Dustbug

You should notice a consistent improvement in performance if you are training right and also RESTING right, Ive been training for the Hill2Hill 100km mtb. I like high mileage but little of it is at high speed. I have used cadence (power training)for 5 months to learn how to do interval and high intensity training correctly but my mileage has been about 30% less this year to last taking into account 2 x cadence sessions a week. my typical week is Monday rest Tuesday cadence, Wednesday easy ride, Thursday Cadence, Friday easy coffee ride, Saterday easy 3 to 4 hours off or on road with +/-700m of climbing, Sunday Easy to medium road or MTB race / ride 3 to 4 hours with +/- 900m climbing. Ive done 9 races as such this year, any other races/rides were as training rides at training pace and of the races they were between 45km and 75km distances with 6 being over 60 km races offroad and one 100km and one 66km onroad , my threshold improved hugely with the cadence training and my average race times have improved by 15 to 30% so the interval training certainly works my Hill2hill time last year 08h07 this year 06h08, I ride using a heart rate monitor and garmin cycling computer Im 55 your training is what you make of it and you will get out what you put in, work hard but wisely, identify your weaknesses and look to strengthen them as you train, don't neglect your body core training and you will be a happy rider, read Joe Friels book it is a great help and ask more experienced faster riders, you will be surprised how much help and guidance they will give you. Im doing berg n bush in a few weeks then easing off for a good rest followed by starting base work build up and have to improve my hill work particularly climbing ability for the next goal I set for myself. Im a middle to back of the pack rider who just enjoys getting out there. Look at the calendar - work out what and where and when you are wanting to race properly, you can only do a few full blown races a year and then build your training plan and riding plan around what you want to achieve. Proper planning will give you a huge amount of satisfaction as you are focused and properly trained for what you want to achieve, Identify your races ABC etc.. A are full blown races (targeted and trained for) B ride hard if you feeling good on the day - they help you show how your training is going) C ride as training rides or skip they are not essentials they are like to do's if you got time and opportunity - allow for family time. enjoy and have fun.

There are forms on DFS site where a contestant can declare use of illegal substance with the necessary back ground details reason doctors instruction etc.etc... if they don't take the option to declare prior to an event or test and take a banned substance and then compete Im sorry there has to be a reason he or she has not declared the use of the substance, you can draw your own conclusion but in my eyes it is cheating.

As I understood it - stand open for correction is UCI will not approve discs on road races for a couple of years as most modern frames cannot take the stresses of discs and also the tests have shown the disc brake bikes have a distinct advantage in that they can brake later faster and harder into the corners etc enabling a faster pull off resulting in a average speed gain advantage which is fairly large. But UCI are more concerned with safety as the combination of the two types of brakes breaking at different speeds in a large group cornering could and will result in some serious accidents.

With the cleaning up of the sport riders are not going to be able to recover as quickly and the heavier program riders with big build ups and too much hard racing ahead of a grand tour based on old training principles are going to suffer, organisers are going to have to spread these multi stage races a bit more, its nice to see a new generation of riders coming through who hopefully have not been exposed to the muck and dirt of the past and we will see true racing and tactics come into play as riders will need to plan multiday races and recover cleverly while racing. As riders get older they will naturally fall off the peak pace the odd one will be an exception so I think we can still expect to see some good racing from many of these slightly older riders for a few years to come but they are not going to be able to take on everything that comes their way as they will simply not maintain. Its a simple fact age equals longer recovery time between races. A little less racing prior to the tour would have done many of them a favour, they are going to have to decide with races and tours which ones they are racing and which ones they are supporting other team members in and using as training.

even a stationary gym bike is better than no bike and no training but the spinning bikes are better but use a structured program to train with resistance and use your heart rate to monitor your effort as you probably wont have power readings, I often use the spinning bikes in the class but just let the instructor know I am on my own mission and not following the class. Also if you are going to do this take an outside or back bike so as not to interfere with the classes in progress.

Both are good I know a few guys riding American classics with no more issues than you get with the other rims and hubs, there are some major issues with the backup service with eastons. Just going back on an earlier post, the fastest and biggest weight saving as well as best weight loss to cost is on your wheels and fork there after your losses are minor and costs huge, that is why most will recommend those two area's of saving first and also they are items easy transferred to any future upgrade without loss and cost so one can buy a cheaper spec'd bike in the future and cross fit your better wheel set fork etc and by selling the old bike with new kit on it you create a better incentive for some one to buy it as well as reduces your chances of come backs. It is wise to investment in a good wheel set as your first upgrade as it can last you a very long time.

