'Dale

Just saying

Don't wait til you reach your goal to be proud of yourself. Be proud of every step you take. - Karen Salmansohn

Sunny Side Up

Peter Sagan's contribution to the sport is beyond measure. I bought at least two pairs of 100% sunglasses because of his marketing power. That brand is still going strong. How to even estimate the reputational value he added to the Specialised Bicycles Company? Who can forget him winning Ronde' and Paris-Roubaix in the rainbow jersey? When we conflate moral leadership with athleticism of our sports stars, we err in our expectations. Or even hope to have our sons and daughters have these superstars as role models for their lives / our lives. Their job is performative. In the arena. It is an endless debate whether the likes of Peter Sagan should be examples of how to live. I don't think we should. The public scrutiny and spotlight effect on these young adults (typically elite athletes are in their 20s) is too much of a burden to carry for such young minds.

Golden Hour

Wide toe box - perfect to gently nudge away the puffadder and cobra

If you don’t make time for your wellness, you will be forced to make time for your illness.

Arrogance and self-importance is comparing the unique local vibes of The Argus event in South Africa to the so-called much more pleasant atmosphere of European events. Be lekka, Bruuuu.

This looks like 45+ degrees in the saddle with the additional heat of your endurance engine purring. Whatever do you, take care of your well-being, athlete. No need for hero moves or badge of honour status. Your health is your wealth.

“Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.” — Jack Kerouac

Evie’s new power meter, 1st ride⚡

5 things to consider: 1. Suppressed immune system under the physiological and psychological demand can easily let any threatening goggas in. 2. Many goggas are airborne and, even if the race village is lekka and social, rather place yourself in a social distancing bubble. 3. Unfortunately, mass produced food is always risky, whether at fuelling stations or for meals at the race village. 4. Training the fuel tank (types of food and preferred mg per hour) prior to the event is crucial and a predictor for sustained and safe energy supply. Replicating what you eat in training at the event is important, whether in-racing or for recovery. Should I do the Epic, I would put a system in place to take control of my nutritional and hydration needs, where possible. Three months of focused training and bags of cash is worth protecting. 5. Tummy issues can also be a result of severe performance anxiety, sleep debt or restlessness and sheer exhaustion, not necessarily viral or by some contamination. Sterkte to all that is racing the 2024 Epic.

Dankie tog virrie wit sokkies in 2024

Horse echelon

Awesome news: Matt Beers learned a lot of lessons racing the Life Time Grand Prix in 2023, so he naturally signed up for more of the same this year. Only now he’ll have more support to back him. Beers, the South African gravel national champion, has signed on with Specialized Off-Road, where he’ll join Sofia Gomez Villafañe and Howard Grotts to race a calendar of mixed MTB and gravel. (Russell Finsterwald is departing the team.) The team will lend him support at races in both the US and South Africa, including the Life Time Grand Prix Series and the Cape Epic, where is a two-time champion. Sauce: Velo Pic: Alex Roszcko

Hehehe

Pump up da base 🎵

Simondium

Damn Apple The ecosystem has me too. Went from Bose ear buds (it started to fail after 4 years) to the AirPods Pro (wifey bought it for me for Christmas) and I am enjoy the seamless integration with my phone and laptops. Awesome short-term review.

BikeHub’s commercial platform rocks For my road bike Evie

Old Malmesbury Rd

Strava means 'to strive' in Swedish. That is the ethos of this superb app. The Heat Map is cool, and also the ability to plan routes, even from my smartie phone. It is a private company, of course, and they can do whatever they want with ongoing iterations. Comparison anxiety is a quiet epidemic with rising prevalence of those using social media platforms. Compare yourself to others and measure yourself against others' images of success or failure and one can be at risk to be insecure / smaller than or superior / bigger than. I do match myself against my friends and long may the chirps and street sign sprints flow. Compare yourself to one's version of yesterday and last month and one can greatly benefit from measuring one's achievements and tracking one's athletic growth arc. (I suspect the article was to entertain and to be satirical. If not, storm in a coffee cup.)

Deeeeep brew, Bruuuu -Jarryds, Sea Point

The bay

Did you pass through Sea Point at 07:30ish this morning? Longest ride was 160, @babse Usually solo a 200 km in the week of my birthday. Didn’t do the Argus. Or even seen the mountains of Europe, which is an annual adventure. Did cover some commuter miles in SwissLand and a week in the Northern California hills - blessed. Had to refocus my 2023 energies and focus on family, my business and international travel. Never a dull moment. Still kopkrapping over my 2024 aspirations and dreams. Hmmm. Did achieve this double for the first time and have never lifted as many weights ever in one calendar year: