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eala

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Everything posted by eala

  1. Any way to still get an entry ?
  2. Muscle fatigue plays a major role .Nobody cramps in the first hour ,even if you burn your legs in the first 30 minutes .My son is a super fit waterpolo player ,but at tournaments when he plays his all out against good opposition he would start cramping in the latter part of the game .He is the fittest in the team but the only one that cramps regularly .The type of muscle plays a role .Like mesomorphic body type . I rarely see any of these thin body type people cramp . It is often the more muscular people that i notice cramping
  3. The brand and the effect from carbon and nylon sole shoes can cause saddle height differences .Cleat position can change with new shoes .A saddle can drop slightly without you realizing it .Even riding position changes as you get fitter ,stronger ,or you have weight changes .You have to reassess regularly .I am very aware of my comfortable riding position .When i notice something is off ,i stop and change things with the tool that should be on your bike .I have never had a bike setup.It works for me ,but i am probably the exception
  4. From a 55 year old cramp champ . Genetics are real . I have three children that also cramp badly . Diet makes very little difference . Above comments are correct .I cramp at three hours in .Biggest factor is higher effort than you trained for .Heat, not dehydration per say .I almost never cramp on cool days . Cramp tablets help if you take plenty ,like six at a time .Ride lighter gears if you know you are not fit .Use different muscle groups in a ride and stretch on the bike .Bananas and Game work as good as any product .Saddle height is important to balance your leg muscle efforts
  5. Jeez man ! That happened in India
  6. Like being colour blind .You don't know what you are missing , and i thought campagnola was an italian salad dressing
  7. I rode The Grind last weekend .The gravel roads are in good shape. Some corrugations but overall not a problem even for my 38mm gravel tyres . Lots of rain in that area with beautiful scenery
  8. Same here .I ride alone on the road for all above reasons and i ride alone on trails because groups 'kuier ' on their bikes and don't watch their wheel .Too many times people get hurt in group social riding .I would rather ride with a couple of others or alone
  9. Probably just excessive sweat that irritates your skin .I always ride with a buff and on long rides a take an extra one that i swap out and dry out over the handlebars .Use roll on deodorant on your scalp. if sweat gets into my eyes ,my ride is pretty much over .I wash my buff and helmet after every ride with me in the shower . If there is any form of rash some Quadriderm cream will sort it out in a couple of days
  10. I used Cadence for my first event and Sponser for the second .Two bottles per stage .Then the water table food was enough .Bananas and berries and those date cakes . I took some Game with , could not stand powerade anymore . Ate and drank as i felt , and kept hydrated . People make it a lot more complicated than it should be . Eat real food ,carbs and protein for breakfast and dinner .Dinner was either pasta , pizza with beer or red wine . No massages or fisio either .Rest and stretching got me through it .Anti cramp tablets work only if you take plenty , like six at a time .
  11. I hear your concern .I have multiple 1 x 12 eagle geared bikes and my latest is a gravel bike with 2 x 11 Shimano GRX .I previously also had a 2 x 11 Shimano XT full sus bike .I have no problem with a 2 x 11 setup .In fact i prefer it over 1 x 12 .The only time i would choose 1 x again is when i expect wet conditions .The cheaper sram eagle setups like NX don,t work well .Maybe i should just go back to shimano 12 speed ?
  12. I ride a HT /gravel bike with a 36 x 11,42 cassette ten speed that i have used for the Swartberg grand fondo .Worked fine except for the last 500m where it gets very steep .Recently bought a Cannondale topstone with a GRX 11 speed 2 x setup . I have several other 1 x 12 eagle bikes . I am at a point that i want to convert some of my 1 x setups back to 2 x 11 .The best ratio for all bike riding is 2 x 11 imo .I currently have two eagle cassettes that are jumping on the smallest ring while the rest is still perfect .To replace both is the same price as a full bike with a 2 x setup .Long live 2 x 11 for road ,gravel and MTB .I now use my gravel bike as my standard road bike and i can ride the steepest of single tract with it also
  13. eala