Get real guys there comes a point where your data can tell your opposition a lot about you in the right or wrong hands and with all that at stake and the biggest bike race on earth at stake the team and sponsors would have at some point looked to protect their interests and that would have been to stop revealing the actual condition your riders are in.

Despite all the detractors and negative and defeatist attitudes I still believe we should give support to where so far everything is positive and hopefully the mountain of cheaters is being conquered so my support will go where I see it is best for the sport and at the moment there seems to be a positive attitude against doping by the riders so I will give them support in the hope that good will prevail. On the matter of Contador as I understand it his little dose of muti is supposed to have come from the meat he ate, it was designed to help him lose weight just as they entered the mountain stages, all meat farmers produce animals to weigh in as much as possible as they are paid per Kg and all butchers sell meat per Kg so why on earth would they feed an animal something to reduce its weight - He has shown his true colours in the past and they have been proven beyond doubt but no one is questioning him. He is riding as well as Froome. What we have is a classic case of the press determined to tarnish detract from, and try to destroy a possible champion of good before he gets there by applying as much pressure as possible. Its a pity CF doesn't have a more reputable challenger to be up against but again here I will back CF to beat Contador as good need to win in this case and this race.

Go to a XCO race or one of the more demanding marathon races and have a look most of the top and up and coming riders are using stans rims because they are reliable , Patrick Morewood stipulates Stans ZTR Arch on the Pyga's because they can handle the work load and are reliable. just make sure you get the right rims for your use and weight ie: more weight more spokes for support , the tyres do also make a difference as the profile of a tubeless is flatter than a tubed tyre which relates across to surface contact area grip etc.. at your upper weight limits 90kgs and up you will be able to fit a non tubeless type tyre on the front but don't try it on the back go proper full ust tubeless. I at now 90kg but previous 3 years at 96kg ride stans rims with full tubeless crossmark on back at 1.8 to 2 bar pressure on the front I use Icons, xking protection plus and mountain kings protection plus at 1.8 to 1.6 bar pressure, I could probably go a bit lower with the pressure for more grip if I thought it necessary. as said by an earlier post the weight issue relates to your climbing - less weight = more effective climbing ability . heavy rims etc for faster downhill ??, downhill I have hit speeds up to 64kph on dirt track and forest roads and certainly don't need to go much faster as I would run a serious risk of running out of talent. enjoy your riding.

What they say about the bilharzia is correct it does leave you in a semi tired state , it re occurs in mild to strong bouts and does not leave your body for years, I had it as a teenager, was treated 3 or 4 times for it and now again 40 years later I have just had another treatment for it, all the previous skin tests didn't show it, only the extended blood test now Im riding the best times Ive ridden in 5 years so any of you who have had bilharzia in the past go and get retested properly you will be surprised, the rivers and dams I have been in in the past 20 years are all in Kwazulu natal around Durban and Pietermaritzburg and I know a number of riders who have had positive test results for bilharzia who have only been exposed to the umgeni river doing the dusi, midmar mile and inanda dam swimming and similar events. It has the effect of leaving you in a permanent semi tired state with spurts of increased energy that quickly fade. The treatment is only a week long so not too much time lost but it is heavy on the body and no stress is allowed and the following week must be an easy week.

At 95kg you have to go to the arch , crests are at their limit at 90kg arch are at their limit at 105kg but don't waste your time is you don't change the hubs, the stans 330hd11 are excellent hubs and are extremely fast these hubs and rims with the right tyres will easly take 1kg off your bike weight which will make a difference. other good hubs are hope2 and sunringle . change to tubeless at the same time it makes a big difference. good luck and enjoy your riding.

