Eugene Oppelt

The questions you ask about improving your performance are important. In fact, you ask on behalf of many others. A dedicated thread will extract more value for you and, declutter from the views and opinions on the 2024 CTCT event.

@Phillippe Coetzee Please open a separate thread for your personal quest to improve your CTCT performance. This thread is dedicated to the CTCT event. Sterkte met daai challenge.

“What matters most is how well you walk through the fire.” - Charles Bukowski Big day today - wound dressing day! This is a routine about every 4-5 days. The big threat is infection and the possibility of a skin graft for the right calf is still in the medical picture. The ankle surgery was successful and I wil be walking with crutches for an estimated 5 weeks. My mind is like a garden. It can be beautiful and colourful and I have to watch for the fast-growing mental weeds of negative self-limiting thoughts. Pessimistic thoughts can delay recovery; optimistic thoughts can promote recovery. I do not miss my professional world of working in high performance settings even though it is highly meaningful to me. What I miss most is taking my son to school in the morning and going out on sushi dates with my partner. Soon, soon, soon. Several people of this online community have reached out, visited and offered help. Dankie baie. Be safe out there, Peoples. 💟

The Slovenian superstar stated in his post-race interview that he made some changes to his preparation during the off-season. I wonder what that could entail. In any event, here is a reveal of his stats through Velon. That'll warm me up.

These characterisations, yoh. What matters most that you had the courage, tact and transparency to tell them about your service experience? Customer feedback is precious to any service provider, especially as the cycling community is a relatively small space. No people in a business or service organisation wakes up in the morning and ask: ‘Now how can I be a wise-ass at work today, annoy concerned athletes and potentially dent our reputational value?’ Working in the high performance space, I heavily rely on feedback loops, solving complicated problems and really want to avoid this kind of brand exposure. I sure hope you gave them feedback, allowing for them to respond and enhance their offering.

Orthopaedic follow-up scans revealed fragmented bone and strained tendon, likely from being cleated in and flung from the bike with the collision. The unexpected news from my surgeon dented my morale and, after surfing a wave of panic, I settled down and began to prepare as the operation was scheduled within 24 hours. Prognosis looks good. However, hou ma’ duime as my case discussion meeting with Doc Johan is only tomorrow.👨🏽‍⚕️ Every few days I shed a few bandages and plasters from the abrasions. Even my spare ribs are far less painful when I bounce around on the crutches. Just call me Wolverine. 🐺 Anti-inflammatory foods on my menu include: blueberries, beetroot, ginger, avocados, salmon, walnuts (and koeksisters, rehabilitation for the soul, of course). My daily morning coffee kisses the soul too as the recovery journey is physiological, psychological, spiritual and psychosocial. ☕🥑🫐 Thank you for all the messages. It has an energy in it that can either build or break. Appreciate the loving kindness in every note, gesture and joke. My online community truly rocks! 🫵🏽 Be safe out there, Peoples! 💟

About day 3 is when the harshness of the cold reality of the hit & run kicks in.🫤 I am discharged now and headed home where the little things become the big things - crutches, handfuls of pills, chicken soup and the hourly emotional roller coaster. I just brushed my teeth and now need to recover. And I’m alive and sound of mind to type this to my online community. Every message of support here means tons - it brings in positive energy into my world. My son bought me Pika, as he calls it, to help me get better. 😌 The next big milestone is follow-up with the orthopaedic surgeon. And another achievement maybe shaving later this morning. 🎯 Be safe out there, Peoples. 💟

Me. I was warming up to meet my training group this morning and was inside the yellow shoulder on the way to Cape Town stadium. Then the TV channel switched and I was flung somewhere and, getting up, I couldn’t see the car. The rear view mirror and fender guard left behind on the scene was off a Renault Kwid, not many of them around. I am privileged to have an excellent health care network around me and hope to fully recover - very eina right leg, fractured ribs and scrapes and bruises, fortunately my spine and brain intact. I am a lucky man. Please send healing vibes, Peoples.💛

Boring racing with the magnificent breakaway by the Slovenian or spectacular racing with the magnificent breakaway by the Slovenian? Whatever. Pogačar sent a ripple through the peloton and his rivals would have noticed his form. Why could they not chase him down? They couldn’t . 40-50 in the bunch after 90 kms remaining. UAE grabbed the peloton by the scruff of the neck. It looked hard out there, hey. Pic by Jered Gruber:

If you are going to slander the organisation or service after 3 years since the last comment, can you be more specific about your experience so other users here can be more informed?

While I wait for the weekend

I was chatting a bit to the guy that crashed just past Voorpaardeberg Prison. I know him from around the area a little bit. He just disappeared like a sniper shot him and he was gone from my left shoulder in a blink. It seems he lost control of his bars as we hit a bumpy lumpy area in the road. It was a high speed section and I ended up being at the back of a smaller bunch and, on glancing back, I saw the domino effect at your crash site. Sorry to hear, man. It is part of the sport. Hope you bounce back.

Go to gym, lift weights to strengthen the legs, Cupcakes. Add intervals to your endurance training. Go till you blow! Cramping is 90 % attributed to the mossels exceeding its capability, either through lack of conditioning or fatigue or both). I suspect Rennies and pickle juice and the rest may carry a placebo effect for the user. Sleep matters, nutrition is key, let your training effort match your performance goals, add some creatine to your daily routine, expose yourself to the pain cave, and all that. Sterkte, Bruuuuu!

Evie visiting the cows

The fixation on power to weight ratio and peak power output is a limited view of what it takes to be a pro cyclist. Road cycling is a team sport - it is also about being able to work well with others, humbly take instructions, serve the team, being a contributor of both energy and positivity to the team environment and, above all else, not be an asshole. Weeks on the road, crappy hotels, stress fractures, illness, and the sheer exhaustion and pressure challenge of being a professional athlete will reveal character. The young German seemingly revealed his character only for a few days under pressure in Spain. Well done, Madeleine - let’s see if she can graduate to the WorldTour level. That’s the ultimate achievement.

The BumbleBees dominate the opening weekend. UAE really showing up well; best I’ve seen from the team in white kit so early in the Euro spring. Next week: The sterrato of the white roads! Yum nom nom. 😈

“It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” - Theodore Roosevelt

Women's Elite, OHN 36; Debutant at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad; a tactical master class between 4.0 and 3.0 kms to go, sapping the rainbow jersey’s sprint and playing the numbers game so well with Lidl-Trek. The Boss is back, remarkable, after overcoming another injury setback. One day when I am big I want a 30 second peak power output like Marianne Vos. What a beautiful race.

Light rain for most of the day, with max 7 degrees celsius, which is about 2-3 degrees in Southern Africa, as we have tons of sunlight, generally speaking. So, lekka brrrrrr. Conserve, conserve, conserve until the last 50 kms. Excited, I am. Who can topple the BumbleBees?

Intervals in the heat on Adderley Rd

Can I gooi my VPN and then open an account with EuroSport, Dudes & Dudettes? Or do I need hardware?

Ja nee 🙃

It’s the opening weekend, Ouens en Vrouens! Meanwhile, auntie Pat is criticising the double rainbow jersey winner in Alaphillippe for too much partying and drinking in 2023, etc.. I suspect the Frenchman is not the same since two big crashes. Things can also change when one becomes a father. I have not yet organised my viewing portal. Back to the granular and stop-start Tiz until further notice. Met eish.

I will look for the biggest former rugby player ruler type oke and stick to his rear wheel like bubble gum on a blanket from Voorpaardeberg onwards. The flags are gonna be dancing in the south easter.

35 grade celsius ***loading***