    Scam Alert

    You did not buy anything .You send him money in exchange for a picture
  14. Rocky Mountain and Kona went the same route
  15. You need to identify the shape first .Take into account your pants size ,flexibility mainly .The width and curve are the main factors . Maybe a good idea to give your measurements so we have an idea .
  16. Bought a dedicated gravel bike recently .A Cannondale Topstone with 2 x 11 GRX groupset and Vittorio terrano tyres at 38 mm wide .This has now become my road bike. 'Terrano,s are flat in the center and are as fast as any road tire i have used . I can ride most single tract uphill and flat sections . Downhill riding will cause punctures if you let go of the disc brakes . It is the first time in ten years that i am seriously contemplating selling my road bikes ,a Spez Roubaix and and a BMC teamachine. The Spez was my gravel bike with 35 mm pathfinders , but it is not a gravel bike . I have a set of Pirelli medium cinturato that will handle any really rough tracts if encountered .I have several bikes ,but now i know you only need a gravel and a dual suss MTB .The Topstone is as close to a perfect bike i have owned in twenty years and it does not have a front suspension .My body is way happier after a three hour ride on a gravel bike than a road bike .
  17. What he said .BRB by car .Rest okay
  18. Alone almost always .Prefer my own company and the road is a good listener . I work with people and avoid them when i am not working .Even on weekends i like to ride when i am ready and not when the group meets
  19. Worthwhile and the reservoir climb is quite hard and technical .Rest is great .Joberg people must use these trails .
  20. eala

    947 Ride Joburg

    I have tried all the stuff on the market and Gu Salty caffeine works .I will eat at the waterpoint , but only fruit and jelly sweets .I completed 2019 ACE on blueberries ,bananas and the odd USN gel .I hate eating on the bike and energy bars suck .Whenever i train i only use Game and water ,so my body is used to it
  21. eala

    947 Ride Joburg

    Cramping has two causes mainly . Efford is higher than you trained for !!!!! . and dehydration .Both made worst in Hot conditions .Genetic propensity to cramp ,to do with type of muscle fibre you have .Not treatable .I cramp almost always at the three hour mark on any event .When hot it happens earlier .If you ride terrain that you cannot really train for like Magalies Monster , cramps come earlier .Professional riders rarely cramp because they are super fit and have trained for the effort. Salty sweaters cramp more and earlier .Hydration and electrolytes help .Anti cramp tab's do help if you take plenty at a time , like six tabs at every waterpoint .I ride with Game and bananas because it contains a lot of Vitamin C , salt, potassium and sugar .There is no magic fix . I have researched cramps over ten years . I have three children and all of them cramp like i do , even when they are super fit .Best way is to ride through them or even slapping the cramping muscle helps .The pain impuls overrides the contractile one
  22. eala

    947 Ride Joburg

    There is a category for them .E-bikes .They irritate everybody but ,nice time !
  23. eala

    947 Ride Joburg

    This year we hardly had other road events in Gauteng .For a working adult it should not be such a big factor . I don't think cost can half the numbers in ten years . Maybe things will improve next year .I have noticed that the numbers at my local Virgin active has only now returned to almost pre covid numbers ,although still short of 2018 . I even see less cars on the roads . Economy is down and affects everything around us . Numbers at MTB events also substantially down in Gauteng , but up in WP
  24. eala

    947 Ride Joburg

    I think multiple factors contribute to the lower numbers .Difficulty is a factor .The last half is really hard ,even for experienced riders . Joburg is much higher than people think . Road cycling ,as a rule, has declined in Gauteng .Riders have left Gauteng in greater numbers than we think ,either immigrated or semigrated to the WP .There is supposed to be a young adult population that are not in RSA anymore .I see this daily in my profession .About the event .It was well organized ,very clean city ,roads are in perfect condition .Traffic sorted .MUCH better than the previous events at FNB .Start and finish better.Stadium round not missed . Great event , but it is hard
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