Robrider

So what's the deal with the climbing figures? In one place on the web site it says: "This route [ultra Marathon] is a combination of the challenging marathon (2120m over 73km) and the half marathon (950m over 38km)." And on google maps the climbing figures are different. I realise that there might be a discrepancy, but over 500m discrepancy? I have friends doing the half marathon that are terrified considering the accent has gone up from around 900m last year to a whopping 1502m this year. Could you please clear this up? are the figures accurate and if so has the climbing increased significantly form last year? Thanks Rob

Wow! What an awesome event! I loved every minute of it. The route was amazing, especially the wier. Well done to the organisers and sponsors, everything was great. A few things I learnt: Xterra is tough. 6 weeks of swimming will "get you by". "Getting by" hurts. Next time, more kung-fu training for the swim Conrad Stoltz is huge! (And a caveman) Trail running does not equal road running (not even close) Oh, and, Xterra is tough! I will definitely be back next year!

I am getting really excited and nervous for this!!!!

Do it! I will be honest, there will be a few oopsies along the way. But in my experience the cost of those has been less than the cost of a service at a bike shop. The tools also are an added expense, but its one that you only incur once, then you have them for life. So in the long run I think its cheaper. Getting the exact spec you want is one of the reasons I started too. As far as tools go (I know some people will disagree with me here) I got one of those cheap tool kits for about R500 that has pretty much everything in it. They are not the best quality, but it will get you a long way. Half the things in there I didnt even know what they were for until I needed it. After that the only thing I had to buy was a BB tool. As the tools break or wear out I will replace them with good quality stuff, but so far that hasn't happened. I have never built wheels, and I have been told that the equipment is too expensive to make it worth while unless you are going to do it a lot, which the average person doesn't. Other benefits: Confidence in fixing anything that goes wrong on your bike. Better understanding of the bike, especially when you "hear a funny noise" that needs to be seen to Peace of mind knowing that after a service knowing everything is perfect, just the way you want it. I've seen people on stage races pay a fortune for a service after a day only to get their bike back with gears not set up properly and no idea how to fix this.

What is half-wheeling?

I disagree with this. I think it is one thing taught to beginners that is not correct. If you do a steep drop-off you should move the weight back so that your weight is centred between the wheels. If you are cruising down a hill, generally you don't need to put your weight back much to be centred on your bike. If you put your weight further back, you take weight off your front wheel, and there fore reduce the traction. This causes the steering to feel washy and unresponsive and reduces the control. At the end of the day your control is all in your front wheel.

+1 on Tim Naokes' "Lore of running" It looks like a big read, but you don't have to get through the whole thing. The beginner program in there is very conservative and is definitely a good option. He states that often it is the previously active people (read: cyclists ) that get injured when starting running because they increase their milage too quickly and get frustrated holding back. His programme feels too slow (it starts off with walking for 2 weeks before even running at all!), but trust me and stick with it and you will go far. Most of my friends got injuries and now I out run all of them because they are nursing themselves. Personally I used my running days as active recovery and would do my hard sessions on the bike every other day. Personally I would not even increase by 10%. Also +1 on shoes. As soon as you are running more than 15min per session I would start looking for decent shoes.

Hey Also had a great time. After that swim I'm very nervous for Xterra! Noticed lots of photographers. Where can we find the pictures and when will the footage be aired?

Fixed

If I had unlimited time... I would do some long rides (+-4h) prob 2-3 a week, 2-3x interval sessions (Including hill climbs), 2 fun ride days (go ride good single track and have fun with friends), and one non-negotiable rest day. Often on my rest day I do fun stuff like learning to wheelie, track stand, etc. I think its what works for you, though. There is no doubt that lots of mileage will help in the long run. but I think its only one side of the coin.

I disagree with you. It has everything to do with what your body is used to. Also most "fun riders" underestimate the stress that daily life has on performance. You think working 10hours a day isn't stressful? and balancing that with a family and training? and what is usually reduced to fit that all in... sleep. I think fun riders are more prone to over training, because they don't have extra time to sleep/recover like the pro's.

