buckstopper

The more carbs you can stomach the better you'll perform and recover on long rides. Try for 1g/kg per hour as a start, ie 70g per hour if you weigh 70kg. Not easy, particularly on long rides if you're not used to it. Afterwards, even more carbs for recovery. A recovery drink will help. Eat simple high gi carbs on your ride. You can obviously also drink carbs on the ride. Be sure to take a sip of water while eating. You can train your body to take in more, up to say 1.5g/kg/ hour.

16kg? Go to the Kettlebell shop and swing one. Rather go lighter than too heavy to start. If it's too light for you pm me I'll take it off you provided you load it in my boot for me

At home you can do squats, one legged (bulgarian) even better, lunges, bridge, push ups, hanging (for grip). Working the hamstrings will improve the rear muscle strength and suppleness, stretching only has short term benefit. If you have some weights at home add deadliest, or maybe invest in a 12kg kettlebell. The kettlebell swing is a great all over workout while watching the epic...

I find after just (only) cycling my balance deteriorates. If I walk or jog it improves. As we age we need to do more weight bearing exercise for bone density and allround strength. If you're going to do a lot of manual labour, that'd probably work, otherwise if you can stomach it try and do some weights and core work. Cycling not great for the posterior chain or core.

On a 3+ hour ride I aim to finish my fluid about 15 mins before the end of the ride. I typically never need to pee during a decent ride, 3+ hours. Drinking too much water can be fatal, because you can dilute your sodium levels too much. 3l per day sounds high to me. I don't count, just drink to thirst, if my pee's paleish I'm good. Are you getting enough salt if you drink so much water? Your kidneys manage your water needs. If you're peeing a lot while exercising intensely you've got too much. I'd rather be 2% dehydrated at the end of a race than 2% over hydrated. In December I did a 210k ride and stopped at 125 to top up nutrition and fluid. It was hot, I drank about 7 bottles in about 8 hours, took one pee after 180k.

For road use running Panaracer Gravelking tlc 32 in rear. (act width 35mm on Winspace Grapid rim, 3.5 -4 bar max, 80kg). Front Schwalbe G one speed tle 30mm (33 wide). Also have a wheelset with Maxxis 50 ramblers (can't get them here.) 49mm wide.these are golden for gravel use. Waiting for a pair of 42 Spez Pathfinders to mount on the grapids for swartberg 100.all above tubeless of course.

Forgive me father, I must confess... I turned into Witkoppen from Douglas heading out for a Sunday spin after a tough week. The B bunch came past me at the start of the hill. Anyway, I landed up riding the same route pretty much with the bunch, and hopped off after 88km at Douglas to go home. Was an amazing day for a ride. The muppets were in big 4x4s with bikes in the back, off to Baaidin, or Broo. A bit of traffic on Malibongwe coming back.at that point the B bunch was still maybe 50 strong, so inevitably some taxis stopping near the bunch. I felt surprisingly safe though. One wheel touch on Letamo saw a guy come down not bad though. In general traffic respected the jmpd cops and Marshalls. Again, i felt most threatened by the cyclists in their cars in the cradle insisting on passing the bunch when it wasn't safe to do so. Oncoming cyclists had to get off the road while the bunch Marshall escorted said gem in Everest. Sorry Monte, nice race. The Lab poster boy was seen heading out on Cedar at 06h15 with Chommas on their own different folly.

Ideally one would look at comparative normalised power for the route both groups rode. A classy junior, having ridden restricted gears (52/17/16/14) develop ability to ride at 120rpm+ for some distance. (A top junior woman would make about 4w/kg ftp in SA)

Agreed 100. I drove 100km to watch on the hill. great gees in pta and watching Impey go on the climb was special

I agree with you 100%. Disagree that for my age group its a puncheur's course for 4 laps for my age group, maybe for the younger guys. If there's a climbers selection with 1km to go to the top I doubt a puncheur would get back to finish them off.

