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Here's the advice we give our athletes regarding TT bikes. What's really important when it comes to TT frames is stack and reach - that's the critical dimension - some frames like the European ones are typically long and low, and some American Geometry frames are shorter and higher. And if you have long legs and a short upper body, no matter how much you love that new frame, if it doesn't have a stack and reach that suits you, you will never get the best benefit. What we recommend is to go and have yourself measured at a reputable bike fit expert - There are a few, but we recommend Retul. Once you know your body dimensions, the fitter will stick those into the database of frames (similar to this https://www.slowtwitch.com/stackreach/road.php) and you can then select which brand will suit you.
We have a very good case study where someone was riding an ex Liquigas D2 Bianchi Chrono team bike - Full Carbon, Record, Zipp Vuka, the works. Probably a R70k bike at the time. Long and low. Like the Europeans love. We moved her to a R25000 Cannondale Slice 5 - Hardly the epitome of Aero. But the stack and reach were more suited to her body style. She knocked 30mins off her best IM bike at Kona, and ran a 3:30 marathon to finsh the fastest SA age-grouper that year. Largely because she was on a bike that fitted her perfectly.
Sometimes I think us South Africans are more interested in brands names, and less interested in what actually works for us.
Retul? Do you have details of someone I can contact to get measurements? I have asked around about more information specific to my fit, but I never get an impartial answer, even from professional bike fitters. I am not going to mention names, so I would prefer a reference.
Problem is our access to bikes and impartial information is not that easy to come by, because these bikes are brought in, usually, to order. And then the bikes that are here are the bikes and sizes that are more popular. While we would all love to find our perfect fit, sometimes it's not that easy to do so. Our market is small, and our access to gear and bikes is indicative of that. Also, I am a little hesitant to buy brands that are not available locally easily because of warranty and support. I must say I am a little worried about buying a bike without getting to test it out first.
I don't know how accurate that sizing calculator is - although considering they only sell online i would imagine they want to get it right 99.9% of the time to avoid customer complaints.
Using that calculator I was told that I needed to get a medium size, but when I measured up my bike that I was riding i was well within the large size so ordered the large and I am very happy I did! I am not at all stretched out on it and there are so many adjustments that you can make to get comfortable on the bike that I recommend you rather measure up your current bike and compare that to the frame geometry on the site. In case it has any relevance I'm 1.8m tall and bought the CF9.0 with mavic rims in large.
I am 1.81m tall, so sounds like the Women's M will be too small for me. I also have longer legs and a shorter torso. Thanks for this. I would have ordered a M and probably would have been too small.
https://www.canyon.com/en-za/factory-outlet/category.html#category=triathlon-bikes&id=22690
Canyon Speedmax CF 8.0 2017 in XL for USD1 659.00. I would snap that up in a heartbeat. What an amazing price.
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A big tub of High 5 lasts quite a long time, and is not too pricey. Not as cheap as Game. I however have a tub of Game on hand for when I run out of High 5.
11:11 at the end of the day, 3 minutes quicker than my up from last year, cup of soups never tasted so good - also still in disbelief I've actually made it through this crazy week.
What a day out, my battles beforehand almost made the day seem a little easier, things ended as well I could possibly of dreamed, my wife completing a 'perfect day' waltzing in around 11:45... that smile with her back to back is priceless.
Somehow I'm already thinking about next year... lots of lessons learnt this year to take forward
Well done! And I bet you will probably look back at this one with a lot of fondness. Thanks for the awesome write up.
Was just watching one of Gwen's videos on her YouTube channel, and saw a shot of her TrainingPeaks fitness. For the data geeks out there:
When I first looked, I was like "Hey, that's not as high as I thought it would be. My CTL was 98 for EL 70.3". Then I realised this is just for running, and my CTL was for all three sports combined...
Shaper, what is your running CTL?
Also wondering how her fatigue can be so high, but her form on 0.
BAB0AF3A-C01D-4B76-ABA8-8C726E27BE0E.jpeg
https://www.226challenge.co.za/
this looks like a fun way to step up in distance...
169, 113 & 56,5 options too
1-3 February 2019.
entries limited.
I want to tackle EL 70.3 again, so this is not an option for me. Would love to do it sometime though. It's great that we have choices.
This could be interesting, let's see what everyone did mileage wise (Jan - Race Day) and time achieved on the day?
I would include how many marathons / Comrades have been completed in the last 3 years as well. This data on its own does not really paint a true picture. A bigger base is generally a better indication.
We really have a great pool of runners here. Well done again guys. How do the legs feel the next day? Can you walk?
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Congrats everyone. You are all very inspirational. I hope to be on that start line one day.
Running shoe question: -
I currently run in Brookes Ghost 10. They have a heel drop of 12mm. These shoes have about 350km on them.
Recently I have suffered with extremely tight and sore calf muscles (before 1km even sometimes), incredible sore right hip and now the latest is piriformis muscle syndrome. This is getting so bad now that I can hardly run.
Do you think it could be the running shoes? Previously I ran in New Balance and had tight calves but no other issues.
Very frustrating
Sounds like you need a visit to the chiro. I have had a lot of issues as a new runner (the same as yours except piriformis), and a chiro found the problem. My issue was hips that were out of alignment, which has caused issues everywhere. Working with a bio to sort out that and muscle imbalances from the misalignment.
