two seeding values from the above links gives 130 vs 100, but the 100 takes my Midvaal into account where the 130 only has my 2013 94.7 with obvious penalties due to age of result. Weather: The long term weather prediction for the 20th is 24 degrees with a very light northerly wind. Hopefully is stays favourable like that.

Gerald, Awesome race. I am not going to repeat what all the other said, but from an organizing point of view, the race was perfect. The only complaint is the wind, but I don't think the organizers have a say there.... Very sad about the person passing away.... PS: How many cans of spray paint have you guys used to mark every single pothole and imperfection in the road ??? Great stuff. Makes everybody feel safer and gives time to look around and not focus on the road surface.

I decided late to enter this one. As a born and bred Capetonian, I just have to try this one as well. It wil be my first one. I managed to get an entry through a charity (Bumblebee Foundation) and in reality I think it is actually cheaper than a normal entry: R 800 to enter (which is a bit more than a normal entry I assume) I have to sell 20 x R 50 competition tickets for the charity I get a complimentary cycling shirt - Taking this into account, it makes it cheaper than a normal entry in my opinion. I get the satisfaction of doing something small for a good cause.

Just my 2c worth on the number collection debate: I have only done a few races but the last few days before the race seems to be the norm for number collection. Personally it is quite difficult picking up the numbers, since I don't have any training partners or friends cycling with me, but I just have to make a plan. Very few good things in life come without sacrifices. Like anything in life it is a give and take and you can never satisfy everybody. To have the packs ready a week early the following consequences (amongst others) are possible: 1. Earlier closing date with possible less entries: Will you be satisfied with paying more, as a smaller field increases the overhead costs per rider. 2. Seeding will be done earlier. This is a regular "complaint" I see. The latest races not included in the seeding. 3. Organising events is hard work and the bigger the event, the bigger the work and the bigger the chance of late changes or modifications. This can impact on registration packs. I have great respect for the organisers of these events. I have been involved in organizing a few road race events many years ago, and very few people understand and/or know how much work it is. Just one question from me: Can I pick up my registration pack on Sunday morning (I don't do the MTB race) ? If not, I will have to make a plan to get to one of the other venues.

Thank you for the reply. 4 Water points is very much adequate. I am looking at the start list on the web site and the list you published. I only see JL, KL, ML and NL. There is no LL. My start time on the site is 7:34 which corresponds to ML. I would possibly consider the downgrade because the Midvaal took a lot out of me and is just concerned that I will not be totally recovered for the 94.7.

Will these classes be to my advantage? I am an older and heavy person, had a bad fall in 2013 when I just started off cycling, making a few holes and rips in my body and badly dislocating my shoulder. I took the knobblies (?) off my mountain bike for some road tires and have not ventured off road again and have bought a road bike in the meantime. My mountain bike is just hanging on the wall. I need to get some confidence off road. Either I need to get some classes or play around on some green routes. I first need to get 94.7 behind me, but would like to get a bit of off road done after that.

First thing on temperature: Midvaal was a killer. Average on Garmin was 32 and maxing out on 39 just before 12:00 when I finished. With just 2 water points I was severely dehydrated, but managed to survive. Second thing: I am a bit confused with this race. I seem to be in an imaginary starting group. RaceTec shows my starting group as LL, but cannot find that group on the starting list. Hopefully somebody can clarify this. Third thing: Not that I am seriously considering it, but would it be possible to downgrade from 103 to 65?

Tomorrow Midvaal 100, next week 103... My 2 longest races ever and my first races since 94.7 in 2013.....