camerons

There is pretty much no evidence that says gym work for your legs will improve your cycling. You're better of cycling more.

Do you want to compete or complete? If it is complete then I would say you really don't need a coach for a HIM. It is not a massive challenge for someone who is already bike fit so I would probably save my money. All you need to do, to do relatively well is 6-8 hours a week of training a week, comprising of something along the line of 2 rides - 1 long (3 hours) and 1 short (1 hour flat out) 2 runs - 1 long (1 hour plus) and 1 short (45 min) 2 swims - 1500m-2000m for both if you've already got decent base fitness from cycling then the hard work is done and if mountain biking is your sport of choice you could do all you cycle training off road, no problem. The only place I would caution you is with running, build that up slowly if you don't have a decent running base as running tends to cause a lot of injuries.

that's amazing how much effort has gone into that website. I wonder how successful they are.

cheers man, I'll go and read the article at the petrol station Be very cool if it happens!

if that is true it is ace! where did you get your info?

I would have had that off of you if it was an XL as I am plannig on building one for myself this year. What is the RRP on those frames? I assume that was a self build.

That price is nuts for an Olympic Distance Race. The local OD races here in Durban are R250 for pre-entry which I think is about fair. With an IM there is alot of fan fair that goes with the race that is included in the price such as pre race dinner, good quality shirt, bag, medal and certifcate, awards ceremony the next day, free food after the race..... so I think they can almost justify the cost. (almost)

i've almost talked myself into this.

I ride extensively on the roads in that area, always on my own and have never had a problem or heard of anyone else having a problem. On the weekends there are normally hundreds or people out on bikes. With regards to offroad, there are plenty of tracks around there that you can ride on without issue or a permit. Just stay out of the valley if you are on your own or you will have problems.

you must really, really like riding.

anyone?

I can't see it either but there is no way it will be the much as that is more than the subsidised entry to the ironman. It will be awesome to have a few more races to do.

Does anyone know of any TTs that take place in Durban and surrounding areas? Very keen to try my hand at this.

black is definately the new white as far as bikes are concerned. Red is still the fastest colour though. @Fakes - I love the fact the bikes as put on the leather sofas.

I reckon a good set of lightweight racing tyres makes more a difference than wheels. Much cheaper too. Get the Carbon bike. Who cares if you get faster, you'll look the business and that's what really counts.

From personal experience it made next to no difference to me. I went from an Alu framed cheapo road bike to a blinging carbon bike and didn't get any faster. The difference came in comfort as I was properly fitted for my new bike plus carbon frames are meant to dampen road vibrations alot more than alu. However because I had a nice bike I started enjoying my riding more, hence rode more, hence got faster that way. I think that unless your alu bike is ultra heavy or very unaerodynamic you'll notice precious little extra speed. It's all about the engine.

From personal experience it make next to no difference to me. I went from an Alu framed cheapo road bike to a blinging carbon bike and didn't get any faster. The difference came in comfort as I was properly fitted for my new bike plus carbon frames are meant to dampen road vibrations alot more than alu. However because I had a nice bike I started enjoying my riding more, hence rode more, hence got faster that way. I think that unless your alu bike is ultra heavy or very unaerodynamic you'll notice precious little extra speed. It's all about the engine.

sorry I was a bit flippant before, I didn't notice he was wearing slops on the run... just spotted the baggies and thought I could do that. I saw some other idiot running barefoot as well. He was quick.

Thats nuts. I didn't see him out there, although the water was pretty warm so no wetsuit wouldn't have been that big a deal. I had a bit of a shocker. Lost an hour on the bike when I broke a spoke on my wheel and had to wait for a mechanic to turn up and get me going again. After that I rode way to hard trying to catch up and then blew so the last lap of the bike and the run were tough going. 13:44 meant I was out there for two hours longer than planned and it made for a long day! Anyway it is a good race, nice course, good support, well organized and we got really and truely lucky with the weather. I think every single course record was smashed. I was also quite impressed with PE, it is a nicer place than I had imagined. Well done to all those of you who made it.

I'm getting properly excited now. A lot less nervous than I was before last years effort. I have also done a lot less training this time round so I hope I am not being overconfident.... Just had a look at the long term forecast and it looks like the weather is playing ball so far. I'm number 388 - Cameron. Say hi if you pass me as I am out there by myself.

does anyone know if the specsavers shirts that we have to wear for the ride and the run (if you did the cheapo entry like me) have decent pockets?

out of interest how many 5 hour + rides have you guys all done in preperation for this?

Haha. I'm not gonna take the bait.

Q: How do you know if someone is doing or has done an ironman? A: They will tell you. Usually happens within about 10 minutes of meeting a person.

I've been trying to get these for ages and have been in contact with the SA distributor who quite frankly seems a bit useless. Currently there is no stock in any stores in KZN and it has been this way since October from what I can understand. Anyway out of desperation I ended up importing a few boxes of the gels from CRC, with shipping and taxes it worked out at about R14 a gel which is a bargain considering that those crappy gu and hammer gels can cost R16 and upwards.