Power meters will aways have different power readings..just have a look at mine on the attachment - same heartrate reading but different power numbers.
I understand this. The power readings (all from the Snap) varied wildly from one session to the next. I am hoping that it was teething issues. My last two sessions have been consistent, without any power drops to my mobile device.
My setup is the Snap 2, Samsung A3 with TrainerRoad, Fenix 3 HR broadcast and Wahoo cadence sensor.
My Snap will only connect using Ant+, and somehow sometimes does not even work (even after removing all interference, resetting all devices, etc). Sometimes, the power readings will even drop mid ride. I absolutely hate the fact that I have to now buy an overpriced mobile device to connect to the the unit, or lug around my laptop and Ant+ dongle.
In addition to that, my power numbers are way, way off. When I first set up my Snap, I couldn't finish a workout on ERG mode with a few intervals at FTP it was so difficult. Now, two weeks later, my FTP is about 30 watts higher. But, last night I did a session with intervals at higher than FTP (IF of 0.93 according to power readings) and I came off the bike fresh and HR never went into Z5 once.
Wahoo's product teams should really test with more devices, and give us a longer list of compatible devices, and some more guidance. The Wahoo app is also pretty terribad. Why can't I create my own workouts in the app? Why are there a number of different apps? Instead, I have to pay for third party apps to fully experience my trainer. I don't need a training plan, as I have a triathlon specific plan.
This issue is not going to go away. Our ever increasing urban density (world wide) means we will naturally gravitate towards bicycles, motor bikes and mass public transport systems. Also, we will be seeing many more commuters on the road as the price of petrol is going to hit the working and lower classes very hard. Taxis are becoming unaffordable.
People need to learn patience and how to drive their cars with due care. We need to build a culture of safety and respect for the rules of the road and all its users. I really think that cycling laws and the rights of all road users should appear in the licensing curriculum. There is far too much ignorance out there.
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Thanks for the insight, Ryan. Much appreciated.
If the bulk of race fitness comes from approximately 40 days out, then my late burst of training from 30 days out is not as effective as I was thinking it would be. I must keep this in mind for my next event - Tour de Tuli in August - Woohoo!!!
Ryan's base is much, much bigger though. So, I don't think this statement is really true for everyone. I have a very small base of just over a year of training. That does not mean I can back off my training until 6 weeks before EL, for example. I think consistent stress to the body over a long term (especially if one is new to the sports), with increased load for peak fitness building into the race is the best way to go about it.
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Slowed down my pace and at 10km it was a sufferfest of 7min/km+ till the end. Lots of walking but luckily I made it in 6:15.
Got new respect for you tri athletes, and will see you in East london next year, and hopefully in PE if all goes well.
Well done! Excellent time for your first. Lots and lots of hills training for EL... See you there next year.
Where to get the results?
Google does not bring any happiness in that regard.
The Ironman app has all the results.
He was actually my bike mechanic for Cape Epic in 2014 when they were still Bike basement .. I think you are referring to Thabo (Vusi is the bigger guy behind the counter normally - I stand to be corrected though)…
Super nice guy and very talented runner...
You are correct. It was Thabo.
Wanted to share a quick story. I went to Cycle FO to pick up some additional winter gear as this winter is proving to be a lot colder than last year. When I went to pay, there was an issue with the card machine. Cycle FO's bike mechanic (Vusi iirc) was helping me pay. While we were standing around waiting for the shop manager to come back to assist with the machine, Vusi started telling me about his Comrades journey. He is about to do his third Comrades.
He ran his first Comrades in 7:15! I was floored. His aim is to get 10 consecutive Silver medals and he is a bit worried about it this year because he has picked up a little niggle in his calf. If he does not get a silver this year, he will have to start all over again. He runs from his home in Tembisa to the bike shop or sometimes his boss will drop him further away so he can run home. On weekends he will bash out a 60 or 70km run, starting at 3am. He is not sure how many KMs he does in a week, but he estimates around 150km. He said that he doesn't have any funding for "supplements" (like 32gi or High 5), and he has done some runs with nothing (which he says is very painful and difficult).
Just goes to show you can find talent, passion and inspiration anywhere.
The run looks brutal. Think I will be giving this one a skip.
Has anyone tried Maurten sports drinks yet?
It is now available in SA and it seems they will have a stand at the Comrades Marathon Expo.
The drink is used by some of the best runners who supposedly don't get financial benefits for using the product. Eliud Kipchoge, Geoffrey Kirui, Galen Rupp, Desiree Linden, Mo Farrah etc etc. all use Maurten.
Looks like very similar ingredients used in the Asker Jeukendrup's recipe as was discussed on bikehub.
https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/30246-asker-jeukendrups-home-made-go-faster-drink/
Wow. It's very expensive. Seems very similar to High 5 though. Would be easier to get in high amounts of carbs purely from liquid.
We triathletes do runs of the bike for fun
I did a brick this weekend, and enjoyed my run more than the bike. Very happy to say that the "brick" feeling gets less and less after each brick session.
this could still be a long wait
I doubt I will get my shirt. SAPO are dismal.
If your diet has not changed, could also be cortisol related. I would say it is hormonal more than anything else.
If you are gulping down water while swimming, work on correcting that as well.
94.7 rubbish compulsory entry survey
in Events
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That information is not required to deliver what they are selling. I would also be very careful as to what info you put online, as security in SA is generally very lax.