Did Wagenaar do the layout? When did he last ride a bicycle? Is Alisdair Garnett not involved in the Road Commission? Surely he would've recced this. A downhill tt? Minnaar should've entered! This poor course selection was one of the reasons for me not licencing for 2022. Having to ride 4 laps of God's Window with 1900m ascent in 88km (60+ age group). What's the point of SAs? Must the races be dangerous and super hard to put off as many wannabees as possible, or what? Please enlighten this amateur

IMHO the course should've been run in reverse. Who designs these courses and determines the distances. Eg last year my age group tt was 30km, this year 20km...

Thanks. I have been licenced as an age grouper for the last 2 years after taking a hiatus. I decided to enter a non UCI/CSA approved gravel/road event taking place end of April. (BTW CSA did in 2020 already need club membership for a racing licence. My understanding is that riding in such an event is a contravention of the licence terms. So I opted to go sans licence until after this event, at which point I may resume my former licence status, or not.

Perhaps relevant is the wrong word, how about "as popular"? I see many groups out wearing some or other same sponsored kit. Are these registered clubs, or just okes that schmaak to move in packs. I suspect it's a lot of the latter. Just my observation/impression, neither for or against this trend. Is this also a thing in mtb as much as road?

My csa (racing) licence is up for renewal. I received a mail from them reminding me of this. CSA also said that club membership was a prerequisite for renewal. 1. Is this for racing (elite or age cat.) or general csa licences? 2. How many cyclists still belong to clubs. Are they still as relevant, with WhatsApp groups and all? I joined a club in order to race, but tend not to ride with them as I move to the beat of my own drum.

I did my last my last August in 2005. Stampeding down the M3 in a 250 strong herd was quite scary given the different levels of "herd discipline" (C group). And then the crash- a huge cacophony of chaos and the inevitable domino effect. I dodged that one but some of the pro ladies weren't so lucky. Bunches are not without risk, as is going out on your ace, or not exercising for that matter. Just manage the risk as much as you can. BTW I didn't enter because I'm still doing base. I must say I do have some reservations about Peter Rd intersection (and the ones before on Beyers), the Cosmo Mall one, Douglas and Cedar. We need lap racing Belgium/Europe style here. Like crits but maybe longer laps, surely less intersections to manage, less cost? More spectators too maybe. Wed pm races at the Cradle maybe. Maybe worthy of its own thread. ......ramblings of an old fart...

I run Schwalbe Pro Ones since 2017. About as fast as you can get. Never had this problem. But then I only race for fun...

Bad manufacturing quality if you ask me. To pay R12-R1500 per tyre for such rapid deterioration because it's a Conti 5000 and then to expect them to wear faster, because they're super fast or some rubbish. I don't buy it. I don't believe they live up to their reputation.

Mmmm, looking for a nice fast set of tubeless tyres. I like the idea of a 26mm, 25s a tad firm, 28s a wee bit fat. I run choopliss at 55-65 psi.

Be interesting to see what emerges from the partnership regarding new (especially) tubeless tech. Pirelli will certainly develop until they are on par with the best. Pogocar won't tolerate flats..

Ballie krag! How old is old, anyway?

When I'm next in that neck of the woods so to speak, I'll defs give the brown version of the Strada Bianca a go.

Psk, a small power climb;)

Going down t shirt hill is quite bone crunching on a gravel bike. Try going up it rather????. I did it both ways in Sept. Enjoyed the ascent more. Was a bit tough on my 34/34 I must say. I was told the name of the hill is from "if you can run all the way to the top, you get a t-shirt". White Road out of Wilderness also a properly steep climb, although the tar makes it more doable, but up to 20% in places. Also maybe worth making contact with Eugene at Cycleworx Sedgefield. He leads 6am rides from his shop off the n2. Riding on the gravel along the vleis lovely early morning. And flat!

Hopefully she takes on a cycling related role in addition to this. She's been a world class racer and role model