Enticement

Remember your body's demand changes with age - you grow until about 25, and in nature something that doesn't grow starts rotting away. So, to make sure that your energy you used to use for growing is not stored as unused surplus energy, it must somehow be occupied. That is why we induce "growth" by means of inter- and intra-cellular damage caused by sport, and the aim now is recovery to get that hgh produced. Bottom line, age is no restriction for performing at your potential, and there are many examples of that. Can you operate the same way you used to 30 years ago? YEAS, within the limits you define for yourself. Remember your brain is your anticipatory regulator and when you get him on your side you can become unstoppable!

There have always been potions, believe you me! It is just lately that nutritional science came to the forefront and started to do their bit. And that also varies over time, like Prof Noakes changed his view on the carb/protein debate. The early warriors were just lucky as they could prick from trees!

Thanks MorewoodMad, you can actually make money with these tips - how to use theHub for marketing (and I honestly mean that)! I can see where I went wrong ... tricks of the trade!

Make some friends with banana farmers - surely some of them will be mountain bikers! Alternatively identify what in the banana it is you need and confirm where you can find that. I can give you an idea but it is educational to explore ... There is also a huge difference in the manner in which certain producers of these pharmacological ingredients are being extracted/obtained. Our legislation is not yet refined enough to protect us 100%, so the onus is on you - read your labels, do your research and only then you buy. That is why it is often better to use a supplement rather than consuming the fruit of veggies. An orange of 40 years ago has more "good" in it than a whole bag of them today. Consuming all of that will make you feel somewhat bloated. I think that was why God gave the Israelites manna as carbs and minerals and "kwartels" as a protein shake - these were potent food sources. If we can only replicate that ...

They buy it from pharmacological companies that specializes in manufacturing specific products, like PeptroPro and Vitargo are trade marked so local companies using it must acknowledge it. They buy it from these companies abroad and then only mix and package it locally. That is also why you should understand what type of ingredients are being used, as some are not absorbed with the absence of certain nano nutrients - you can produce Vit C in your garage but very little of that will be absorbed! Sometimes supplement producers claim to have certain ingredients then they don't as proper goodies are expensive. It is not my idea to promote only certain products but I can mention a few if you PM me. In general, products that are safe to use may be used by lactating women, children and infants. Fruit needs to be peeled or very properly washed as apart from chemicals, they also are often watered from rivers containing raw goodies that are unhealthy. Bananas, eish, grow your own trees ...

Just be cautious with energy drinks containing cane sugar as they are prone to create insulin spike. As for bananas - one of the fruit types that are chemically ripened, so make sure where you source them from (plenty of them can have you poisoned). Always confirm not only ingredients but also where they are from, like most fish oils for Omega3 coming from China that is biggest battery producer in the world with no green legislation, resulting in their fish oils being contaminated with heavy metals.

The menu had quite an array at varying prices ... Seems that local mountain bikers are still afraid that XCO is too "difficult" and opt for "easier" riding. Watch our next route for 13 October - its going to be a ball. We will be doing time trails on Sat mornings to get prospective riders acquainted with the route. Will advertise on theHub.

Seems that our initial post was well received (looking at the views and responses) but perhaps not well understood - but I guess that is the dilemma with anonymous responses and maybe the fact that many mountain bikers are experts themselves and/or know people that know people. However, now that we have your attention, it read: "We have guided Epic riders to achieve their best over the past 4 years - from podiums to guaranteed finishing. Our goal is 1) securing your substantial investment as entry fees are the smallest part of the investment you make; and 2) optimize the time you spend training. For insight into what it all entails, contact us ..." Bottom line irrespective of your angle, the Epic is a costly race and preparation for the remaining 7 and a bit months is going to cost you if you do not spend wisely (lots of riding that equates to lots of maintenance); and preparation is time consuming but if you do the right things in the right sequence for conditioning and cover all bases (you can increase strength with 60% within 3 weeks doing the right things right, and its ok to say one should do lots of intervals, but you get 3 types that should come in a specific sequence at various loads - where do you start?) you will optimize your monetary "investment" and "investment" in time. Our scientific knowledge and experience could serve you well - PM us should you need advice ... PS. Thanks for the guys that contacted me - your "battle plan" will start working for you!