That sounds a bit excessive to me unless you have a huge base already. They say don't increase by more than 10% a week... I recon by week two you will be blown and unmotivated. The best coaches recommend a "hard day-easy day" approach. You don't get better by riding, you get better by recovering. Also, what are your goals? You have another thread saying barberton? Or are you training for something else? Joe Friel author of MTB Training Bible says that training long and slow makes you really good at riding long and slow. Ie if your goals are shorter races then I think its a waste of time. You need fast sessions to improve. If your goal is epic, then ya, maybe that's a good thing.

I don't know the gradient, but I don't think its insane. Its more the fact that the hill has no respite for 15km that makes it a killer. Remember, if you in granny gear or around there, 15km at 7-8km/h will take you 2 hours just on the climb. My first year was like that, but have improved since then thank goodness. Still probably my favourite race on the calendar.

I'll definitely do the first one as a warm up for Xterra. My swimming isn't that great, only started 2 weeks ago, but hey, it'll be fun.

There's one problem with your calculation. If I stand a meter away from the pressure hose, it definitely doesn't hit me at 320km/h. If I stand 2m away, it is barely a refreshing breeze. So there's also losses due to dispersion, and drag (or air friction), unless you put the nozzle right on top of the bearings, which will destroy them with out a doubt. You have also concluded that 320km/h will destroy the bearings, but a third of that won't... I don't see how that's a valid point, because what is the "cut-off" velocity that won't destroy your bearing then. Having said all that, I'm only commenting on the theoretical argument. I think its a stupid argument and I don't think it will affect your bike. If we really wanted to get technical we could look at velocity of water sprayed up from the wheels, effects of putting the bike forward facing on the roof vs side facing on the back, etc etc

Reminds me of a quote from Gone in 60 seconds. "Dam woman, you can't drive. I mean, I can't swim, so you know what I do? I stay my black ass out the pool!"

Unfortunately this is wrong too. Weight does play a role. (and please don't quote the "in a vacuum argument")

Your knowledge of physics should be left out of this, unfortunately its wrong.

I ordered pedals that became out of stock the one time, and they were on an end of range sale, so they were no going to come back into stock. I explained the situation to them and not only did they give me the next higher spec pedals (which was not on sale) for the same price as the original special, but they gave me a 5 pound voucher to apologies for the inconvenience. That's better than any customer service I have EVER received in SA, cycling or not.

It was my first time too and I had a great time. This is from the website: Rockhoppers Delta Park Nite Racing When: Every Wednesday evening, come hell or high water!Where: Delta Park, Victory Park, Jhb. At the S.A. Scouting site, which is 100m inside the park on the right hand side, after one has entered the park from the northern end of Craighall Road in Victory Park.Click here to download a map[/url]Cost: R20

Eat lots! 1) It is low intensity, so you should be able to digest quite a lot of things with out trouble. But remember, don't try anything new on race day. 2) Think of how many meals you would have eaten in that 12hour period if you were lounging around the house. You now have to eat that amount, plus the energy that you are using up while riding. Ok, I'm exaggerating a little, but the point is you have to eat lunch etc as well as you race fuel.

Thats awesome. Is it just me or does that seem a very EU biased "world" series.

Really? you want something light, strong and cheap??? You and everyone else. There's a famous saying "light, strong, cheap - pick two". Having said that, I have had good experience with kcnc bars. They are one of the lightest on the market and compete with the top carbon in terms of weight, and are very reasonably priced. I have heard stories of them breaking, but I have been using mine for 3 years and haven't given me any reason to doubt them. (and I've heard stories of carbon breaking too, so horses for courses)

No, They are not specific at all. There are quite a few different shapes, but many of the manufacturers use common shapes, and it doesn't matter the specific brand in that case. As long as the shape is right, its fine.

Yeah. No problem with this combo