The thing I find interesting here is when one looks at what was achieved by the doping in the past is that the gains where not so great as to be super human, yes they did give an advantage that enabled the cheats to win but their actual performance averages etc.. compared to our current highly trained and scientifically managed athletes at the end of the day where not massive only sufficient to give them the required edge they still had to have started out with a very good ability and pedigree to get into the upper ranks of the sport, yes in some cases it turned better than average riders into top riders , they are in the minority, but a rider with a good pedigree and the right genes should be able to achieve similar standards without cheating and CF's times and results are within that area of a top class rider and not inconsistent with any other top group of athletes involved in other sports . The fact that his times are good overall but not extrodinary or exceptional nor are they above any of the past convicted dopers on average lends credibility to him being clean, his strength is in TT and climbing and his results show in those disciplines not the sprints. Look at the past convicted and suspended dopers still riding, hopefully they are now clean as they are targets for intensified testing, they are still performing very well at a high level but not where they where in the past, that is the only real comparison we can use to judge now as these few guys who have returned do give us the ability to measure their prior and current performances. CF last year showed his pedigree he barely broke a sweat on some of those climbs with wiggins in fact we all saw him sit back and wait and drive again and again when needed, so why doubt him this year when he has free reign to show his true colours - give him a chance. To me by putting Contador and Kantana in their places early on before the big alps climbs he is taking a lot of pressure off himself by creating self doubt in the opposition, hopefully he has not over done it and left himself too tired with the big climbing stages ahead - only time will tell the race isn't over until the final finish line is crossed. Knowing the sports ability to retrospectively test and advancement in science any rider doping has to be an idiot but someone will always try and beat the odds sadly that will also mean bad publicity but hopefully the pure riders will prevail.

Their service is excellent and very helpful with lots of stock on hand so you always find what you want, they have happily exchanged parts that I bought incorrectly or did not fit with the intended result without hesitation, great service guys many thanks

I use powerbars the crunchie type for races and long events with bananas and a bit of whatever the races offer in potatos etc.. normal long training jungle bars are good and cost effective. The biggest trick is to learn to get your energy from eating not drinking because on a cold day you don't drink enough and on a hot day probably too much, learn to eat every 30 to 40 minutes, also always put your energy drink in a container that you can see how much you are taking, in a camelback you cannot see what your consumption rate is. I now use half as much energy drinks and more water while riding. 32GI bars are also good, look for the energy bars that don't melt in your pockets and give a sustained energy release.

Talking go the guys who did dusi2c including the top finishing teams 80% said they were happy using a gps the only drawback was at the turnings off bigger roads onto tracks etc..you need to slow up if they are not marked because most overshot them and had to do a Uturn until they learnt to pick up the turns. Most said a simply lime arrow on the road or track would have been a great help.

The difference you cannot look at in theory as the measurements don't show the difference between 26" and 650B go and put a set on a bike and try it the difference in handling grip roll over is evident, it is one of those you need to experience to understand. Everyone I know who has done the conversion has said they will not go back to 26" , the other factor that needs to be taken into account is the difference in cadence when riding. my rocky fits both 26" and 650B and the difference in ride is astounding.

From experience of these types of drivers and passengers you will get little if any response from the boys in blue, the best remedy is a reasonably heavy river pebble in the back pocket they do amazing remedies to headlights when lobed just in front of the culprit and they tend to give you a wide berth there after. not the right way but it works as the official oke's definitely are not interested unless someone has been injured.

The bottom line is that in order to participate in international and Olympic sport we are required by the international controlling bodies to have one representative body and that is CSA via SASCOC under the DEPT of Sport and Recreation.., CSA like any other body requires funding and like all other national bodies it is levied on a tiered base with all registered participants in that sport paying their share. PPA's assistance with the initial creation and funding of CSA is greatly appreciated but historically their not attending the initial inauguration etc of CSA and not voting indicates another agenda which I would be interested to see what it was and is about and what the issues where if someone can post it. We must remember it is CSA's job to act at national and international level , your province must act at provincial level so don't decry CSA as having done nothing for your province it is not their job as such but then again where would the epic and cross country or our road riders now in Europe be without UCI ranking status and opportunity to gain points locally be if CSA didn't work towards that, had our riders only been able to get points overseas we would not have had as many riders in the last Olympics due to competition levels and cost. South Africa has many challenges and funding is limited and as we all know administration is expensive, but to maintain levels and standards you need the structures, controls minimium requirements , commissars etc . If you don't wont to contribute don't, go and ride your occasional fun ride and see how boring they soon become with the same minimum standards and limited technicality, limited routes etc.etc. The fact that you are participating in events that require contribution to CSA indicates you are wanting to participate at a high level and to do that you need to accept you are now entering the levels of the sport that assist at contributing to national and international participation. PPA needs to negotiate in fact maybe all the provincial unions need with PPA to sit down and set up a standardised provincial system and structure with uniformity and some of the less populated and smaller provinces may need cross subsidisation etc but don't start risking our international capabilities over a few national and local issues , for every problem there is a solution if all parties are willing, It appears this latest action is initiated by PPA so please PPA what exactly are your issues I would be interested to see a historical time line of issues offered solutions and outcomes and on going issues and proposed solutions and what is acceptable and what is not so we are all able to understand properly, without full disclosure and understanding the other provinces cannot see if they need to supply support to PPA or look at adopting some of the principals etc or if they think PPA is only after looking after its own prestige etc..come on guys open the books and lets see the whole story please..oh and leave historical pettiness out of it, its history and cannot be changed now. It/they can however be replaced, be worked on and acceptable structures etc instituted with understanding.