Ha ha - if you want to give some you must be willing to take some. All in the spirit of constructive discussion.

Your'e on the right track - you definitively need a plan for that if you only start now!

You seem to be very experienced in determining the needs of thousands of prospective Epic riders. However, every person riding has a competitive nature, not necessarily aimed at beating someone else, but aimed at perhaps beating a certain time or achieving a certain goal. Helping them achieving that requires an approach founded on more than gut-feel and perceived common sense, often referred to as a scientific approach. Hence the reason for my post: Doing the Epic requires much more than just footing the bill for entering - you have to have a complete Epic battle plan ...

Dude, awesome, then your'e a psychic too - determining my attitude over the internet! If I wanted to sell something I would have compiled a Classifieds ad. You rightly mention "For a lot of people the Epic (or Sani, or Comrades, or whatever) is a big dream and a huge financial/time/emotional outlay ..." Wow, thanks for echoing my posts!

Where do you buy your supplements, or do you mix it yourself in your bath tub? Either way, you can go about with bread crumbs and sugar but if you really train hard it ain't gonna work ...

Our XCOSA.CO.ZA Race #3 was fantastic - great racing and a great day ...

Hope your riding is better than your reading - in one of my initial posts I explained the estimate for supplements PER TEAM amounting to around R15,000!!

Race route marked today - awesome route, flowing, with 1 or 2 challenges, chicken runs included. Line entries & official training tomorrow 9-16h00. Late entries Sat 7h00-10h00 - no excuses not to ride ...

I'm hesitant to answer as this is not the forum for that, however, in line with "healthy debate" will do so. We follow an anticipatory response coaching model aimed at determining your goal and then your current state of conditioning with respect to that. We use that as starting point for compiling your personalized/customized conditioning program. This program is fitted into 12-week cycles and we also utilize periodisation. That implies a sequential approach for addressing each of the elements constituting the level of conditioning required for you to achieve your goal. As bike handling skills is a function of your level of conditioning it also covers that. Also included is race preparation, race planning and actual races are being used to serve as "dipsticks" for measuring progress. Anticipatory response coaching is a project plan aimed at "mind conditioning", and consequently includes mind coaching. As for a freebee, why don't you pay my normal fees up-front for 12 weeks and when (not "if") you benefit from it I'll give you a 50% payback! The prerequisite however is that you must stick to the program and send me your completed logbook every 2 weeks. If I do it your way there is no reason why you would take it seriously or objectively. Talk is cheep, money ...

Well done!

If you have not had the need for a mobile phone you wouldn't have had one - does it make sense / you understand now? If you need detail PM me.

The only idea I "sold" was that no matter how much you save on what, your Epic is an expensive exercise. Make sure you invest wisely and prepare well to ensure you achieve what you have set yourself to achieve, or you have wasted it. Have a look at my initial post.

Cut-off times are generous until you are "one of them"! And who decide who is naive and nervous - we live in a world of demand and supply, that is why you use technology like mobile phones, or where are you from? O ja, some guys just want to finish while others want to finish at their best.

You guess wrong, even the corporate 1st time Epic rider is cost conscious, sometimes even more so. They are absolutely pedantic about time utilization as time is money for them. Using an off-the-shelve training program is like using someone else's old toothbrush - it works well but there are always spots that you miss. And there are so many experts that will give you scientific advice on a request like that, its scary ... Did you know that you get different types of interval training, each type aimed at utilizing a very specific energy system - and optimizing training effect implies doing them in a specific sequence.

Ha bloody ha

Since the Epic route has been adapted to be more demanding, to that extend that riders earn UCI points. If you are satisfied with riding with the idea that if you have one hick-up you will not make cut-off, keep relying on your TIS. If you want to perform at your best its a different ball game.

PM me if you need specific information. This is a discussion forum although I used it to drive some points home.