Zula

That sucks! I would have worn them in for a while before doing a 32k race in brand new shoes. They need to bed in etc which can be done over 20/30k's but broken down into shorter runs of 5k's etc

Probably the equivalent of 1 energy bar for me So 3 baby potatoes. Remember not to overeat. Like Garfield said, 6 hours isn't that long and provided you had breakfast and ate sensibly in the week leading up to the event all should be swell.

Nope it isn't that long. Hence why you don't need to eat after the ride. Just stick to water and coke in the last 5k's

You have to find what works for you. Best you start experimenting now. First and foremost go get some 32gi. That stuff is the bees knees. I've been using it for a while and after a 7.5hr DC last weekend I am convinced its the best drink out there, so look no further. As far as food goes, having a decent breakfast is key, 2 slices of low gi toast with peanut butter or jam or both does the trick for me and of course the mandatory coffee. I would sip a bottle of 32gi on the way to the start. The bike is where you can eat. You can eat on the run but its more difficult. Remeber that one bottle of 32gi should give you +-2 hrs of energy. On the bike I would have some boiled baby potatoes with lots of salt (pre made as suggested above) and try to get through at least one bottle of 32gi but preferably a bottle and a half. On the run you can carry an energy bar in your pocket and drink water for the first 12 - 15k's. After 15k's you can hit the coke to get you home, but hold out as long as possible. The above is based on the race taking +-5.5 - 6.5 hours depending. It worked for me last year and ever since then on all the events I've done like sani2c and the DC Good luck!

I run ultegra 6700 so cant comment on the way campag feels etc. I love ultegra for what its worth. From what I have heard campag is excellent but I know that spares and stuff are a bit pricey. I have also heard that it is a bit finicky to set up initially. All of the above is hearsay. The heritage that campag brings with it is another story altogether. As for the frames, wow you are spoilt for choice. In that price range is that all you narrowed it down to? There are plenty awesome bikes available at that price. If it were me I would be deciding between the tarmac or the roubaix. A mate of mine just got a roubaix and it is serious! Good luck, should be fun deciding

Everything above plus, The first few hours you must say these words out loud CONSERVE CONSERVE CONSERVE Its all about energy conservation. The wall will come, eventually, you just have to play your cards right that it only comes toward the end. Eat before you hungry, drink before you thirsty. Take in the scenery, sounds like it will be a beautiful route.

Get hold of emotion cycling and ask them who stock their stuff in jhb. I am in ct so I cant be of much help. Emotion supply 3t handlebars. My link Those are the bars I got. I cannot tell you the differnce it made to my overall comfort and efficiency from an aero point of view whilst riding in the drops. Also because its more comfy I ride in the drop far more often than I ever would have and at the same time saving energy because i am out of the wind.

Look at the 3t bars, fsa are good but pricey I went for allu. as I couldn't justify the price of carbon. Also go for something with a flat top, I find it much more comfy.

My experience coming from JHB to CT was that Club100 in CT are up to sh1te. Luckily for me I managed to find a few great groups of guys who were very welcoming and I haven't looked back. Drop me a PM and Ill go into further detail, because I don't want to slate them here.

Yes thinkbike are the club100 marshals for the Saturday morning rides which either leave from Broadcares (cradle) or Mugg and Bean in Woodmead (old pta road route). They alternate between the 2 venues.

I'm a big fan of shimano shoes. They have several options for all prices, inclusing the carbon soles or plastic soles. I think their quality is top notch and they really comfy. I have both shimano mtb and road shoes. I could also get shot down for mentioning that I like Shimano

You get TT clip on bars which are legal for the draft legal races like BSG, so you could use them at 70.3 or full IM. They pretty short and I don't think they extend further forward than the hoods. Does that make sense? They would be ILLEGAL for road races though. I recently bought a bar (3t ergonova allu)with a shallower drop and shorter reach. Basically its way more comfortable than a conventional bar and I can spend a lot more time in the drops compared to the old bar I had, thus getting much more aero. For a race like 70.3 a TT bike with TT bars is overkill because the route is full of rollers, especially on the way out. For the return leg though, sitting in the drops would prove as effective as a TT bar IMHO. For full IM though (which I haven't done) I think full TT bars with a full TT setup would make a massive difference. The route is much flatter and you want to conserve from the word go. 70.3 is a different course entirely and I think the route is perfect for a normal road setup provided you can spend lots of time in the drops.

Your best bet is Rietlvlei in Alberton. If you get on the N3 and head out on the R45 its about 10 mins from the on ramp. Take swartkoppies and turn right. Its about 5 or so k's on the right hand side. Probably your best bet in terms of safe places to cycle. There is alot of open land where you are and you could cycle alone but if it were me I wouldn't.

Get one of those belts from sportmans warehouse with the water bottle in the back.

Interesting. . Never knew that. Thanks dude!

Why you say that? The cable does all the work, so its just a matter of running a new set of brake cables.

Obviously My point is more about the fact that shimano really is great quality and not the sh1tmano as sometimes referred to.

What makes it 100x better? It shifts gears and brakes the wheels just like ultegra/dura ace I'm a big sram fan. In fact my mtb is equipped with X0 so don't get me wrong. But to say something is 100x better than an awesome product (ultegra) is a load of shite imho. I am a huge fan of shimano. There is nothing wrong with their products. EDIT: I will concede that SRAM is significantly lighter than shimano

I have ultegra and it is fantastic!. Ultegra would get my vote. Shifts are smooth, grouppo is easy to set up and easy to keep shifting smoothly. Great feedback from the STI's as well when braking. I haven't used the SRAM shifters but I have heard that they can be temperamental. Also setup of the SRAM is difficult. That being said I ride with Sram x0 on my mtb and its awesome. I guess the point is then at that level it aint gonna make such a difference. Personal preference will win at the end of the day.

Ride leaving tomorrow 6am! Be there

Tjops! That shop is overpriced. Go chat to Achtar at Solomons in woodmead. He is a legend!

Now you just embarrassing yourself dude!

Good. Was going to refer you to some of my blood sucking lawyer friends otherwise. Still wouldn't support this event next year regardless. They lost all credibility in my eyes!

Well done Grant to you and your team. You have really painted a good picture of RSA and in particular Cape Town. So sad because nothing could be further from the truth! CT is an awesome city and probably the most user friendly in terms of being a cyclist/triathlete. What a circus this challenge cape town has turned into! Anyone get their refunds yet?

Get a standard crank and an 11/25 cassettee