A lot of what is mentioned above is good just find what suites your gut when u ride but... if you don't start eating at the right time ie: start refuelling before you start depleting your energy levels you will have the same problems of fatigue and hunger. Eat a good meal before you start and hydrate properly 300 to 500ml before you start, then eat every 30 to 40 mins while riding and importantly refuel again within 30 mins of finishing your ride. If you start feeling hungry or thirsty you have left it too late and your body is already entering a depleted energy store level.

Epo is readily available it is used to treat a number of medical conditions, if doctors in this county will sell sick notes they will sell scripts just like with steroids supplied to school kids and gyms etc... if u read the background to the LA affair u will see one of his main sponsors on US postals was one of the original developers and mass producers of Epo so no doubt they had very easy access to any amount they wanted at very little cost.

The M4 from Durban to Umhlanga is traditionally seen as freeway with the exception of the blue lagoon bridge, the route out from Durban normally follows the side roads and then onto the M4 at umhlanga (but it was acceptable to enter the M4 at Virginia airport without being warned or fined by metro police in the past) out to Ballito and is probably the most frequently cycled route in Durban. It is traditionally used by all the clubs and recreational cyclists as a training route and the use of lead or following vehicles has been practised for years. Most of them are properly marked with flashing lights, rooftop lights and some with electronic warning signs on their roof and their conduct is as far as I have every encountered very good. Ive lived in the area for 18 years.The route from Umhlanga lagoon to Ushaka and back is probably the most popular 42km training route in Durban, the clubs and bunches are seldom on the route after 6h30am in the morning weekdays and generally off the route by 7h30 on weekends thereafter it is mainly small social ride groups of 3 or 4 riders. it will be interesting to find out what the gripe was about. I might pop into Chainworx and ask the guys as the shop is on the route through Umhlanga.

I know of 2 riders who have switched - converted Rocky Mountain MSL 30 and MSL 50 full suss's with fox forks to 650b crest rims with Schwalbe tyres, the fit is tight (clearance front and back is only about 12mm) so for very muddy courses you may need to fit the 26" but both swear they will only go back to 26" if forced to. They say ride over obstacles is better similar to 29er and even though hill climbing is slightly harder as like a 29er you need a bit more momentum it is worth the change over, They both say they no longer have to be picky about lines especially with the rock gardens due to the better rolling over obstacles. Grip in cornering is also better due to larger surface contact. Im converting my 26" to 650B as well it simply makes sense, Im riding a 29er and the ride is just so much more enjoyable on the bigger wheel.

Burry did ride Saterday and Sunday, sunday he rode with Cherise had a chill day I heard it was his birthday. The 100k was hectic plenty of slip and slide but a good day out besides the racing snakes most of the riders seemed chilled they knew with all the mud there would be few PB's so most seemed to be out just to ride and finish, it made for a very sociable ride no pressure from riders to pass or any of that and riders were happy to wait and ride in their slot on the single track as it was slippery and mud everywhere you couldnt push too hard as you werent too sure what the next corner or drop off had in store for you so caution was definitely the word for the day. a fair percentage of the course has 100mm of mud on it but we got used to riding in it and settled down to sometimes having your bike decide which line you would ride and sometimes you controlled it. It was a good fun day the water and support stations did a magnificent job and helped wash down gears etc whenever possible. They support guys on their motorbikes assisting the medics also a very good job done there, it was comforting to see them always willing to help and if they heard someone had falled hard they immediately went to look for them as the medics couldnt get into many sections of the course. When you see a 4wd bakkie at full rev sliding backwards down mikes climb you know it is slippery. A great ride and I enjoyed it even though it was hard work. The Saterday 45k riders had a rough ride drenched from start to finish brake failure was common 3 of the 5 guys we supported needed new brake pads today well done to all those who rode and finished.

have a look at the compact crank threads basically they are the shorter length but there is a substantial power loss until you build up the strength.

basically the ten speed chains are directional and narrower than the 8,9 speed chains so you need to have the right size link but undoing the power link and re connecting makes chain cleaning a lot easier. once you have fitted the link just stand lightly on the peddle to make sure it locks into the grooves properly. happy riding